Huawei FreeBuds Pro 2 review: now with two drivers!

Huawei has updated its popular TWS in-ear headphones, FreeBuds Pro. This time

it turned out to be a good upgrade, which touched on the appearance, and noise suppression, and the sound system.

Let me remind you that the first version of Pro had one dynamic driver, just AAC / SBC codecs, a frequency range from 20 Hz to 20 kHz.

In the second version of Pro, they also introducedadditional electret driver for more detailed high frequencies, added support for the Hi-Res LDAC codec, extended the frequency range from 14 Hz to 48 kHz! In addition, they tweaked ANC in such a way that the operation of the system began to resemble noise suppression in expensive full-size headphones. And the “noise reduction” also works during a conversation: even if you are at a concert near the stage, the interlocutor will still hear you without extraneous sounds.

Cherry on the cake: the French company Devialet participated in setting up the FreeBuds Pro 2.

The price of FreeBuds Pro 2 is now 13,000 rubles.

Specifications
Contents of delivery
Case appearance
The appearance of the headphones
Landing
About sound
Noise suppression
Headset
Working hours
Impression

Specifications

Number of drivers: 2
Dynamic driver size: 11 mm
frequency range: 14Hz-48kHz
Sensors: bone conduction, accelerometer, gyroscope, infrared sensor
Earpiece size: 29x21x23 mm
Case size: 68x25x48 mm
Case weight: 52 g
Headphone weight: 6.1g
Case battery capacity: 580 mAh
Headphone battery capacity: 55 mAh
Qi charging: there is
Bluetooth version: 5.2
Active noise cancellation: there is
Colors: Pearl Blue, Shimmer Silver, Ceramic White
Price: 13,000 rubles

Contents of delivery

Headphones
Silicone tips (three sizes)
Wireless charging case
USB-C charging cable
Quick Guide
Safety Information
Warranty card

Miscellaneous

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Case appearance

The device is available in three colors:black (Shimmer Silver), silver (Pearl Blue), and white (Ceramic White). The first two are assembled from semi-gloss plastic. In my opinion, this is correct and good, since the previous generation was made of glossy easily soiled material. By the way, FreeBuds Pro 2 is also glossy in white. But on such a device, fingerprints are almost invisible.

I have a device in silver color on the review. The case does not leave any traces on itself. The only remark: the metal insert with the inscription "HUAWEI Devialet" is extremely easily soiled.

The dimensions of the case have noticeably decreased - 68 × 25 × 48 mm, and the weight has become 10 grams less - 52 grams. From an ergonomic point of view, this is a plus.

Moreover, the Pro 2 left both wireless charging and the same battery capacity that was in the Pro.

Below there is a USB Type-C connector, a charge indicator.

The case opens gently, clearly fixed in the extreme position. No backlash or creaking - the assembly is perfect.

Under the cover you can see another LED. He is responsible for the mode of operation of the headphones.

Total:The FreeBuds Pro 2 have probably lost some of their premium quality through downsizing and material changes, but are clearly better ergonomically; prints are not terrible, attritions are almost imperceptible.

The appearance of the headphones

Headphones are planted in special grooves and are clearly fixed by magnets. Taking out devices is not very convenient due to the glossy slippery body and low height, that is, there is nothing to catch on.

By the way, I don’t understand why it’s impossible to make the headphones easy to remove from the case. The impression is that the troubles go according to design, but ergonomics do not matter.

Headphones are made of silver plasticcolors, I would even say that they resemble liquid metal, partly mercury. They look nice: everything glitters, plays in the light, reflects - a beautiful accessory.

Другой вопрос – тип материала. Он глянцевый. Естественно, после первой же установки наушника в ухо корпус гаджета приобретает неприглядный вид.

The earphone weighs about 6 grams. The dimensions are small, the "leg" is short.

In the previous version of FreeBuds Pro, there werefour thin holes. They were instantly clogged with dirt. In the new version of Pro 2, the holes for the microphone are covered with meshes. True, over time they also clog, but they do not look as sad as on Pro.

Below there are microphones, and next to them are contacts for charging. They are painted in golden color, made extremely elegant, you won’t even guess what they are for.

At the “head” of the earphone there are two more microphones foroperation of the noise reduction system. And there is also a proximity sensor to track the installation and removal of the device from the ear. As soon as you take it out, the music is paused. Insert it back - playback continues. The response speed is slightly above average, that is, not instantly.

