Verdict
The Huawei FreeArc is a dear overt - ear earbud movement than Huawei ’s first and is a potent , but not needs superior option to the very similar - looking Shokz OpenFit zephyr
Pros
Cons
Key Features
Introduction
The Huawei FreeArc is Huawei ’s 2d attempt at make subject - earbuds and unlike its first sweat , the FreeArc is aimed at being on your ear when it ’s time to exercise .
Along with a more fitness - friendly excogitation , Huawei promises multiple listening mode , less sound leakage and ameliorate long - rangeBluetoothconnectivity .
The act of unfastened - ear sport earbuds that seat in and around the FreeArc is ample and the expert news is that Huawei offers one of the better options you could pick up .
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Availability
The Huawei FreeArc carries a launch price of £ 79 it will retail for £ 99 . That ’s less than the Huawei FreeClip , which Huawei slapped with a £ 179.99 Mary Leontyne Price rag
That sub-£100 toll put it firm up against the Shokz OpenFit Air , which are less expensive cheaper at £ 94 . You ’ve also got a whole host of other earbuds that sit in and around or less than the FreeArc , include theOpenrock X , Soundcore AerofitandJBL Soundgear Sense .
Design
It does n’t take long to see where Huawei has taken pattern inhalation from as the FreeArc looks like aShokz OpenFit Airclone . They ’re not monovular with a few well-defined conflict in the design , but the stature and look feels very standardised to the Shokz opened - ear sports earbuds .
you could piece them up in either a black , greenish or grey shades that give it a not overtly sporty expression that ’s elegant and unpretentious . They matter 8.3 g so they do n’t fall heavy on the ears . The combination of the acoustic attic ( i.e. utterer ) and the comfort droplet , which sits behind the spike , works well to produce a nicely balanced design that did stay put in our tests .
I do cogitate the element in the design that links ear hook to earbud could profit from being a touch thicker , which would make it sit more reassuringly on the top of the spike . It never feel like the earbuds were go to shine off , but I did find myself playing around with the paroxysm at time , especially when wearing a hat or glasses .
In a first for Huawei earbuds , the FreeArc carries an IP57 water resistance rating , which is up from the IP54 hold to theFreeClip . That gives it a stronger level of defence against water and dust and can technically be submerged in water up to one metre for up to 30 moment .
The similarities do not terminate there with the OpenFit Air , with a similar - sized appoint example to drop them into . You ’re also drive spot - style control that can be customize in Huawei ’s AI Life smartphone app , and they ’re a surprisingly responsive band to use for exercise . you may filch to adjust volume and double and triple wiretap to execute function like handling a call or skipping a track and I ’d definitely put them in the category of good touch controls on fitness - focused earbuds .
Features
Huawei include extra features to make them more suitable to exercise including an anti - wind design that promises to block wind up to 4 m / s to see to it the clearest call carrying into action from the two-fold - mike on board .
It ’s also forebode an aerial design that has a 100 time indoor range and a 400 time outdoor one . Huawei advert the scenario of using it on a 400 time running raceway as a great position to test this . I did that very thing and while they remained connected to an iPhone for most of the agency around the path , the connectivity cutouts kick in at the 350 metre decimal point on every lap .
alfresco of those , there ’s support for multipoint connectivity and audio share-out , declare oneself Huawei ’s take on Apple ’s audio share-out feature film that make for with other FreeArc and Freebuds earbuds when connected to a Huawei smartphone or tablet .
Battery sprightliness is solid on the whole with the FreeArc . It ’s up to 7 hours from a single electric charge and a amount of 28 hr with a to the full burden lawsuit . You ’ve also got a quick charging mode that yield you 3 hours of listen with a 10 - arcminute cathexis . I found those figure stack up in testing . Louder listening volumes and using extra EQ presets definitely sees the electric battery dip quicker , with an time of day ’s listening typically seeing assault and battery drop anywhere from 10 - 15 %
Sound Quality
Like the FreeClip , the FreeArc carry an air conductivity coming to deliver its open - ear sound to avail make them a safe readiness of earbuds to work on out with indoors and outdoors .
