Huawei FreeBuds 5i packs a lot of tech for a low price

Huawei refreshes the ‘i’ variant in its FreeBuds lineup with the new FreeBuds 5i.

The charging case now features a tasteful pebble stone design with a textured surface, available in Isle Blue, Nebula Black, and Ceramic White colours.

Aesthetically, the FreeBuds 5i doesn’t look too different from its predecessor the FreeBuds 4i, aside from subtle changes like a shorter design (almost 7mm shorter) and lighter weight (4.9g vs 5.5g) but the new earbuds are a world apart when it comes to features.

For one, the FreeBuds 5i is now Hi-Res Audio Wireless certified and supports high bandwidth transmission (in this case LDAC), which is a big step up in terms of audio quality.

Despite the relatively modest pricing of $128, you certainly can’t accuse Huawei of skimping on the tech. For example, the FreeBuds 5i will compensate and reduce the low-frequency loss due to the loose-fitting nature of earbud designs.

Furthermore, the dual-mic ANC with hybrid noise cancellation tech can detect external noise and pick up the extra noise within the ear canal to provide a maximum ANC depth as high as 42 dB. Huawei says the active noise cancellation is bolstered by AI neural network algorithms and can distinguish voices from ambient noise during calls so you can be heard loud and clear.

The battery life has also improved from 22 hours to 28 hours with the charging case, which also supports fast charging (four hours of audio playback with a 15-minute charge).

On top of that, the FreeBuds 5i has a host of features that make the daily experience more pleasant. This includes dual device connection for seamless switching between devices and operating systems, a low-latency mode for gaming, and touch-enabled media controls featuring a unique remote camera trigger (when used with a compatible Huawei device). It’s also splash-proof (IP54), so you don’t have to baby it.

ALSO READ: Is the Huawei FreeBuds Pro 2 better than the Devialet Gemini?

Price and availability

From Huawei Experience Stores: available from Feb 1. Promotional price of $98 from Feb 1-14.

From Huawei Official Store on Shopee: available from Feb 1. Promotional price of $98 fromFeb 1-14. In addition, you can pick up a $20 off voucher (from 25 January to 14 February, while stocks last) which you can use to purchase the FreeBuds 5i, bringing the price down to $78.

From Huawei Official Store on Lazada: available from Feb 15-28 at a promotional price of $98.

This article was first published in Potions.sg.