HUAWEI FreeLace earbuds show more promise than FreeBuds

The HUAWEI FreeLace wireless earbuds were unveiled alongside the P30 and P30 Pro, and already they’re looking more promising than the company’s FreeBuds. The dual-purpose USB-C input not only acts as a charging port, it also allows users to quickly pair the HUAWEI FreeLace with their phones by connecting the devices via the included connector.

HUAWEI claims the battery will provide 18 hours of playback on a single charge. What really sticks out, however, is the quick charging ability — just five minutes of charging affords four hours of listening. That’s much more than the standard 10 minutes of charging for one hour of playback we’re familiar with.

The IPX5 HUAWEI FreeLace features a symmetrical design. The anodized aluminum alloy battery housings are equally weighted on either side of the neckband and conceal the integrated microphone. Additionally, the liquid silicone cable promotes tangle resistance.

The dual-channel cavity design works in tandem with HUAWEI’s environmental noise cancelling algorithm to reduce wind noise. Within each earbud housing is a large 9.2mm dynamic driver and TPU diaphragm. The housings themselves are magnetic. Clipping the earbuds together not only keeps things tangle free, but it also serves to pause media or a end call. Consequently, detaching the earbuds will start music or answer a call.

Also read:

• HUAWEI P30 and P30 Pro hands-on: Zooming into the future
• HUAWEI P30 cameras: All the new tech explained

While HUAWEI refrained from mentioning what Bluetooth version is used and what high-quality codecs — if any — are supported, connectivity should be more reliable than the FreeBuds by nature of the traditional wireless, rather than true wireless, design. In the meantime, we’ll be sure to keep you in the loop regarding further updates.

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