There ’s a 17x12 mm driver unit to bring out the opened - auricle sound with telescope to pick from four unlike EQ modes and a custom EQ from the Huawei AI Life app and these are available for both Android and iPhone user .
To that sound quality and having used the FreeClip , I ’m glad to say that there ’s a noticeable step up in performance in most departments . You ’ve got the same EQ presets as the FreeClip with the Default EQ regale aspects like bass and treble the same and did leave me desire to muck around with things .
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The Elevate one give the audio some sum up desirableness and pickup in basso , the double Boost subjugate that basso , while the Voices EQ is the one you alternate on when listening to podcasts and audiobooks . you could only switch between those EQs from the app , which is a shame as matching up them up to your best-loved sound extend the best results .
I ’ve used the earphones indoors and out , in quieter and louder busy environments and in windier ones too , and the overall visibility is bright and punchy . It does a good job in offering a balance between audio and fathom around you and while I ’m not convince the anti - wind design has huge benefits for wordy out-of-door usance , my audio did n’t get entirely traverse up in gustier conditions .
On Massive Attack ’s Unfinished Sympathy switch to the Elevate EQ preset , there‘s some good great power though it lack some of the warmth I do consider you get from Shokz ’ OpenFit Air and more balanced - sounding heart-to-heart - pinna earbuds from Bose and Sony . Bass gets drive to the forefront with a more miry profile than ever feeling snappy or tight .
There ’s a bit of a boxy tone to the mids and if you wish your triple grainy . The Avalanches ’ Since I leave You with the default EQ mode brings a bit of residuum to proceedings with some of that boxiness in the mids department present again . I switch over to the Voices EQ preset on London Grammar ’s languish My Young Years and it did the demand job of lifting vocals where there ’s definitely some likeable twofold graininess . It was a standardised story on On FKA twigs ’ Two Weeks , where vocals are more of a power .
keep back the unspoiled sound available when you ’re outdoors competing with more sounds is sure as shooting a challenge not only for the FreeArc , but for all open - auricle earbuds just because of the nature of the intent . I ’m happy to see that the FreeArc cope to maintain some of the nicer timber you get in that phone profile that ’s more noticeable when using them within .
The same applies to call caliber where the FreeArc is more than capable to handle calls indoors and outdoors . Is it the good call quality you ’ll enjoy on a lot of earbuds ? Not necessarily , but it was good enough to make them worthy for cut off a run to take a call .
Should you buy it?
The FreeArc are well suited for foresightful hearing sessions and proffer the ability to muck around with the sound profile to get a skillful match for your strait .
The Bose Ultra Ear Open and Sony LinkBuds are the best strait in this category of earbuds , but you ’re going to have to pay more to get them in your ear .
Final Thoughts
With theHuawei FreeClip , Huawei tried to do thing otherwise and it did n’t quite pay off . With the FreeArc , there ’s a lot more to like about this open - ear earbuds effort and that ’s likely because it ’s looked more at its rivals to see what work .
First and foremost , they sound better and in keeping with similar price open - ear buds . You also get a comfortable pattern , a pretty true conniption and a surprisingly beneficial stage set of touch controls .
If Huawei had been bold , it could have throw away the price lower than the competition and it would sure enough eat into some sales of theShokz OpenFit Air , which is arguably the best of this style of subject - ear earbud at this price . Instead , it ’s a good option but not necessarily a better one .
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How we test
We test every couple of earphone we review thoroughly over an prolonged point of time . We use industry - received tests to equate features properly . We ’ll always tell you what we find . We never , ever , accept money to retrospect a product .
discover out more about how we test in ourethics insurance policy .
FAQs
The Huawei FreeArc carry an IP57 water repellent paygrade grant them the strong protection against urine on a Huawei phone .
Full Specs
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