Huawei unveiled the global launch of the FreeBuds 6i and two MateBook laptops alongside the Watch Fit 3. The TWS earphones promised better battery life and improved noise cancellation, and now that we’ve spent a few weeks with them we can share our experiences.
We had the FreeBuds 6i in black colour, but they are also available in purple and white colours. The case is matte, while the buds are glossy, similar to their predecessor, the FreeBuds 5i. Both generations have many visual similarities, and only a keen eye can differentiate them.
Despite the glossy finish, the buds are quite resistant to fingerprints and smudges. They have short stems, rubber tips (two extra sets of different sizes are included in the box) and the Huawei logo on the side. The package also includes a USB-A to USB-C cable and a quick start guide.
The buds feature magnets, so they fit snugly into the case. They also have a touch-sensitive side that supports gestures including swiping to adjust volume and tapping to play/pause.
Huawei has improved the FreeBuds 6i connectivity with Bluetooth 5.3, making it possible to connect to two devices simultaneously. This transition is seamless, so you don’t have to keep separate pairings for your laptop and phone.
Pairing the buds with a phone is easy, but you should get the AI Life app from the Huawei AppGallery rather than the Google Play Store. Huawei provides a QR code on the back of the box that leads directly to the app, so there’s no need to search for it.
The FreeBuds 6i buds and case weigh the same, but the case’s battery capacity has increased by 25% to 510mAh, while each bud still has a 55mAh cell.
Huawei claims that it can deliver up to 8 hours of music playback with ANC off and 5 hours with ANC on. Our extensive tests showed that these results are optimistic – we averaged around 7 hours with ANC off and rarely exceeded 4 hours with ANC on.
Including recharging from the case with ANC off, we reached around 32 hours compared to the advertised 35 hours, and around 18 hours with ANC on compared to the claimed 20 hours.
The FreeBuds 6i have 11mm quad-magnet dynamic drivers that are Hi-Res certified and are 50% more powerful than their predecessor. However, the sound lacks prominent bass, making them less suitable for genres like R&B, rap or electronic music. On the positive side, the voices are excellently defined so they are excellent for meetings and calls.
The buds feature noise cancellation, called Dynamic ANC 3.0, with an advanced noise-filtering chamber and a 3-mic system to reduce background noise and focus on voices.
There are three manual modes – Noise Cancelling, Off and Awareness – that can be selected via the buds or the AI Life app. There are four noise cancelling options: Cozy, General, Ultra and Dynamic. We liked the Dynamic mode more, which adapts noise cancelling based on the surrounding environment.
Awareness mode has two options – Voice mode on or off. We found it more convenient to have Voice mode on, as it allows you to simply have a conversation without bringing all the ambient sounds into your ear canals.
Huawei has introduced the FreeBuds 6i as affordable TWS earphones, ideal for everyday tasks and workouts with IP54 protection and comfortable rubber tips.
Priced at €99, the Freebuds 6i are a great deal, especially with Huawei’s frequent promotions. Currently, users in Europe can get additional wearables like the Watch Fit, FreeClip or Band 8 for €50 off, making the Freebuds 6i a great buy.
