HUAWEI FreeClip hands-on: The design of the future?

Shortly before the end of the year, Huawei pulled one more rabbit out of the hat with the FreeClip: Bluetooth headphones with a completely new open-ear design that work with both Android and iOS. I tested them between the years on a short trip to London.

Open-ear design: how the FreeClip are worn

The earbuds are not inserted into the ear canal but stay in the outer ear. They consist of three parts:

• the Acoustic Ball with speakers and microphones, which sits in the outer ear
• a very flexible C-Bridge
• the counterpart, the Comfort Bean, which sits at the back of the ear

The first time you hold them, it is not immediately clear how they are worn. Once they are on, you get the concept quickly. I love it when everyday things are completely rethought. During the test, people often asked me how cool they look on the ear. I had them in purple, and they also come in black, which I recommend to anyone who prefers something more discreet. For me, tech is also an accessory, and when it comes to headphones on your face, I am happy about ones that adorn your ears instead of disfiguring them.

The earbuds recognize automatically which one belongs on which side, both on the ear and in the charging case.

Controls

The touch controls are right on the bridge. You can assign commands to double and triple taps: answer and end calls, start and stop music, skip to the next or previous track or activate the voice assistant. That is all that is possible so far. I would have liked volume control with a swipe gesture, for example, and I am hoping for updates.

Comfort

The 5.6 g earbuds are something you stop feeling after about a minute. The comfort is outstanding and the best I have ever had with Bluetooth buds. Nothing presses or itches in the ear canal. Because of the open design, skin contact in the ear is minimal, which can help people who are allergic to in-ear headphones. They are not necessarily suitable for sleeping, because the ball presses into your ear when you lie on your side.

In everyday use: hearing your surroundings, sports, battery

You keep hearing your surroundings 100%. That can be an advantage or a disadvantage: the FreeClip have no ANC. If you want to block out office noise, traffic or screaming kids, these are not for you. Since the test I have been using them non-stop for calls while working from home and on the go, as well as for music and podcasts on walks and during sports.

• Sports: They stay in the ear surprisingly well. Even if the bridge slips down, the Acoustic Ball stays in your outer ear.
• Protection: protected against rain water and dust according to IP54.
• Wear detection: When you take them out of your ear, playback stops, and when you put them back in, it continues.
• Battery: about 8 hours, 36 hours with the case. The case is fully charged again in 40 minutes by cable or wirelessly.

Sound and audibility to others

The sound quality is surprisingly good, and the voice quality on calls is very good, both for me and for the person I was talking to. The bass experience is not exactly thrilling because of the open design. If you like bass, you are better off with in-ear or over-ear headphones. Even on the plane I could listen to a podcast without any problem.

Can others listen in? At about an arm’s length, in a quiet room and at normal volume, you only notice that music is playing or someone is speaking somewhere. You cannot understand individual words. So the headphones are definitely suitable for an open-plan office. Outdoors with ambient noise, you cannot hear any of it anymore.

App and price

The FreeClip are controlled through Huawei’s AI Life app. Because of the US embargo, it is not available in the Google Play Store, but it is in the Apple App Store. Android users download it from the Huawei website, which is more cumbersome but works without problems. The app is limited, with few settings for gestures and sound. I do not hear a big difference with the sound effects. You can set the buds to switch seamlessly between devices, for example from the tablet to the smartphone when a call comes in, and that works fairly reliably.

When it comes to the price, my enthusiasm is limited. The RRP is €200, which I think is too much for the limited features and the limited app. With new designs you pay for the development too, but for the average consumer the price is hard to justify. I assume it will drop. At €120 to €150, I would find the value for money really good.

Verdict

The HUAWEI FreeClip are a refreshingly different design with outstanding comfort, good voice quality and surprisingly good sound. On the other side are no ANC, little bass, few features and a high price. I am currently wearing them all the time.