I Expected More... Huawei Freebuds Pro 4 Review (vs Freebuds Pro 3)
Huawei Freebuds Pro 4, what's different?
The Huawei Freebuds Pro 4 does not look like a huge upgrade from the Freebuds Pro 3 at all. It does have upgraded L2HC support which could stream at a huge bandwidth of 2.3Mbps, that’s about the same data rate as a regular copper wire which is pretty impressive. But, it only works with a certain Huawei device as of this moment, the Mate X6 running EMUI 15 or later. So for the vast majority of us who don’t have this device, or don’t use Huawei devices at all, the best we can enjoy is LDAC which is still 990kbps.
Apart from that, it now comes with hybrid foam tips aside from the usual silicone. According to Huawei, they improve active noise cancelling but it also affects the sound signature, which we’re going to discuss about later. You could also use head gestures to answer or reject phone calls. Beyond these features, they seem to be very comparable to the previous model, or so it seems. We’re going to compare their microphone pickup, active noise cancelling, transparency and sound quality to see if they perform better.
Mic Quality Comparison
They’re very comparable in terms of mic pickup, silent background even in noisy conditions, voice is filtered very well. Only difference that I can tell is that my voice on the Freebuds Pro 4 sounds a bit crisper, but apart from that, not much of a difference.
We already know that the Freebuds Pro 3 has the best mic pickup of all true wireless earbuds, let's see if the Pro 4 can take it further, or if it’s the same.
👉 Have a listen to the mic pickup samples.
(Mic tested in both quiet and noisy conditions using really loud cafe noise and wind noise from a fan.)
Active Noise Cancelling Comparison
In terms of active noise cancelling, it’s true that the FreeBuds Pro 4’s noise cancelling is better if you use the included foam tips. However, with standard silicone ones, for some reason its noise cancelling seems to be weaker than the Pro 3. When swapping to foam, it becomes even quieter than last year’s model.
👉 Have a listen to the ANC samples.
Transparency Mode Comparison
In terms of transparency, the FreeBuds Pro 4 does passthrough more ambience in the mids and highs. The benefit of that is you can hear yourself better when speaking. However it also produces a small hissing sound which is quite audible when A-B comparing with the Pro 3.
Sound Quality Comparison
When it comes to sound quality, I personally don’t think it’s that much of an upgrade. When I’m comparing them A-B playing different genres of music, the main difference between them that my ears can pick up is that the FreeBuds Pro 4 is more bass heavy. Its sub bass is louder and it’s able to extend lower, but when playing tracks with more brightness, especially with female vocals, I can hear the Pro 4 being more muted in the highs, so the FreeBuds Pro 3 sounds brighter.
👉 Have a listen to the sound samples.
Sound Quality with Foam Tips
This frequency sweep shows an even bigger difference, but it’s along the lines of what I heard on their default settings with silicone tips. With the included foam tips, it alters the sound signature in a way that makes the Pro 4 sound even less v-shaped, weaker in the bass, and duller in the mids and highs, except for this spike in the 1.5khz region which is possibly why the Pro 4 still retains that crispness in female vocals.
Tip: I definitely prefer its sound quality with the silicone tips, but it might not matter, because the app has an ‘Ear tip fit test’, which corrects the Pro 4’s sound to account for the foam tips if you opt to use it. After toggling the foam tip option. it sounds just like how it sounds on silicone.
Overall, I see the FreeBuds Pro 4 as an upgrade in terms of better noise cancelling when using the foam tips, and it has some extras which are extra-appealing if you’re using a Huawei device, like L2HC 4 support.
Besides that, I consider everything else a side-grade, because you’re not going to get a radically improved experience. The sound quality part is subjective, some people like the heavier sound of the Pro 4, others prefer a crisper signature which is the Pro 3. Noise cancelling’s only better if you use foam tips, otherwise it’s not as great as Pro 3. Just be sure to correct its sound signature in the ‘Ear tip fit test’ feature of the AI Life app.
Some of you might be wondering, what if you put the Pro 4’s foam tips on the Pro 3? You can do that because it’s the same nozzle dimensions, so it fits perfectly. It gives the Pro 3 the same effect including stronger noise cancelling, thinner bass and more recessed mids and highs. Even without measuring, I can already tell immediately. When I fit only one side with foam and the other with silicone, the bass and vocals became skewed to one side. This reinforces the idea that the Pro 4 is more of a side grade than an upgrade.
So if you have the FreeBuds Pro 3, you should still be happy sticking with it. But if you don’t have either, just get the Pro 4. I will be comparing the Pro 4 to popular earbuds from other brands, so stay tuned!
If you want to check their latest prices on Amazon, links are below.
Check latest price:
Huawei Freebuds Pro 4 - https://amzn.to/42FQXLP
Huawei FreeBuds Pro 3 - https://amzn.to/4gBsGdb
(Affiliate Links Disclosure)
When you make a purchase through the Affiliate Links on this site, the site earns a small commission at no cost to you. Thank you for your support!
