Huawei Freebuds Pro 5 review: these wireless earphones really bring the boom

Introduction

Huawei’s latest pair of high-end wireless earbuds have been out in the firm’s native China for a while now, but 2026 finally sees them getting a more global launch. As well as upgraded dual drivers, evolved active noise cancellation and an optimised fit, they aim to improve on their predecessors with better call quality and tougher resistance.

That puts them in good stead to compete with the Apple AirPods Pro 3 and Samsung’s recently-revealed Galaxy Buds4 Pro – as does a £180 price that undercuts them both. (There’ll be no US launch, for reasons that are well documented by this point.)

Like those rivals, however, you’ll want to be rocking a Huawei smartphone to get the best from this pair of buds. Now that the brand doesn’t have the Western presence it used to, does that limit the Freebuds Pro 5’s appeal?

Design & build: no stone left unturned

The Freebuds Pro 5 are a subtle evolution on their predecessors, sticking with the stem-style shape that’s just a tad stubbier than the Apple and Samsung equivalents. Huawei has gone for a flat oval design this year, with silver trim and an almost mirror-like sheen that catches the light from almost any angle. They’re quite distinctive, particularly in my review unit’s Sand colour.

There are black and grey versions that look a little more subtle in photos (I’ve not seen them in person), plus a blue variant that upgrades the pebble-like charging case from plastic to vegan leather. The case is smaller and lighter than the outgoing Freebuds Pro 4, but keeps the wide flip-top lid that let me get the earbuds in and out with zero fuss. The satin-esque finish can’t stay entirely free from fingerprints though.

Huawei has tweaked the shape of the driver housings on the buds themselves, using a more sculpted form that shifts the centre of gravity slightly. These are very comfortable to wear as a result, with the silicone ear tips ensuring they stayed firmly in place during my testing. Medium tips come pre-fitted and there are three more sizes in the box – one more than you get with many rivals – but there’s no second set of foam tips like you got with the last-gen model.

I don’t know if that has anything to do with how Huawei managed to step up its resistance rating: you’re getting IP57 protection against splashes and sweat here, rather than IP54 on the outgoing pair. It’s rare a wireless earbud maker goes to the trouble of also IP rating its charging case, so seeing the Freebuds Pro 5’s case include IP54 resistance is a nice bonus.

Features & battery: pinch me

Stem-style wireless earbuds have rapidly replaced tap controls – which could be a nightmare for accidental activations – with more consistent pinch gestures. Huawei has had ’em for a few years now, and they return basically unchanged here. Giving either Freebud Pro 5 a single, double or triple squeeze pauses or skips playback, while a press-and-hold wakes your phone’s voice assistant. A pinch-and-hold then toggles between the noise cancelling modes. That’s a lot to remember, but intuitive enough that I quickly picked it up.

Battery life hasn’t improved between generations, meaning you’re still looking at between five and six hours of listening with active noise cancelling engaged. That’s a few hours short of the class best. The case can supply three full charges, however, which is one more than many rivals. It supports wireless charging, and only needs an hour or so to fully refuel over USB-C.

Huawei’s promise of improved Bluetooth reception, thanks in part to a redesigned wireless antennae, held up under scrutiny. I didn’t notice any cutting out or dropped connections even while walking through places with heavy interference, like busy train stations.

I wasn’t able to test the firm’s L2HC 4.0 connection, which promises higher bitrate than other Bluetooth codecs for lossless playback, as it’s currently only supported by Huawei devices. For everyone else, streaming will largely top out with LDAC. This is hardly the only case of a phone maker selling own-brand wireless earbuds that sound best paired to their own smartphones, but here in the West that makes the Freebuds Pro 5 a tougher sell, given Huawei handsets have all but vanished.

App- and device-independent spatial sound upmixing with head tracking is set to land at some point in the future, but it wasn’t available to test at the time of writing.

