Huawei has overhauled its flagship wireless earbuds' acoustics in the pursuit of improved sound

Huawei has a new flagship pair of wireless earbuds that promises significant enhancements to their audio performance, as well as an improved acoustic seal and increased comfort.

The FreeBuds Pro 5 take over from the outgoing FreeBuds Pro 4, whose design and comfort we praised, even if their dynamics, rhythmic precision and bass control trailed behind (cheaper) rivals.

The new Pro 5 flagships feature a traditional sealed eartip design (as opposed to the open configuration of Huawei's recent FreeClip 2), with the buds being 10 per cent smaller and 6 per cent lighter than before, according to Huawei.

The brand has analysed over 10,000 ear profiles to reshape the contours of the earbuds in a bid to provide greater comfort and offer a better seal, especially for wearers with smaller ears.

Inside, there is an all-new dual driver acoustic system, which combines a micro planar diaphragm tweeter with a dual magnet woofer driver. The ultra-thin 6mm planar tweeter has been designed to produce a brighter and clearer treble, while the woofer aims to deliver a cleaner and more precise bass performance, along with a claimed 45 per cent less distortion compared with the previous Pro 4 model.

Each driver is housed in its own acoustic chamber, with each unit featuring two DACs and two DSPs alongside rear air vents – all in a bid to improve sound and reduce interference.

Standard Bluetooth codecs are on board, while Huawei smartphone owners can take advantage of the brand's own L2HC hi-res codec that allows for 24-bit/48kHz lossless transmission between the Huawei models.

The Pro 5 have a "Dual-Engine ANC architecture", whereby the two drivers work independently together to more effectively target specific frequencies to diminish. With three HD mics on each bud combined with AI powers, Huawei claims that its noise-cancelling powers are "220 per cent" more effective than the previous model.

Call quality is similarly purported to be clearer thanks to a combination of the new mics, a bone-conduction mic and an AI noise-cancelling algorithm. An 'anti-wind' design further ensures all spoken words are heard clearly even with background noise present.

There are new tap controls on the stems, while the antennae are situated in a way to offer better Bluetooth range and coverage, as well as to increase resistance to interference.

Another new feature is conversation awareness, which, similar to the tech found on Sony and Apple earbuds, detects when you're speaking and lowers the volume of what you're listening to so you can have a quick chat. Other features such as adaptive volume (which adjusts the sound according to your surrounding noise levels) and spatial audio (which works regardless of device or streaming source) are also available.

The Pro 5 have nine hours of battery life on a single charge with ANC turned off, going down to six hours with ANC turned on. You get a total of 38 hours with the charging case in play (ANC off).

Elsewhere, the charging case features an updated hinge and an LED indicator, and the earbuds feature an IP57 dust and water-resistance rating.

The Huawei FreeBuds Pro 5 are available in four finishes – white, grey, blue and sand – priced at £180 in the UK, the same as their FreeBuds Pro 4 predecessors we reviewed last year. Australian pricing is TBC.

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