Huawei Freebuds 6i review

05 August 2024

Huawei introduced the Freebuds 6i alongside the Watch Fit 3 and the global launch of two Matebook laptops. The TWS earphones promised improved battery life and enhanced noise cancellation, and now that we've spent a few weeks with them we can share out impressions.

We had the Freebuds 6i in Black, but they are also available in Purple and White. The case is matte, while the buds are glossy, similar to their predecessor, the Freebuds 5i. The two generations have many visual similarities, and only a keen eye can tell them apart.

Despite the glossy finish, the buds are pretty resistant to fingerprints and smudges. They have short stems, rubber tips (with two additional sets in different sizes included in the box), and the Huawei logo on the side. The package also includes a USB-A to USB-C cable and a Quick Start Guide.

The buds feature magnets, allowing them to fit neatly into the case. They also have a touch-sensitive side that supports gestures including swiping for adjusting volume and tapping to play/pause.

Huawei has improved the Freebuds 6i connectivity with Bluetooth 5.3, enabling simultaneous connection to two devices. The transition is seemless so you don't need to have separate pairs for your laptop and phone.

Pairing the buds with a phone is easy, but you should get the AI Life app from the Huawei AppGallery instead of the Google Play Store. Huawei provides a QR code on the back of the box that leads directly to the app, so there's no need to search for it.

The weight of the Freebuds 6i buds and case remains the same, but the case's battery capacity has increased by 25% to 510 mAh, while each bud still has a 55 mAh cell.

Huawei claims 8 hours of music playback with ANC off and 5 hours with ANC on. Our extensive tests showed these results are optimistic – we achieved about 7 hours with ANC off and rarely exceeded 4 hours with ANC on.

Including the recharging from the case with ANC off, we reached about 32 hours compared to the advertised 35 hours and nearly 18 hours with ANC on versus the claimed 20 hours.

The Freebuds 6i have 11 mm quad-magnet dynamic drivers that are Hi-Res certified and 50% more powerful than their predecessor. However, the sound lacks prominent bass, making them less suitable for genres like R&B, rap, or electronic music. On the positive side voices are excellently defined so they are excellent for meetings and calls.

The buds feature noise cancellation, called Dynamic ANC 3.0, with an enhanced noise-filtering chamber and a 3-mic system to reduce background noise and focus on voices.

There are three manual modes – Noise canceling, Off, and Awareness – selectable via the buds themselves or the AI Life app. Noise-canceling has four options: Cozy, General, Ultra, and Dynamic. We preferred the Dynamic mode, which adapts to the surroundings for optimal noise cancellation.

Awareness mode has two options – Voice Mode on or off. We found Voice Mode on to be more comfortable, as it's only lets you carry conversations without bringing all the environmental sounds to your ear canals.

Huawei positions the Freebuds 6i as affordable TWS earphones, ideal for everyday tasks and workouts with IP54 protection and comfortable rubber tips.

Priced at €99, the Freebuds 6i are a great deal, especially with Huawei’s frequent promotions. Currently, users in Europe can get additional wearables like the Watch Fit, Freeclip, or Band 8 with a €50 discount, making the Freebuds 6i an excellent purchase.