First impressions of Huawei’s FreeBuds 3

Huawei released their FreeBuds 3 wireless earbuds in Canada last week, and they’re my new favourite accessory for my P30 Pro.

FreeBuds 3 are light, small, and easy to start using, with excellent sound for their size. And while they look a lot like Apple’s AirPods, they’re completely Android.

The earbuds come in red, black, and white, they charge quickly with USB-C, and offer wireless charging too. They also have adjustable active noise cancellation, and tap control to play/pause, play the next song, or wake the voice assistant.

I’ve used the FreeBuds 3 since last Friday, and I haven’t had to charge the case yet. The case also fits in the watch pocket of my jeans, so I can put them away or charge them up if I’m out quickly for essentials.

The FreeBuds don’t have equalizer control, but that could change, as I’ve seen a couple of updates for the earbuds that have added new features and optimizations. I’d also love to see volume control added to the customizable tap control.

As a Huawei phone user, I have to admit I also really appreciate the earbuds because they’re so seamless. I’ve used other earbuds with my P30 Pro, and I’ve run into some small issues with many of them. So far, the FreeBuds 3 have been very good by comparison with no drop-out, disconnections, or other problems.

And most impressively for me, the earbuds also have decent bass, which is frankly the first thing I listen for with wireless earbuds.

While we’re all stuck in self-isolation, a good pair of earbuds can be a life-saver too. I’ve used mine to listen to comedy on SiriusXM (which is on free preview right now), for music while I stretch my legs, and to game on my phone too.

Outside, when I had to get groceries the other day, I was also impressed how well they stayed in my ear, which was something I was worried about. I had to adjust them once or twice, but they barely moved the whole time I was outside.

Stay tuned tomorrow for my full review, more photos, and other details on the new earbuds.

Note: Huawei gave the FreeBuds 3 to me as part of this review. That’s not uncommon, particularly during the current pandemic, and given that it’s not sanitary to send used earbuds to other journalists. Like all of my reviews, this had no impact on my opinion.