An oval-shaped sound guide, it containsa metal mesh, and an ear cushion is stretched on top, which is also equipped with a mesh. This is convenient because the speaker will not be clogged with earwax - obscenity will remain on the ear pad mesh, which is easy to rinse under warm water.

Management is simple:

Stem Hold - ANC/Transparency
Swipe up or down - volume control
One stalk squeeze - play/pause
Two squeezes - next song
Three squeezes - previous song

It is not very comfortable to control the headphones, because the “stalk” is short, it is necessary to squeeze quite strongly - the earpiece in the auricle is displaced. A soft click sound is heard during compression.

Landing

The FreeBuds Pro 2 headphones arein-ear type of audio devices. The gadget easily fits in the auricle, sits comfortably, does not press, but does not slip out even with sudden movements of the head. The stock ear pad fit without a problem.

In FreeBuds Pro 2, I listened to music for more than four hours. I had no desire to take out the earpiece to give my ears a "breather".

About sound

Huawei FreeBuds Pro 2 uses two drivers.One classic dynamic (diameter 11 mm) is responsible for the transmission of low and medium frequencies. And the other speaker is equipped with a planar diaphragm (UHF planar diaphragm driver) to reproduce high frequencies.

Here is what Maxim Lyubin said (our author periodically writes about fixing various gadgets):

“The diagram clearly shows the so-called electretemitter. The piece is not new and has been used for a very long time. In fact, electret radiators are relatives of condenser radiators. Therefore, the inscription "planar" in the image is rather incorrect, since the electret emitter is a type of electrostatic emitters. Well, if, of course, you pull it by the ears, then the electret can be called planar, but I would not.

In an electrostatic emitter, sounds are emittedmembrane placed in an alternating electrostatic field. In fact, the function of the voice coil is performed by the membrane. It is customary to divide electrostatic emitters into capacitor, piezoelectric and electret ones.

And here we are stepping on very thin ice, since in fact the division is rather conditional ...

If we talk about an electret radiator, then its main advantage is a very clear, correct sound, which is achieved due to small transitions and small phase and harmonic distortions.

Due to these features, this typeradiators are most often used to reproduce high frequencies, just those where accuracy is needed. But it's not just about accuracy. Due to the small size of the membrane and its small stroke, this type of radiator is, in principle, limited to high frequencies.

Reproducible frequency range maximumwide for this type of device: 14 Hz - 48 kHz. It is clear that the human ear does not recognize sounds at frequencies above 20 kHz. But from a marketing point of view, the move is excellent!

In any case, something original and interesting, and not these primitive single-driver tweeters that add to the burden when buying some electronic nonsense.

Of the interesting features:

"Headphones adjust the volume in real time depending on the structure of your ear canal and the position of the headphones in your ears."

Most likely, it is, but somehow I did not manage to feel this technology.

I listened to music on different devices (Huawei MateXs 2, Xiaomi 12 Pro, Mi 11 Ultra and Asus Zenfone 8), where it was possible to switch to Hi-Res, it switched there. Music - LossLess and regular songs in high quality "Yandex.Music".

The first thing to highlight is the volume.She is not tall. Most likely, the emphasis was placed on noise reduction: we reduce the surrounding sounds - and there is no need to increase the volume. The volume is sufficient, but at the limit, sometimes it seemed that you want to twist the slider up.

The next point is low frequencies.The manufacturer was not cunning when he said that they start at 14 Hz. I heard the "bottom" somewhere at the level of 20 Hz. Very soft, pleasant, velvety, not hard. However, it is worth noting that the emphasis is not on bass: you listen to music as it was originally mixed. If the creator wished to make low frequencies "from the depths of the Mariana Trench", then you will hear it.

Moreover, you get such parameters when installing audio effects in the Devialet mode. If you select "Bass Boost", then you will feel the difference in favor of these very "bottoms".

High frequencies. My ears refused to listen to sounds above 18,000 Hz. Therefore, even if the gadget supports up to 48,000 Hz, then I still pass.

HF transmission is excellent.It is delicate, soft, unobtrusive. It plays extremely accurately, it is felt that the manufacturer wanted to make the headphones so that they would not be suspected of cheating the equalizer in the low and high ranges, as is usually the case in most TWS headphones.

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Scene. The virtual space feels great, it is about 10 meters wide and deep, 2 meters high. Of course, these are conditional figures that you imagine in your head.

