HUAWEI FreeBuds 6i Review

The HUAWEI FreeBuds 6i features the BEST wireless ANC earbuds anyone can buy for under PHP 4,000.

–Perfect for when you’re out enjoying with friends, on a noisy commute, or just need some peace and quiet in a hectic work environment.

Find out why in this written review.

Build and Design

The HUAWEI Freebuds 6i are officially supported in Black, White, and in this cool Purple variant we have here.

There are 3 medical-grade liquid silicone eartips that come in the box, small, medium, and large, the Mediums were put on by default.

The buds themselves are pretty light weighing in at 5.4g. They’re so light that when in-use, it’s almost as if I used my glasses to keep my hair back and just forgot they were there.

The case weighs 34g, and pocket bulge isn’t really much of an issue either.

We think the purple looks really nice, and it kind of gives it a more luxurious feel. We like how it’s glossy and kind of chromatic, making it really easy to find when misplaced.

It’s also worth noting how flush the pairing button is on the case, and even though the shape itself doesn’t give me much nitpicky issues, I do think they can get a little slippery at times, especially in the rain.

So, it’s also good to know it features an IP54 rating for dust and splash resistance.

Sound Quality and ANC

The HUAWEI FreeBuds 6i get 3 microphones within each earbud totalling to 6.

The sound derived from the buds come from 11mm Quad magnet drivers and the actual auditory listening experience is generally good.

I’ve personally used the FreeBuds 6i mostly at work to focus on whatever I’m working on, at the gym trying to get those gainz back, and in bed trying to fall asleep to a movie or game I’m playing on my phone.

Its sound stage is very balanced, meaning we don’t get the most punchy bass drops and poppy trebles right out of the case.

But depending on the type of audio listener you are, this could very much be a good thing to lessen ear fatigue when in-use for longer listening sessions.

And it’s worth noting that the FreeBuds 6i features Wireless Hi-Res audio certification, which we don’t normally get with entry level earbuds.

Although if users take the time to download the HUAWEI Ai Life app, we can get into some templated EQs under Sound Effects or even make a custom one ourselves to get more out of the 11mm drivers.

And right below the Sound Effects option there’s Sound quality option, which gives us options to choose between sound or connection quality prioritization.

In the app we can also adjust the strength of the FreeBuds’ ANC mode, but we did leave it in Dynamic for most of our testing.

 

So far ANC has worked pretty well, there have been multiple instances where someone is trying to talk to me for like 2 minutes till I notice.

With ANC off, the passive seal is also pretty “toight” quite literally.

So much so, it makes me feel like I need to be in Awareness mode to even hear more of what’s going on around me.

Noise cancellation does not stop there of course, HUAWEI’s made sure to add some to microphone input as well.

Find our sound recording test in the video below:

Battery Life

Battery life with the HUAWEI FreeBuds 6i has been good overall. I haven’t really observed any major issues here.

And since I never really use them for longer than 3 hours at a time, I haven’t really felt too bothered.

Each bud is rated for 55 mAh, with the case getting 510 mAh. When in use with ANC, FreeBuds 6i is rated for 5 hours, which is most likely why I didn’t really have an issue with them.

But I guess on long flights abroad this may be sort of an issue if you’re somebody who wants to be listening to music for 8-16 hours straight, but in hindsight, I think that’s a little unrealistic.

But if you ARE that person, all you need to do is take a 10 minute break and put ’em in the case to charge and you’re set for another 4 hours with fast charging.

Users may charge the buds in the case for up to 4 full cycles.

• We’ve included the battery specs below for you all to take a gander:
• About 40 minutes for the earbuds (in the charging case)
• About 1 hour for the charging case (wired)
• Media playback with the earbuds only (ANC OFF): 8 hours
• Media playback with the earbuds only (ANC ON): 5 hours
• Media playback with multiple charges in the case (ANC OFF): 35 hours
• Media playback with multiple charges in the case (ANC ON): 20 hours

Connectivity

The Huawei FreeBuds 6i also supports Dual Device Connection, which means we can pair the buds to two devices whether Android and/or iOS simultaneously.

Which means we could even pair the buds to a Windows PC to listen to some music while crunching numbers but also have it paired to an iPhone for the eventual business call and vice versa.

For touch control, the FreeBuds 6i feel very familiar.

Switching between ANC, Awareness, and ANC OFF is done by tapping and holding right where the stem meets the bud.

Next, we can double tap the same area to pause or play music, and even answer phone calls.

We can also Triple tap to skip to the next track; which is mappable within the app, for when specifically wanting to set either of the buds for skipping to the previous track.

And lastly we have Swipe up and down for adjusting playback volume.

Conclusion

Now to conclude, in our opinion these earbuds are great, it may not please audiophiles looking for absolute clarity, nor will it please bassheads who just want to whip their hair back and forth for 35 hours.

–We do recommend it to anyone else who does not fit in those categories.

For those looking to get into the ANC game on par with the likes of the AirPods Pro 2 at a third of the cost, the HUAWEI FreeBuds 6i make a very compelling offer for you all to dip your toes in.

Officially available locally for PHP 3,999 through the HUAWEI Online store, Lazada, Shopee, and their TikTok shop; we think they’re a steal for the ANC alone.

What we LIKED:

• Active Noise Cancelation.
• Comfortable.
• Stylish.
• Intuitive.

What we Liked LESS:

• Slippery when wet.
• Not the punchiest sound stage.

HUAWEI FreeBuds 6i specs:
11mm quad-magnet dynamic driver
IP54 water and dust resistance (earbuds)
Triple mics (per bud), DNN call noise cancellation algorithm
Battery: 55mAh (earbuds) | 510mAh (charging case)
USB Type-C
Up to 8 hours (ANC off) | Up to 5 hours (ANC on) (single charge)
Up to 35 hours (ANC off) | Up to 20 hours (ANC on) (with charging case)
Bluetooth 5.3 (codec: AAC/SBC)
Sensors: infrared, hall, touch
Dynamic EQ, Active noise cancellation, Transparency Mode
Dimensions (earbud): 31.4 x 21.3 x 23.7 mm
Dimensions (charging case): 48.2 x 61.8 x 27.0 mm
Weight: 5.4g (earbuds) | 34g (charging case)
Colors: White, Purple, Black