High-resolution and with noise cancellation

Review: Huawei Freebuds 6i – Affordable and Professional

Both noise cancellation and really good music sound in an affordable package. It's clear that Huawei has taken features from significantly more expensive headphones and offers them here at a budget price.

Erik Mörner

Published 5 May 2024 - 00:00 Modified 24 January 2025 - 16:02

A light and rounded case houses Huawei's new headphones Freebuds 6i. The shapes of the case are round, slightly egg-shaped, and charge with usb-c before you put the headphones in your ears and connect to your iPhone, your Android, smartwatch, or any other device. I start by downloading Huawei's app, which is available for both iPhone and Android, as well as of course for Huawei's own phones. In the app, I can ensure that I have the latest update and control both the sound profile with the help of an equalizer and manage the connection to multiple devices simultaneously. There is support for two connected devices at the same time, which is convenient if, for example, I have a video meeting on the computer and want to answer a call on the phone. The app also makes it convenient with the overview and to visually switch between far more devices than the two that can be connected at once.

High-resolution audio

As in Huawei's more expensive headsets, there is support for high-resolution audio, and as always, the support you can access depends on the device you are listening from. On iPhone, it is the AAC codec that applies, which provides good sound, but high-resolution audio that offers completely different sound and detail reproduction is available in Huawei's own phones as well as in, for example, Xiaomi 14 Ultra or Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, or for that matter in other Android phones. In Huawei phones, high-resolution audio is supported in Ldac and L2hc codecs, and in Androids only in Ldac. The fact that the support varies like this is not unique to Huawei but applies to all headsets, but it is unusual for such an inexpensive headset to have such broad support for high-resolution audio.

When I listen to the same song in the headphones and switch from high-resolution audio in Android to AAC in iPhone, the sound appears as an even sound mat. High-resolution, on the other hand, makes each instrument stand out clearly.

The call sound in the headphones is good without being truly impressive. When I walk in the wind and have noise or other people talking nearby, the headphones do a good job of filtering out the noise, but my voice gets a certain processed indistinctness, making it a bit difficult to distinguish. Without disturbances in the surroundings, however, it's easier for the person I'm talking to to hear.

Can be customized

I have mentioned that I can make settings using the app, and these include customizing the touch controls. In this way, I can choose if I want to activate, for example, the voice assistant in the iPhone with a long press, switch between noise cancellation or something else. It is also possible to pause, switch songs, or answer calls with two or three quick taps on the stem of the headphones. A swipe along the stem raises or lowers the volume, and if you're just a little careful, you can avoid knocking the headphones out of your ear in the same motion, as they sit relatively securely. When I jog with the headphones, it doesn't feel like they are at risk of coming loose, but the headphones can sometimes, just when I'm running, easily pick up wind noise that can be a bit distracting.

The Huawei AI Life app is available for Android and iPhone

The noise reduction allows me in the settings to switch between noise reduction, transparency, or noise reduction off. I find the noise reduction effective for this price range. It clearly manages to filter out a lot of monotonous disturbing sounds, traffic as well as fans and other disturbances in the surroundings.