Freebuds 3: Huawei pays homage to AirPods

Huawei’s Freebuds 3 look distinct from Apple’s Airpods. Presumably they are different enough to avoid knock-off litigation.

Yet there’s little question the Bluetooth wireless earphones with a charge box idea is cribbed from Apple.

Let’s be polite and say they pay homage to the original.

You can buy a pair in local stores for around NZ$260. This compares with the NZ$450 price of Apple’s Airpods Pro.

Freebuds 3 versus Airpods

It’s impossible to write about Freebuds without mentioning Airpods. So let’s stick with comparisons here, that’s the real story.

Both products are wireless earbuds that use Bluetooth to connect to devices. Both come with snappy little charging cases. More important, both have active noise cancellation.

If you own an iPhone or iPad, it’s likely Airpods will be your first choice. And why not? They are excellent. I wouldn’t be without mine.

Likewise, if you own an Android phone or you are allergic to buying Apple kit, there’s a good chance Freebuds are on your wish list. An alternative is the Australian AudioFly earphones.

The main exception to these cases is cash-strapped Apple owners might be drawn to the less expensive Huawei option.

Differences

Looking beyond price, there are a few significant differences between the products. The Freebuds 3 earpieces are more like those of the original Apple Airpods. That is, they sit in the outer ear.

The Airpods Pro have a snugger fit. This means the physical hardware does some of the work when it comes to cutting out external noise.

Huawei Freebuds 3 – Black is the new black

Physically the Airpods have a better look. For the New Zealand market the Freebuds come in a Darth Vader black version, although there is a Imperial Stormtrooper white option overseas. Apple’s wireless earbuds only come in white.

Latency advantage not obvious

Both products use their companies’ chip designs. Huawei claims lower latency, but in practice this, if it is true, is not noticeable. Both can automatically connect without the need to stuff around with Bluetooth settings.

Apple’s active noise cancellation is one-size-fits-all. You can tinker with the Huawei settings. I wouldn’t say one approach is better than the other, they are different.

Likewise, I struggle to say one sounds better than the other. The Freebuds seem to do a better job with electronic music, while I find the standard non-Pro Airpods handle classic and acoustic material better, but this is largely a matter of taste.

Apple’s wireless earbuds have better battery life, but not by much. One thing I like about Airpods is their wireless charging, but again this is not a deal breaker.

Taking everything in account, there’s not much in it. If you have an Apple phone and the budget choose Airpods. Huawei phone owners should go with Freebuds 3. Everyone else might as well toss a coin.