Introduction
This is the HUAWEI FreeLace Pro, the company’s latest wireless audio product. As TWS earbuds are quite popular right now, the FreeLace Pro might not be a product that people will be paying attention to. I’ve been testing it for a few weeks, and here’s the full review!
Design
Just like traditional wireless earphones, the HUAWEI FreeLace Pro has a wire connecting both earbuds. It has a thick strap on the back, where would normally rest on your neck, while the earbuds have a regular thin audio cable.
There are physical control buttons on the part where the thick and thin straps connect. When you pull it out, you’ll see the USB-C charging port.
The earbuds have large wingtips, might not suit you but you can always change the size if you are not comfortable. The earbuds will attach to each other magnetically so that it’ll be like a necklace when you are not listening to music.
User Experience
In terms of comfort, having the strap around the neck definitely won’t be as comfortable as TWS earbuds, but you’ll definitely get used to it. The labeling on the left earbud’s cable is actually quite annoying as it will keep brushing my cheek. The earbuds fit in my ears quite well, though I don’t think the wingtips are that comfortable. After wearing the earbuds for a long period, I can feel a little pain and soreness in my ears when I finally take them off. Although it’s not advised to wear earphones for a long period as it’s not good for your ears.
The HUAWEI FreeLace Pro is actually quite easy to use, basically just plug and play, if you are using a HUAWEI/HONOR device. This feature is called HUAWEI HiPair, all you need to do is just press and hold the power button, then connect the USB-C port to your phone and that’s the pairing process. There will be a pop-up window asking you to pair your device, then you are connected. For other devices, just press and hold the power button for 4 seconds then you can pair it in the Bluetooth settings.
You can customize the FreeLace Pro’s settings with HUAWEI’s AI Life app. Here’s what you can do with the app:
- Check the battery level of the FreeLace Pro
- Change the noise cancellation settings: Noise cancelling, Awareness, Off
- Shortcuts for left earbud touch panel and power button
- Firmware update
The shortcuts for the left earbud touch panel and power button are just either on or off one functionality. There are no equalizer settings and wear detection, some features missing from current wireless earbuds. The physical buttons are nice to click, but you’ll need time to get used to the positioning. HUAWEI also adds the ability for the FreeLace Pro to quickly switch to the last connected device by just double-pressing the power button. It’s quite handy if you have multiple devices connected.
Audio Quality
The HUAWEI FreeLace Pro packs a 14.2mm dynamic driver on both earbuds. The audio quality is great with punchy bass that I can feel and hear every beat. The mids and highs sound pretty decent, the vocals are clear with great amounts of treble. If you increase the volume to 100%, you won’t hear any distortion, but definitely will hear some flaws. Not the clearest sounding earphones, but definitely good enough, and it’s not good listening to music at such high volume.
The sound isolation is pretty good! Turning on the active noise cancellation (ANC) allows you to indulge in music and cut off from the outside world.
The FreeLace Pro has a low-latency gaming mode, which will reduce the latency to as low as 150ms. You can still notice some slight delay when you are gaming, but watching videos is fine.
Battery Life
HUAWEI claims that the FreeLace Pro will have up to 24 hours of battery life when ANC is off and 16 hours of battery life when ANC is on. Based on my test, I was able to get more of the same battery life as claimed, but do note that everyone uses their earphones differently, so the result might not be the same. To charge the earphones, you can either just plug it into your phone or use the charger provided in the box.
Final Words
Retailing at RM399, the HUAWEI FreeLace Pro might not be the wireless earphones for you, especially right now there are many TWS earbuds. However, the advantage of having the neckband is you won’t lose one of the earbuds easily and you get physical control buttons. I’m actually quite frustrated with some of my TWS earbuds when it comes to touch control as they are not that responsive. If you are looking for a pair of wireless earphones to accompany your workout routine, this is actually a great product as it is also IP55-certified for water and dust resistance, and the ANC will cut you off from the outside world so that you can focus on your workout.
Yay
- Impressive audio quality
- Great sound isolation and ANC
- Great battery life
Nay
- Comes with the neckband
- HUAWEI HiPair only works with EMUI devices
- Nothing much to customize
About Post Author
