Not to be outdone by Apple, Huawei is launching their own wireless noise-cancelling earbuds at $238

It’s no secret that Huawei has modelled itself after the highly-polished marketing sheen of Apple. Once a relatively unknown brand disregarded as a cheapo Android device, the Chinese tech company is a household name today, its phones recognised as premium, quality devices worthy of flagship prices. 

It’s come to the point that Apple is now legit afraid of Huawei, which surpassed the American tech behemoth in smartphone sales since last year. 

Though the scales may be tipping against Huawei in the past couple of months (the US ban marches on), the beleaguered firm remains capable to do battle for the hearts and wallets of consumers. Case in point: Huawei FreeBuds 3, the company’s own take on truly wireless earbuds with noise-cancelling technology. 

If it sounds familiar, it should be — Huawei is taking on Apple’s recently released AirPods Pro. The FreeBuds series have long been known as Huawei’s rival to the AirPods, and FreeBuds 3 takes the fight to audiophile levels.

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On paper, Huawei’s noise-cancelling Bluetooth earbuds sound like a much better deal than what Apple put out. At a price point cheaper than the $379 AirPods Pro, the Freebuds 3 similarly has active-noise cancellation, a wireless charging case, and a pop-up notification on your (Huawei) phones when you flip open the case for instant pairing. Hell, both the Huawei and Apple earbuds even look the same. 

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What the FreeBuds 3 actually lack is silicon tips for a tighter seal, opting instead to go for the universal, open-fit that simply means that the earbuds will just rest loosely in your ears. These buds don’t offer Transparency mode either, but I suppose that’s fine because sound could leak in due to the open-fit design, anyway. Battery capacity ain’t as hefty either — four hours of playback in a single charge as compared to the AirPods Pro’s five hours with similar use. 

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Huawei Singapore is launching the FreeBuds 3 at $238 on Nov 30. To sweeten the deal, customers who purchase the buds at SITEX 2019 will get a gift bundle worth $172, including a wireless charger, a tripod selfie stick, and a silicone case for the charging case. 

Or if you're really desperate to get one right now, a set goes for $329 via a vendor on Lazada. 

ilyas@asiaone.com