Following the success of the Huawei FreeLace wireless headphone, Huawei had recently launched an updated model known as the FreeLace Pro in the local market.
Priced at S$148, the Huawei FreeLace Pro is among the most affordable wireless headphone in the premium segment. It brings along several notable upgrades and improvements over its predecessor including an advanced dual-mic noise cancellation and a powerful 14mm dynamic driver unit to name a few.
However, does it have everything it takes to stand out of the overcrowded wireless headphone market? Let’s find out in our Huawei FreeLace Pro review!
A Stylish Design That Impresses
Just like its predecessor, the new Huawei FreeLace Pro retains the same neckband design which looks extremely sleek and sporty. While the review unit we received is the relatively more flashy Spruce Green variant, but there’s two other colorways that are available for you to pick from including the Obsidian Black and Dawn White.
On the outside, the neckband section is lined with soft, flexible rubber that run across its length. It do offers great comfort when you hang it round your neck which is partly also due to its featherlight weight of just 34 grams.
Towards the right-side of neckband, there’s a metal-clad housing where we can find its battery compartment and a series of playback control for the convenience of the users. These controls include the usual Play/ Pause, Volume Up and Down buttons that are definitely good to have on a earphone.
Interestingly, you can easily expose the underlying USB-C cable (seen above) by pulling it apart softly. Subsequently, it can be charged through a charger via its accompanying adapter capable, or charge directly through your Huawei smartphone via the Huawei HiPair feature.
As for the earbuds, they will be coming with small wingtips to keep the earbuds in place especially during rigorous exercises. This is one notable difference which set it apart from the Huawei FreeLace.
Overall, the earbuds definitely feels comfortable in the ears. However, to ensure the best experience for users, there are two additional pairs of eartips that cater towards those with smaller or slightly larger ears.
Other than that, its also worth mentioning that the back of the earbuds are also magnetic and will stick together if you put them close. In fact, the FreeLace Pro also automatically disconnects from the phone once they’re sticked together.
Fantastic Active Noise Cancellation
When it comes to choosing a great earphone, one of the key features to look out for is certainly the presence of active noise cancellation that’s crucial for an uninterrupted, immersive audio experience.
As such, it doesn’t came much as a surprise that the Huawei FreeLace Pro comes with an ANC capability due to its importance. However, the ANC that accompanies the FreeLace Pro is a really advanced solution. It’s based upon a pair of ultra-sensitive microphones that work in tendem with a large dynamic driver to effectively cancel out environmental noise.
With the earbuds popped into my ears, it eliminates the sound of vacuum or the noisy renovation next door. Though it may sounds exaggerating, but its so effective that I occasionally have the tendency to put on the earbuds even when no music was playing just to block out those irksome drilling noise while working from home.
To sweeten the deal, the FreeLace Pro actually allows you to switch over to “Awareness Mode” which allows you to hear voices without having to take off the earbuds if someone happens to talk to you, or when you need to communicate with others. This eliminates the hassle of removing the earbuds every time you need to converse with someone.
Most importantly, this mode can be easily activated by tapping and holding on the left earbud for around 3 seconds. Though it isn’t exactly a game changing feature, but its still a nice to have feature that will come in handy at some point of time.
Loud & Punchy Sound
Coming to its sound quality, it surely won’t goes wrong with the Huawei FreeLace Pro. Its 14mm dynamic driver did a splendid job in delivering a booming bass as well as great treble accuracy.
There isn’t any notable sign of auditory masking thanks to its well-balanced bass frequencies that allows you to listen clearly to the lyrics. Overall, it has a really pleasant sound signature that’s great for the majority of the music genre.
Coupled with its class-leading active noise cancellation, listening to music on the FreeLace Pro is a pure enjoyment.
Long-lasting Battery
The 150mAh battery that accompanies the FreeLace Pro is more than capable of supporting more than 20 hours of music playback with active noise cancellation being occasionally activated.
However, Huawei claimed that battery is actually able to support up to 24 hours playback time with medium volume and active noise cancellation disabled. Even with active noise cancellation activated throughout, it will still be able to clock up to 16 hours playback time.
In terms of charging, it takes only around an hour for a full charge from 0 to 100%. Despite that, a mere 5 minutes charge will be more than sufficient in providing you between 3.5 to 5 hours of listening time.
As mentioned earlier, those using Huawei smartphone running on EMUI 9.1 and above will also be able to take advantage of the HiPair feature to charge the FreeLace Pro through the phone’s battery via reverse charging.
Peace Of Mind With IP55 Rating
On top of all those goodies, the FreeLace Pro is also IP55 certified which means its able to resist both water and dust. Therefore, you won’t have to worry when it gets into contact with your sweat when doing physical training or slight contact with rainwater during a drizzle.
Verdict
Its not difficult to see that the Huawei FreeLace Pro is a well-rounded wireless earphone that excels in all fronts. Starting from its adorning design to its exceptional audio quality and waterproofing capability, it has pretty much everything we look for on an ideal wireless earphone.
If you’re interested, the Huawei FreeLace Pro is available for purchase at just S$148 through Huawei’s flagship store on Lazada.
