Huawei spoke of the Huawei FreeClips last year as a means to introduce a different design to the market, one that could potentially draw new markets.
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This was the introduction of the Huawei FreeClip, a C-bridge design set of open-earbuds designed for the open-minded user.
The test
Design
Huawei’s FreeClip are innovative and their design although slightly retro, provides an alternative to the normal in-ear earbuds that have continued to dominate the market.
The design of the free clips including colour provides a tasteful option for the person who’s very aesthetically pleased. It’s the latest design and for some of us, that makes sense. The thinking behind the Huawei Freeclips was a response to some earbuds leaving discomfort to users after prolonged use.
The Huawei FreeClip was the response to critics as Huawei created this innovative design in the form of a unique C-Bridgne design.
The Huawei FreeClips are available in South Africa and come in two distinct colour pallets, iridescent purple, and minimalist chic black. Ours came in the chic black, an option that looked stylishly appealing.
The design is meant to bridge the gap between ergonomic comfort and aesthetic design which means they look interesting when you open the case.
We appreciated the interesting-looking comfort bean and acoustic ball that aligns with the ear canal. These make any user look like they have the latest trend in earpiece jewellery.
Audio
An acoustic ball is the output for sound, while the comfort bean latches on the rear of a user’s ear.
Huawei says the FreeClips come with a dual magnet high sensitivity driver unit and reverse sound waves system. The dual magnetic driver increases the magnetic induction intensity, thus creating better sound clarity and resonance while the review sound waves system reduces sound leakage and makes the audio more immersive.
The FreeClip can last up to eight hours with the charging case expected to guarantee about 36 hours of battery.
The open-ear design is meant to be innovative while delivering competent sound, yet we did struggle to get decent audio while on a plane to Cape Town.
The FreeClips do deliver clear audio on calls thanks to a sound suppression duct built into the acoustic ball which cancels out ambient noises and curbs wind interference.
Price
Users can get the Huawei FreeClip from Vodacom for R 189pm for 24 months, a 129 pm plan for 36 months, or purchase them directly from Huawei’s online store for R 3999.
Overall
Huawei’s FreeClip is an interesting addition to the earbuds market. They are for the user who may not really prioritize sound quality.
They do deliver an impressive in call quality with several touch features that users can customize such as skip track, pause, and skip back. We enjoyed how easy they are to pair and get users started.
While their audio quality is not the best they are better than some market competitors and this could be due to the distance between the ear canal and the FreeClips acoustic ball.
They can handle sweat but are not waterproof with an IP54 rating. They weigh just 5.6 grams, and are meticulously angled at 11.4 degrees with a nickel-titanium shape memory alloy to fit along the curvature of the ear.
This is a noble design, a step into the future of earbuds. While the audio could improve for a more immersive sound, we did appreciate the comfort of the FreeClip after wearing them for more than four hours straight.
The acoustic ball could be closer to the ear canal but you do get decent audio when in a confined space such as a study. This is a step up from Huawei and the FreeClip indicates an exciting future for earbuds.
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