Huawei FreeBuds Professional 5 assessment: AirPods Professional options I did not count on to like this a lot

Huawei FreeBuds Professional 5: Two-minute assessment

Let’s be clear from the beginning. For on a regular basis listening, the Huawei FreeBuds Professional 5 are the most effective earbuds you will get with out spending considerably extra. They tick each field, ship throughout the board and make a compelling case that there’s life past Apple for individuals who have been reluctant to buy round.

They’re the fifth technology of Huawei’s FreeBuds Professional line, which has been round since 2020 and we’ve all the time rated them properly. In truth, I examined the FreeBuds Professional 2 again in 2022. The FreeBuds Professional 4 landed in November 2024 and scored 4 stars in our assessment. They had been sturdy however not fairly there. The Professional 5 are completely different and ok to go head-to-head with the most effective at this stage, together with the Apple AirPods Professional 3.

The FreeBuds Professional 5 appear and feel extra premium than their value suggests, and so does the charging case. They’re smaller and lighter than the Professional 4 at 5.5g per bud, which is noticeable. Construct high quality is superb, the stems have a high-shine end and the case has a satiny coating that feels upscale.

Most significantly, the design interprets right into a supremely comfy put on. As somebody with small, explicit ears who put these by gymnasium periods, runs and full working days, I can inform you the match is spectacular.

The characteristic set is intensive. There’s easy multipoint connectivity, customisable gesture controls which can be responsive and the Huawei Audio Join app is one in all my favourites at this stage. Battery life reaches round 8.5 hours with ANC off and practically 6 with it on, with 38 hours complete from the case. That’s inferior to rivals for ANC listening time, however the quantity of energy the case holds is nice.

ANC is among the headline upgrades right here. The FreeBuds Professional 5 use a dual-driver system and so they work collectively as noise-cancelling engines, paired with an AI sensing mannequin. In apply, it’s near silence however with out that airless, pressurized high quality that heavy ANC can generally produce. Name high quality advantages from the identical tech, I discovered it to be clear and pure, even in busy environments.

Then there’s sound, which is superb certainly. The twin-driver acoustic system delivers a large, wealthy soundstage with sturdy low-end response, glorious instrument separation and element that holds up throughout genres, from driving rock to expansive orchestral soundtracks. I feel you’d must spend considerably extra or go wired to do meaningfully higher.

Our audio editor Becky Scarrott referred to as these “hands-down Huawei’s finest buds but” after 5 days of early testing at launch. After a number of weeks with them, I wholeheartedly agree. They earn their 5 stars as a result of they’re glorious worth, genuinely well-made and carry out at a stage that earbuds costing extra could be pleased with.

Now, are they excellent? Not fairly. Lossless audio requires a Huawei system, which many don’t have. The design is fractionally chunkier than some rivals at this value too and you do not get foam suggestions within the field such as you did with the Professional 4. But when these are the one cons (and they’re), they’re doing properly. I’d guess none of those would register on the radar of most on a regular basis listeners.

That’s exactly who I feel these buds are for. Not the audiophile chasing the completely finest sound or the devoted athlete who wants function constructed exercise buds. However the on a regular basis listener who desires the most effective all-rounders. They have extensive attraction, sturdy worth and no significant ecosystem restrictions.

Huawei FreeBuds Professional 5 assessment: Value and launch date

Launched globally in February 2026Sells for £179.99 within the UKNo value hike from previous fashions

The Huawei FreeBuds Professional 5 had been launched in February 2026 in lots of markets throughout the UK, Europe and Asia. Although there are nonetheless ongoing commerce restrictions between Huawei and the US.

The buds value £179.99 within the UK. However it’s price noting that, on the time of writing, the official Huawei web site is providing a £30 off coupon for the FreeBuds Professional 5. This will likely not final lengthy, but it surely makes an already nice worth pair of buds even simpler to suggest.

Whether or not you discover them for £179.99 or get the £149.99 deal, they seem to be a good value for earbuds designed to compete with high-end rivals.

Let’s put that into context. The newest AirPods Professional value $249 / £219 / AU$429. So that they’re undercutting these whereas being a really stable different, significantly for Android customers. Equally, the Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Professional, that are going to be seen as the highest AirPods Professional different for Androids customers, promote for $249 / £219 / AU$399.

They’re pricier than a few of our favourite mid-range picks, just like the Cambridge Audio Melomania A100 at $149 / £119 and the Nothing Ear (a) at $99 / £99. However I might say they’re positioned as a step above each of these choices, so that will make sense right here.

Huawei FreeBuds Professional 5 assessment: Specs

Huawei FreeBuds Professional 5 assessment: Options

9/38-hour battery life, much less with ANC or featuresPlenty of helpful options within the easy-to-use appFantastic ANC

The FreeBuds Professional 5 are filled with options, and virtually all of them dwell contained in the Huawei Audio Join app, which is among the cleanest companion apps I’ve examined. Every part is simple to search out and nothing is buried in sub-menus.

Huawei claims the FreeBuds Professional 5 are the world’s first dual-driver ANC earbuds, that means each the dynamic driver and the micro planar diaphragm unit work collectively to deal with noise. The low-frequency driver concentrating on rumble and bass-heavy interference, the high-frequency driver dealing with sharper sounds. This {hardware} is then paired with a real-time AI sensing mannequin that samples ambient noise 400,000 occasions per second (sure, you learn that proper!), which suggests it’s repeatedly adapting to no matter atmosphere you’re in.

In apply, it’s extremely efficient. I attempted them in all types of environments and low rumbles, like visitors, air-con, the hum of a commute, are all dealt with extremely properly. The general impact is near silence with out tipping into the marginally pressurized, airless high quality some ANC can produce. I do know some folks do desire that, however what Huawei does right here is my desire. There’s additionally a very good passive isolation baseline right here due to the safe match.

