Huawei FreeBuds Studio Review

I have been searching for a replacement set of over-ear headphones for a while now, so when Huawei offered me a chance to go ears-on with a pair of their FreeBuds Studio wireless headphones, I had to take them up on their offer given how much I rated the in-ear FreeBuds 4i I reviewed earlier this year. The Chinese technology company has supplemented its product range over the past couple of years with a smattering of audio products, such as headphones and speakers, and surprisingly the products I have tested out have more than held their own against the more well-known names, so can the FreeBuds Studio add its name to the ever-growing list?

In the words of Sam Sparro, “black and gold”

Before we get stuck in, I have to say that from a branding perspective, including the over-ear cans as part of the FreeBuds family is a little jarring, given the FreeBuds name suggests in-ear products. However, strange name aside, the FreeBuds Studio come in two different colours (gold and black), feature active noise cancelling and high-resolution audio support and are priced around $380 (Gold) and $398 (Black) on Amazon, making them an attractive option for anyone looking for all the bells and whistles without spending a small fortune.

Design-wise the FreeBuds Studio has a simple sleek and stylish look with a lightweight body. The underside of the headband features faux leather cushioning that provides good support and can be adjusted to fit your head size. The ear cups also have a faux leather finish but with softer foam cushions making them super comfortable to wear, even over long periods, and with comfortability being a big part of any headphone experience it’s clearly been a focus of Huawei. Best of all there’s a case included in the box that will allow you to transport the headphones safely.

The right ear-cup features a USB-C charging port, the power and Bluetooth buttons and it’s where owners will utilise the unit’s gesture controls, such as volume adjustment, play/pause, skipping songs and answering calls. The left side houses the noise cancelling button. Split between both ear cups, the FreeBuds Studio features a six-microphone system for clear voice calling audio.

Connecting to the headphones is easy. If you own a Huawei smartphone or tablet running EMUI 10.1 or later, the FreeBuds Studio will detect your device when in close proximity for seamless connectivity. Otherwise, the unit can be paired with a device via Bluetooth, and even better it can be paired with two devices at once. Annoyingly there is no 3.5mm jack if you want a wired connection.

Regardless of the EQ options, the sound quality of the FreeBuds Studio for the most part is crystal clear thanks to the high-fidelity audio support. The bulk of my time with the FreeBuds Studios was spent listening to a range of music from nu-metal to pop, synth-based to classical, and house to death metal, with every genre sounding tight and punchy. Some did stand out above others though; tracks with a focus on bass weren’t as crisp as those with higher notes, such as classical music. However, where the sound quality does falter is when noise cancelling is activated, making the bass feel a little weak.

Listening to music is not the only use for the FreeBuds Studio, with the unit providing quality audio when used for watching movies or playing games. As for phone calls, the headphone was more than adequate and from all reports the mics delivered clear audio.

Like all Huawei portable products, battery life is a key feature, and the FreeBuds Studio hold a juicy 24-hour battery life with noise cancelling disabled and 20 hours with it enabled. Charging via USB-C, the unit will take roughly an hour to fully charge, or a quick 10-minute charge will provide up to eight hours of usage.

For many people, noise cancelling is a big drawcard, and the FreeBuds Studio hold up their end of the bargain by delivering effective noise cancelling. It might not totally block out the lawn mower or the blender, but for mitigating general background ambience the FreeBuds Studio do the job. The FreeBuds Studio also feature Huawei’s Awareness Mode, which allows users to keep an ear on their surroundings without taking the cans off, and if you do take them off (at any time), the device’s Smart Wear technology will pause your tunes.

I’m sorry I can’t hear you over the nu-metal

Final Thoughts

Once again Huawei has delivered a solid pair of headphones that can easily hold its own against some of the more prominent names in the space. The FreeBuds Studio look good, feel good and sound feel great, and if you’ve got the price of admission it’s a worthy investment.

Review unit supplied by the manufacturer 

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