There is plenty of choice in terms of earplugs or in-ears. Read our review of the Huawei FreeBuds 6i here to see if these in-ears are for you.
The Huawei FreeBuds 6i are the logical successors to the FreeBuds 5i and should offer better noise cancellation (ANC) and a longer battery life. In our review you can read, among other things, whether this is the case.
Huawei FreeBuds 6i design
The FreeBuds 6i come in a glossy charging case, while the stylish FreeBuds themselves are a bit more matte. They are available in black, purple and white and I was sent the white version. Furthermore, a charging cable, quick guide and eartips (in 2 sizes) are included. By the way, the earphones stay in my ears well, but it is nice that several eartips are included.
Connect and control
Connecting to the FreeBuds 6i is easy by pressing a button on the right side of the charging case for 2 seconds. The in-ears will then appear in your smartphone (or other device) and you can pair them.
Operating the FreeBuds 6i is also easy. You can turn the volume up or down by swiping up or down, pause by tapping the top side of the earbud twice, and skip a song by tapping the ‘earbud’ 3 times. It is nice that you can also switch between the different ANC modes if you press your in-ear and hold it a little longer.
Quality music
You mainly buy earphones or in-ears to listen to your favorite music and also to make calls. The quality of the music is good, you can enjoy the music both indoors and outdoors. Outdoors too, because it can withstand a rain shower, because thanks to the IP54 certification it is dust and splash-proof.
The bass sounds good and is not as obvious as with many JBL earbuds. Keep in mind that you do not have the sound quality of the much more expensive in-ears that are for sale, such as the Bose Quietcomfort Earbuds II, which have a recommended retail price of 300 euros. For a suggested retail price of 100 euros and currently for sale for 80 euros, you are certainly making a good choice, but…
App and ANC
As you probably know, Huawei is not allowed to use Google services and in this case not Google’s Play Store. You have to download the Huawei AI Life app for these earphones via a detour (apk), which is cumbersome. Especially because you can use more ANC options with that app. Without that app, the ANC is still good, although you can hear something in the background with ‘bare’ music. In any case, it is a pity that you actually need that app, especially because it gives you more options/settings (including firmware updates).
Battery life
In practice, the earphones last about 6 hours and with the charging case that would be preferably 35 hours (without ANC, 20 hours with ANC), at least that is what Huawei reports on the box. I almost managed that, so in itself you can last quite a long time with the earphones.
Conclusion
By choosing the Huawei FreeBuds 6i you are certainly not making a bad choice. They fit well, look okay and you can enjoy the music at a reasonable price. It is a pity that you have to download the app via a detour.
Huawei FreeBuds 6i
Recommended retail price: 99.95 euros
+ good value for money
+ good ANC
– app only available via APK