There are 4 ANC fashions to choose. Twin-Engine, which adapts mechanically to your environment. Cozy, which is for quieter environments. Common for on a regular basis noise and Extremely for loud environments. With Extremely you would possibly discover extra of a strain sensation, which is price figuring out for those who’re delicate to that feeling, but it surely does do a very good job at eliminating virtually all ambient sound.

There’s a very good Consciousness mode right here, which has a bunch of choices inside it. Commonplace, Voice Consciousness, which filters in voices whereas suppressing different noises, and Adaptive Consciousness, which adjusts dynamically.

Dialog Consciousness can also be on board. While you begin talking, the buds mechanically swap from ANC to Consciousness mode and decrease the amount, then steadily fade again after round ten seconds when you cease. I discovered I may maintain a pure dialog with out touching the buds in any respect, and the transition again was gradual and easy fairly than jarring. Sony’s Converse to Chat works equally.

The FreeBuds Professional 5 transfer as much as Bluetooth 6.0 from the Professional 4’s 5.2, and multipoint pairing of two gadgets is supported. Switching between my laptop computer and telephone throughout testing was easy with no lag. There’s additionally Discover My Earbuds, which emits a spherical from whichever bud you’ve misplaced. I used it a number of occasions when one slipped below my desk, it’s a type of options you’ll be extra grateful for than you’d count on.

A brand new inner antenna guarantees a 38% enchancment in Bluetooth vary alongside higher interference rejection. I had no dropouts throughout testing throughout gymnasium periods and on the transfer.

On the codec facet, iPhone customers get AAC, Android customers get LDAC and Huawei gadgets get entry to lossless audio by way of L2HC 4.0 at 2.3Mbps. In order that lossless tier is firmly Huawei ecosystem solely. For the remainder of us although, LDAC and AAC are nonetheless stable choices and the excellent news may be very few different options listed below are gated behind a Huawei system.

Management throughout the stems are faucet, pinch and swipe, which is an efficient vary for buds. You possibly can customise these within the app and I actually favored that they registered with a satisfying, audible little click on. Head gesture controls allow you to reply or reject calls with a nod or a shake, which labored properly more often than not. Put on detection pauses playback once you take away a single bud, and you’ll pay attention with ANC energetic in only one earbud, which I favored. There’s additionally a low-latency mode right here for avid gamers.

Huawei says the FreeBuds Professional 5 final 9 hours with ANC off and round 6 hours with it on, with 38 hours in complete from the charging case. Throughout testing, I bought simply over 8.5 hours with ANC off at 50% quantity. I then bought practically 6 hours with ANC on. In order that’s near the claimed determine, although it’s price taking into account that these real-world outcomes with ANC energetic do are inclined to range based mostly on atmosphere and mode – I had the Twin-engine setting on for testing.

For context, the AirPods Professional 3 supply 8 hours with ANC on and 10 hours with it off, with 24 hours in complete from the case. The Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Professional are available at 6 hours with ANC on and seven hours with it off, and 30 hours from the case.

So the FreeBuds Professional 5 don’t beat these figures, however do maintain up pretty properly. Although the case’s 38 hour complete is a bonus over the AirPods. Value figuring out for those who journey quite a bit and know you could have to rely solely on the case for a couple of days.

One closing level price making relating to the battery is that due to the stable match and passive isolation, you gained’t all the time want ANC. I discovered that for decrease noise environments, operating on ANC off actually prolonged my listening time with no sacrifice.

Huawei FreeBuds Professional 5 assessment: Design

Design is smaller, lighter and extra comfy than everIP57-rated buds make them genuinely workout-friendlyLovely case with sturdy magnets and a helpful ring gentle

The FreeBuds Professional 5 are a transparent evolution of the Professional line, and that’s a very good factor. So long as you’re on board with stems. They work significantly properly for smaller ears and make gesture controls way more dependable than tap-based options. That mentioned, stem-free designs would possibly swimsuit some ear shapes higher, so it is a subjective factor.

Huawei says the FreeBuds Professional 5 are 10% smaller and 6% lighter than earlier buds and at 5.5g per bud, you possibly can really feel it. I do suppose they’re a fraction chunkier than say the AirPods Professional 3 and some rivals at this stage, however as soon as they’re within the consolation stage is genuinely spectacular.

I wore them for round three hours straight one morning and for an extra 4 within the afternoon with none ache or fatigue, and that is coming from somebody with smaller ears who may be delicate to heavier buds.

Huawei says it used greater than 10,000 ear profiles to tell the match right here, and it reveals. 4 silicone tip sizes are included, and I discovered the medium labored properly for me, regardless of often needing to succeed in for the smallest pair.

The one minor gripe right here on consolation is the absence of froth suggestions, which have include some earlier FreeBuds Professional fashions and are nonetheless talked about within the app, which suggests they might arrive later. Most individuals appear to desire silicone anyway, however foam can add passive isolation and a barely extra immersive ANC impact. Although this omission isn’t a dealbreaker by any means.

The stems themselves have shifted from rectangular to a flat oval profile, with a high-shine entrance panel and metallic detailing spherical the sides that reads as genuinely premium. I examined the sand/gold shade, which provides to the premium really feel, although white, silver and a blue choice with a vegan leather-based case are additionally out there too.

The brand new IP57 ranking on the buds is an actual spotlight. That covers sweat, splashes and temporary submersion, making them as workout-friendly as an on a regular basis pair of buds will get. I took them out on a number of runs and to the gymnasium all through testing and so they stayed safe all through.