Detail is the highest for TWS headphones. I specifically put Arabesque - Nightwish. The last time I heard so many nuances was in the Etymotic Evo wired armature headphones.

If we compare FreeBuds Pro 2 with FreeBuds Pro, then the latter do not play much worse. They lack details, deeper immersion. Well, in terms of bass, the first “proshka” is a little simpler.

And compared to the FreeBuds 4, you won't get as much surround sound as the Pro 2. Compared to the Pro 2, the sound of the FreeBuds 4 is focused on a smaller 2m x 2m x 2m virtual stage.

Purely out of interest, I listened to JBL Tune230nc. Well, here in general the sound is in the mess. Again, compared to Huawei's Pro 2.

As for the frequency response during noise reduction, I did not notice a difference by ear. Sometimes, it happens, it catches the eye: turned on the ANC - and the "lower classes" flew.

In general, when listening, an extremely pleasant sound picture is created. It reminds me of BOSE QuietComfort Earbuds. But they cost from 20,000 rubles.

Noise suppression

I haven't heard anything like this in a long time.TWS headphones. Noise suppression is at a high level. In normal mode, ANC functions much like on just expensive headphones. And if you switch to the "Ultra" mode, then the impression is that you are placed in a vacuum: complete silence, as if you walked through the entire frequency range with a "broom".

The only place where ambient sounds still come through is the metro when the train arrives at the platform, or when you are in the old cars. Quiet in the car and on the street.

If you compare ANC in FreeBuds Pro 2, then with some Sony WH-1000XM4.

Here is what Huawei writes about “noise reduction”:

"Noise reduction level when usingFreeBuds Pro 2 is from 50 to 3000 Hz. In scenarios where the frequency range is similar to that of a human voice, the noise reduction effect of HUAWEI FreeBuds Pro 2 is superior to that of other manufacturers' devices. In some scenarios, the noise reduction effect reaches 47 dB.

Headset

By the way, noise reduction works in the modeheadsets. That is, the interlocutor hears you in complete silence, there are no hints at all that you can be on the street or even at a concert near the stage. Of course, in this case it is necessary to sacrifice something, for example, intelligibility. Yes, it gets worse, but only in really tough conditions. But your interlocutor does not hear extraneous sounds.

From the point of view of the quality of speech transmission in silence (at home, in the office, on the street in the park), I did not find any differences from FreeBuds 4. Moreover, both when calling on a cellular line, and in WhatsApp or Telegram.

Headphones support connection to twodevices simultaneously and automatically switch between them. The FreeBuds Pro 2 gadget also automatically recognizes the usage scenario and switches between connected devices. The headphones then briefly go into standby mode. If the device is connected to two smartphones, it connects to one of the smartphones when a call is made and to the other when a call comes in. The headphones play a tone and the user can select the smartphone that receives the call.

The application has a list of 10 devices that the headphones have recently been connected to, and switching between them is done with one touch.

Working hours

The case is equipped with a 580 mAh battery, andEach earphone is equipped with a 55 mAh battery. Of course, most of the energy is consumed in the active noise cancellation mode: the headphones play for about 4 hours (the volume is around 70%). This listening time was enough for me to get from the dacha to the office. And there it was already possible to put the headphones in a case.

Without ANC, you can listen to FreeBuds Pro 2 for about 6 hours. And from the case it’s really possible to get a 100% charge 3 more times.

By the way, FreeBuds Pro 2 received wireless charging. The chip is convenient.

Impression

If you are looking for TWS headphones with Hi-Res sound, then I have found an excellent model for you - Huawei FreeBuds Pro 2. Well, a very powerful “noise reduction” is worth highlighting separately.

Flaws:

Marked headphone material, microphone meshes can quickly become dirty (but a lot still depends on the cleanliness of the auricle)
Average runtime in ANC mode

Positive points:

Sound quality. LDAC support
Noise suppression. Even when talking
Appearance
Price

At the moment, FreeBuds Pro 2 headphones cost 13,000 rubles. The price is right, in my opinion. I can totally recommend buying.

Competitors:

Apple AirPods Pro. They cost an average of about 20,000 rubles. More suitable for those who use Apple products. Single-driver, noise cancellation is excellent, but worse than FreeBuds Pro 2.
Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro. They cost about 16,000 rubles. It uses a kind of “two-way” system, there is ANC and wireless charging.
Soundcore Liberty 3 Pro. They cost 13,000 - 15,000 rubles. There are two speakers - dynamic and reinforcing, a cool noise reduction system.

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