Interface: get connected

Huawei recently introduced a bespoke companion app for its earphones, and with it made installation that little bit easier for anyone not using one of the firm’s own smartphones. You’ll find Huawei Audio Connect in the iOS App Store and Samsung Galaxy Store, meaning the majority of Western buyers won’t need to mess about with direct downloads. Anyone with a different Android handset will still need to sideload, though; it’s an extra step that rival earbuds avoid.

The app itself has everything you’d expect, from noise cancelling strength and control customisation to an extensive list of equaliser presets and 10-band custom EQ. Wear detection can be toggled off here, but it proved consistent enough during testing that I never felt the urge. There’s also an ear tip fit test and, oddly, an option to specify whether you’re using silicone or memory foam tips; given Huawei doesn’t put any of the latter in the box, this feels like a holdout from the previous generation.

Prioritising connection or sound quality dictates which Bluetooth codec gets used, though I still had to manually switch to LDAC on my Samsung smartphone to engage LDAC.

It’s all laid out cleanly, with toggles for your various connected devices sitting front-and-centre for easy switching, along with battery percentages for both the buds and case. True multipoint pairing means you can steer clear of the app if you’re just bouncing between two devices.

Sound quality and noise cancelling: bass bringer

Huawei’s pro-grade earbuds have used dual drivers for a while now. Here you’re once getting an 11mm dual-magnet dynamic woofer, paired with a micro-planar tweeter; each gets its own dedicated DAC. The arrangement has been tweaked and upgraded for 2026, promising treble that’s twice as bright and with significantly less distortion than the outgoing pair.

I’d argue the treble pushes too high in some cases. The sharp percussion on Leona Lewis’ Bleeding Love edges into harsh territory, even at moderate volumes, but the majority of my test tracks’ higher frequencies held up better. Vocals and the mid-range in general are confident, with good instrument separation and a satisfyingly wide soundstage for a pair of in-ears.

Bass is what will make or break these earbuds for most people, depending on what they connect them to. When paired to a Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra, the Freebuds Pro 5 were a very heavy listen, really packing more low-end wallop than was needed. It made the sub-bass on Prodigy’s Warrior’s Dance sound super boomy, muddying the bassline. And yet this was better controlled once paired to an Oppo Find X9 Pro, despite there not being any low-level EQ settings applied on either phone. Same files, same streaming apps, same volume, same Bluetooth codec – but a different presentation. If I only had a Samsung phone, I’d be heading straight to the companion app to reign in the bass.

The Freebuds Pro 5’s noise cancelling made a much better impression. Huawei uses both the woofer and tweeter for ANC, rather than just one driver, and relies on three microphones per side to listen for outside distractions. The result is a confident muting of low-frequency rumbles like public transport, fans and computer equipment. The noise floor is subtler than Samsung’s Galaxy Buds4 Pro, even on the highest strength setting.

I’d put them up there with the best performers in this price bracket, although Apple’s AirPods Pro 3 do a better job of muffling low-mid and mid-range frequencies like speech.

Huawei Freebuds Pro 5 verdict

With respectable battery life, effective noise cancellation and a comfortable fit, the Freebuds Pro 5 tick plenty of boxes for a pair of sub-£200 wireless earbuds. Following the Apple approach of reserving certain features for own-brand smartphones – and just the newer ones at that – does dampen their appeal with Western buyers though, and installing the companion app still isn’t quite as seamless as it is with rival pairs.

My biggest issue is the bass-heavy tuning that’s oddly inconsistent between devices. At best these are an entertaining, high energy listen that absolutely aren’t for analytical listening. Anyone wanting more nuance will be better served elsewhere.

Huawei Freebuds Pro 5 technical specifications

Drivers	Dual, dynamic
ANC	Yes, adaptive
Bluetooth version	Bluetooth 6.0
Codecs supported	AAC, SBC, L2HC, LDAC
Durability	IP57 (buds) IP54 (case)
Battery life	6hrs/24hs (buds/case, ANC on)
Dimensions	29x22x24mm, 5.5g (buds, each) 66x47x23mm, 43g (case)