Huawei has unveiled the FreeClip true wireless headphones with a unique design. After spending a few weeks with a pair, we are ready to share with you how well they really work.
The Freeclip design is open-ear, and while it looks like a bone-conducting wearable, it actually plays sound directed at the ear canal while sitting freely clipped around the helix of the ear.
Design
Our headphones are black and they are sent in a case that is matte light gray on the outside and dark gray on the inside. The headphones are actually black, but their surface is reflective, which means that the color is not as prominent.
The case has an LED light on the outside to indicate the battery capacity, with three modes – Green for over 75%, Yellow between 25% and 75%, and Red below 25%. There is a button on the right side for pairing, and the buds are inside.
The FreeClip is the first open-ear audio wearable that doesn’t differentiate between left and right ear buds. The clips read which side of the case they come out on, and that’s how they adapt. For example, one of the knobs sitting on the right side of the case will be the right channel.
However, if you change ears without putting the buds back in the case, they will not reset, and the channels will be reversed. It sounds complicated, but in practice we found no problem – rarely would you have to unclip the buds, hold them in the palm of your hand, and then put them back at random.
We use the verb “blink” even though the truth is there is no real blink; the buds simply stay on the ear. It takes a while to get used to placing them correctly, but after the second or third try the process comes naturally. We just pinched them at the C-bridge, put the Comfort Bean behind the ear, and the Acoustic Ball naturally points to the ear canal.
Huawei said it based the fit design on studying 10,000+ different human ear shapes in its Huawei Labs. The goal was for the buds to fit anyone’s ears.
Characteristics
The FreeClip does not have a single touch-sensitive area. Instead, there are three separate zones – one for each part of the earphone. There are no less than four microphones on each bud – two on the Acoustic Ball to listen to the speaker during calls and two more on the Bean to pick up and cancel ambient sounds and voices.
The buds pair just like any other Bluetooth audio device, but we recommend using the AI Life app for Android and Harmony OS devices. There are some customizations like sound effects, the gestures can be changed, and the app also handles software updates.
One feature Huawei has implemented into its audio wearables is dual-device connections, and the FreeClip actually outperformed previous Freebuds we’ve tested. Our buttons were constantly connected to a Windows PC and an Android smartphone and switched effortlessly from one source to another, provided only one audio was playing.
Each bud weighs just 5.6 grams, and often our reviewers forgot they were even wearing them. There’s an IP54 certification for splash and dust resistance, making the FreeClip ideal for casual sports and gym activities.
Performance and sound quality
The big question everyone had at launch was about sound leakage, and we can confirm that it’s there, and it’s significant, especially when the music is loud. Using it in our open-plan office was a burden to the reviewer’s deskmates, who always complained about the bundle.
We recommend that you do not exceed 70-80% volume if you do not want to be too annoying to those around you.
The device is an engineering marvel, especially with the 9 wires in the C-bridge, which connect the bean and the ball to become this impressive product. It’s equal parts fashion accessory and audio wearable, but there’s no escaping the fact that sound is sub-par.
Lovers of sharp, loud music will not appreciate these headphones; they are for the casual podcast and music listener who will value the futuristic look over sound quality.
This is how you put the Huawei FreeClip
The FreeClip headphones offer a low-latency mode, which can be activated through the AI Life app. They also have wear sensors that detect when the buds are on the ear and pause playback when you take them off, which are turned on by default.
Calls are stable, but given the fact that the buds are open-ear, we don’t recommend using them in crowded, noisy spaces, as the buds can often pick up the voices of random people, which isn’t ideal for the person on the other end of the call.
The FreeClip headphones have no ANC, as it wouldn’t be very useful with the open-ear design.
Battery life
The Huawei FreeClip’s case has 510 mAh capacity, and each bud has 55 mAh more, with Huawei promising up to 36 hours of listening on a single charge.
In reality, we got 32 hours over the span of three full cycles, and that’s with occasional breaks where the buds sat in the closet.
30+ hours of listening on one charge is still an impressive feat, and given how quickly the FreeClip charges from 0 to 100%, you’ll rarely find it without charge.
The earbuds alone are advertised to fully charge in 40 minutes, while the case requires 60 minutes on the wire. In real tests, we achieved a better result – the case with both clips fully recharged in 45 minutes! The case also supports wireless charging, and we got from 0 to 100% in about 2.5 hours, which is close to the advertised charging time.
Pronunciation
The Huawei FreeClip has virtually no competition on the market as it aims to establish its own category. It’s a stylish, innovative solution, but not directly comparable to any other TWS kit. Fit is different and looks are subjective.
Having said that, we have to consider the price of £180/€200. Huawei often bundles gifts with its wearables, which slightly lowers the effective price of the FreeClip. Still, we wouldn’t recommend it to anyone who values sound quality.
The FreeClip is for a person who wants to look different and appreciates their extravagant fit. If you fall into the first category, you might as well try a pair and see if you don’t get the second one as well.