PUBLISHED ONNovember 20, 2020 10:00 AMByRainer Cheung
Without us realising, nearly a year has zipped past and there's just over a month left before we ring in the new year.
Considering the things going on in the world over the past several months, most of us would've been somewhat acclimatised to working from home by now. Despite the pyjama-donning perks that come with remote working, it does have its downsides. Mainly, noise.
Personally, the past few months have been an exercise in restraint - who knows how close I've been to confronting my neighbour simply for stomping outside too loudly or the time they started some drilling in the middle of a work call. Even my downtime at home has been compromised with the frequent sounds of the vacuum cleaner and the garbled mix of chatter coming from various devices my family uses.
And with a cap on physical attendees at workout classes, I've resorted to blasting my instructor's voice on speaker - mainly because no one wants to fiddle with wires while in downward dog.
So when Huawei unveiled their latest audio gear lineup that promises to redefine noise cancelling, I was intrigued, obviously.
The new ear-pleasers to join the fray? The Freebuds Pro, Freebuds Studio and Freelace Pro.
Freebuds Pro
If I could only describe these pair of earbuds with one word, it would be 'sexy'.
Appearance-wise, it's sleek, sharp and angular in all the right places. Its angular minimalist look sparks joy in my Marie Kondo-ed heart.
One size doesn't really fit all, and Huawei knows that, which is why they've included silicone attachments of different sizes to cater to your needs.
The earbuds weigh just 6.1g on each side, light enough that you might not realise you've got it plugged in at all, if not for the quiet environment it creates.
Speaking of quiet, how exactly does Huawei redefine noise cancelling?
It's intuitive and dynamic.
With its Intelligent Dynamic Active Noise Cancellation system, the earbuds are capable of identifying your environment based on the ambient noise and automatically matches it to the appropriate noise cancellation mode. No hands needed.
Noise-cancelling comes in three modes - Cozy (for quieter environments and to drown out the sound of your deskmate typing), General (when you're out on the bustling streets) and Ultra (when you really need that inner peace).
To enhance the experience further, the Freebuds Pro allow you to customise your experience by letting in the important things you want to hear, such as train announcements or whatever your colleague nearby is saying, without having to remove them.
Using the three microphones positioned both inside and outside the ear, it detects excessive noise in the external environment and within the ear canal. It then matches the sound waves to cancel out the noise, suppressing up to 40dB - which is roughly as loud as a bird's call (provided you're not referring to the infamous koel).
Nevermind that it's not an over-ear design, it cuts out wind noise too.
No wonder Huawei calls the Freebuds Pro groundbreaking.
Oh yeah, and it comes with smart gesture recognition controls, so even if you don't have the Huawei AI Life app, you can still adjust the volume, answer calls, press play, switch songs and enable active noise cancellation with just a swipe or pinch along the earbuds' arms.
Android users get additional perks with the app such as the 'find my earphone' function, which should come pretty useful, considering its compact size.
The earbuds are said to last up to four-and-a-half hours on continuous play with noise cancellation switched on and seven hours without. With the charging case, it can last up to 20 hours with noise cancellation turned on or 30 hours without.
Price: S$238
Freebuds Studio
Now this is serious business for serious folks.
The Freebuds Studio are Huawei's first-ever over-ear headphones in their audio lineup. The company boasts that the headphones will deliver "great-sounding music with rich detail" thanks to their ultra-wide frequency band of 4Hz to 48kHz, giving users that Hi-Fi level listening experience.
Like the Freebuds Pro, the Freebuds Studio sports the same intelligent dynamic active noise cancellation and its respective modes. Unlike the Freebuds Pro, the headset also comes with passive noise cancellation.
Huawei blocks out external noise using materials such as protein leather and nylon in their ear pads, both of which turned out pretty great at isolating outside noise. The nylon on the inside of the ear pads also serves as a sound-absorbing sponge which reduces medium and high-frequency noises.
The sponge also helps to evenly distribute pressure on the ear, which means no more fatigue behind the ear after extended periods of use.
If sudden drops in connection or a lag in audio is an issue for you, Huawei's solution involves equipping each earcup with two separate Bluetooth antennas capable of 360° coverage. What this means for users is that in high traffic areas with tons of signal interferences - or if the paired device has been unceremoniously stuffed into the deep recesses of your bag - the headphones would automatically switch to the antenna with the strongest signal.
Like its smaller counterpart, the Freebuds Studio can also be controlled with simple touch gestures.
Battery life isn't a concern when it comes to this pair of headphones. A 10-minute quick charge offers eight hours of playback (without active noise cancellation) and 24 hours of playback with a full 60-minute charge.
Price: $398
Freelace Pro
The Huawei Freelace Pro takes all the characteristics we know and love from its previous generation - the chic design, its USB-C port and long battery life - and added dual active noise cancellation to it.
It doesn't offer three specific noise cancellation levels like the other two models above, but if you're not particularly picky about it, the Freelace Pro does the job well with a more rugged build.
At the back of each earbud is a magnetic switch, which snaps the two earbuds together when not in use. This would automatically disconnect the Freelace Pro's Bluetooth connection from its paired device to save on battery life. Once the earbuds are detached from each other, connection is automatically resumed. Pretty nifty.
True to its wireless nature, there's no need for additional charging cables. Pulling apart the control box reveals a USB-C plug so you can plug it directly into any device. Yep, any device - smartphones, laptops, tablets, anything, are all capable of reserve charging to keep the earphones juiced up in cases without a power supply.
And all it takes is just five minutes for five hours of continuous play without noise cancellation.
On a full charge? That's 24 hours without noise cancellation, 16 hours with.
The control box also features tactile controls, though by default, the left earbud too supports touch inputs.
Price: $148
Final verdict
Your mileage may vary, but I know the one for me is the Freebuds Pro.
It's tiny but mighty alright. There are no perceivable downsides to it, at first glance at least. Considering the unpredictable nature of my environment, its intuitive ability to match the appropriate noise-cancelling mode to my surroundings is a much-welcome function.
Sure enough, the Freebuds Studio might offer more in terms of noise cancellation, but I'm not that much of an audiophile that I'd drop an additional $150 for it.
The Freebuds Pro is a solution to the noise around me that fits in the palm of my hand (and the dastardly small pockets of female clothing).
So, goodbye blasted distractions, hello inner peace.
The HUAWEI FreeBuds Pro, HUAWEI FreeBuds Studio and HUAWEI FreeLace Pro are now available in all Huawei Concept stores, selected consumer electronic stores including Best Denki, Challenger & Hachi.tech, Courts, Harvey Norman and official online stores with Lazada and Shopee.
This article was brought to you in partnership with Huawei International.
rainercheung@asiaone.com