Huawei FreeBuds 4i review: Is it worth Rs 7,990? Here's the answer

With the rise in demands of the Truly Wireless Stereo (TWS) earphones category in India, the Chinese tech giant Huawei is working aggressively on its TWS products. After successfully launching its TWS earphones FreeBuds 3i in India, the brand recently introduced FreeBuds 4i in the country to attract young buyers looking for affordable and powerful earbuds.

Priced at Rs 7,990, the Huawei FreeBuds 4i is available in four different color options – Ceramic White, Carbon Black, Red, and Silver Frost. The newly-launched earbuds from Huawei come with a lot of user-friendly features, including active noise cancellation (ANC) and Awareness Mode. I used the Red colour variant for the review and here's what I feel about this review device from Huawei. In terms of design, ​the Huawei FreeBuds 4i’s charging case and earbuds sport a rounded design with smooth edges - more comfortable than FreeBuds 3i. 

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Honestly, the glossy red colour gives it a premium look but the device easily fingerprints marks. Also, the case is prone to scratch marks, so you need to handle it with extra care. You will see a single button on the side is present for pairing purposes and on the bottom, you can find a USB-C port for charging. Also, the Charging case weighs roughly 36 grams, which is around 15 grams lighter than the FreeBuds 3i. But the earbuds weigh exactly the same as their predecessor. Each bud weighs 5.5 grams and features a long stem that supports touch control.  The earbuds are lightweight fitting the ear canal making them comfortable to wear all day long. Also, you also get three pairs of silicone tips in the box - small, medium and large. The earbuds come with the IP54 rating that means the earbuds are splash and sweat resistant.

In terms of specifications, the FreeBuds 4i is packed with a 10mm large dynamic driver that enables a wider range of amplitudes for punchy bass and the rear chamber design ensures consistency in sound effects. According to the company, Huawei FreeBuds 4i, uses built-in acoustic components and algorithms to generate inverted soundwaves. This technology allows the earbuds to actively cancel out noise and achieve a more immersive audio experience for the user, whether they’re in a busy shopping centre, out on the street or in noisy public transport. Also, Huawei FreeBuds 4i comes with Awareness mode to allow you to stay aware of your surroundings and communicate clearly with those around you.

Coming back to the performance, the major USP of these earbuds is that the FreeBuds 4i comes with active noise cancellation (ANC) as well as fast charging. The earbuds also come with an all-new design and I can say it will give real competition to OnePlus Buds Pro, Nothing Ear (1) and Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro. The earbuds can be easily used while wearing a mask, helmet but I felt little discomfort while working out. As I mentioned above, the earbuds are equipped with a 10mm large dynamic driver that enables a wider range of amplitudes for punchy bass and the rear chamber design ensures consistency in sound effects.

It comes with a PEEK+PU polymer diaphragm and is professionally tuned to deliver high-quality pop music. The device offers more than just audio enjoyment, it provides great convenience to improve the overall experience. These TWS are equipped with advanced low latency algorithms to minimize the lag between audio and video which is especially useful while playing first-person shooting (FPS) games when users sometimes rely on hearing the sound of footsteps to track the enemies down.

Thanks to the ANC mode, my listening experience was amazing. In fact, if you are in the office, metro or any in any public place, with Awareness mode on, you will love the overall experience. I was listening to the 'Kasoor' song by Prateek Kuhad and all trending songs from AP Dhillon on Spotify and YouTube with ANC mode on, and the performance was satisfying. I also watched web series on the FreeBuds 4i and the overall experience was decent. While taking calls or watching movies for long hours and playing games such as Garena Free Fire and Battlegrounds Mobile India, I felt that audio performance was up to the mark.

Huawei FreeBuds 4i packs in a powerful life for a full day music experience and can offer 10 hours of continuous music playback or 6.5 hours of voice call on a full charge. Paired with fast charging, these earphones can provide five hours of audio playback with just a quick 10-minutes charge. With the ANC mode, the Huawei FreeBuds 4i might last only for 5-6 hours.

Huawei FreeBuds 4i verdict: Available at 7,990, the Huawei FreeBuds 4i earbuds are decent option under Rs 10,000. The earbuds are competing directly against the OnePlus Buds Pro, Nothing Ear (1), Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 – all of which also comes with an Active Noise Cancellation feature. Overall, Huawei FreeBuds 4i has a nice design, good battery life and decent sound performance.