Huawei FreeClip 2 review
Huawei is no stranger to experimenting with device form factors and its FreeClip 2 are a prime example. These are the successors to the original Huawei FreeClip earbuds, which brought the C-bridge design, which “clips” around your ear and beams sound without making contact with your ear canal.
The second-gen FreeClips come with a noticeably smaller footprint for both the earbuds and case, alongside updated sound which Huawei proudly claims offers 100% stronger volume output. Despite the sleeker size, Huawei still claims up to 9 hours of usage from the buds on a single charge and up to 38 hours if you include their charging case into the equation.
Open earbuds aren’t everyone’s cup of tea as they tend to disappoint in terms of audio quality, but with the FreeClip 2, Huawei claims it cracked the code to balanced audio, spatial awareness, and great call quality.
Table of Contents:
Design
Open earbuds come in various shapes and sizes but the FreeClip 2 take the “earring style” approach. Despite featuring Clip in their name, these buds don’t actually clip onto your ears, but rather attach around your ear lobe, making them highly compatible with all types of ear shapes.
Even better, the FreeClip 2 are interchangeable as there’s no differentiation between the left and right earbuds. This means you don’t have to fiddle with figuring out which one is which and can insert them in either ear and they just work. This ambidextrous approach is actually a game-changer and is another testament to Huawei’s extensive R&D efforts into hearables.
The main goal of open ear wireless earbuds is to give you spatial awareness of your surroundings while still providing audio playback, calls and fast access to your digital assistant.
The FreeClip 2 are easily the most comfortable pair of wireless earbuds we’ve tested to date. This reviewer consistently managed to wear these buds throughout his workdays without any discomfort, which is not usually the case with competing hearables. There’s absolutely no pressure build-up inside your ear canal like you’d get with in-ear buds, which is a welcome change.
We should also address how the FreeClip 2 look on your ears. The earring-style is certainly not for everyone, but we’d honestly take the absolute class-leading comfort and ignore what others may say about their on-ear looks.
Huawei FreeClip 2 do not look like conventional earbuds
Our FreeClip 2 review unit comes in the trendy blue color. The charging case and the C-bridge, which links the two parts of the buds, feature a micro moulding plastic material for a trendy denim-like look. The actual earpiece that sits on top of your ear canal gets the glossy treatment just like the bean that goes behind your ear helix.
Huawei FreeClip 2 and their charging case
The retail box is pretty barebones, and only includes the buds and their case as well as a manual and warranty leaflet. The buds are IP57 rated, which protects them against water splashes and dust, while the case is only IP54 rated.
Features
FreeClip 2 pair over Bluetooth 6.0 and feature a wide array of sensors including infrared, gyroscope and accelerometer. There are 6 microphones spread across the two earbuds with dedicated call noise cancellation.
You get standard touch controls, which can register taps almost anywhere on the buds. You can tap the bean part of the buds that sits behind your ears, the C-bridge or the driver unit – they all work. There are double and triple tap gestures as well as tap and hold gestures and swipes. You can reprogram them via the Huawei AI Life app, available on Android, iOS and Harmony OS.
Huawei also added head controls like on the FreeBuds 7i that allow you to answer or reject calls by nodding or shaking your head. It’s just as gimmicky here as it was on the FreeBuds 7i, but it’s still a nice option to have if you can’t use the touch gestures.
For some reason, our review unit could not simultaneously connect to my iPhone 17 Pro and MacBook Pro 14, but the FreeClip 2 does support multi-point pairing on other platforms. In terms of connectivity, we had no issues. Pairing was fast, and the connection strength was good enough.
Sound quality
FreeClip 2 are equipped with 10.8 mm dual-diaphragm drivers alongside Huawei’s third-generation audio chip and a dedicated NPU AI processor, which allows for adaptive volume and voice enhancements.
Huawei claims up to 100% stronger volume and air displacement compared to their predecessors. And while marketing claims can only get you so far, the FreeClip 2 actually exceeded our expectations from the very start.
The default sound profile offers warm audio with impressive detail and clarity across the mids and treble. There’s clear instrument separation and even potent levels of bass here, which is surprising on a pair of open earbuds.
While a regular pair of in-ear earbuds like the FreeBuds 7i will give you more detailed audio and better bass, the FreeClip 2 provide an immersive audio listening experience without feeling like you’re sitting in an isolated space.
This goes hand-in-hand with the excellent spatial awareness feature, which is a given with open earbuds.
FreeClip 2 offer four default EQ profiles as well as a custom EQ option with a 10-band equalizer inside the AI Life app. We enjoyed our time with the Elevate preset but you’re free to tweak the output to your desire.
Call quality was about what you’d expect from a pair of open earbuds. They perform great in quieter environments, but struggle with noisier areas with more instances of background noise.
Battery life
Huawei claims the FreeClip 2 can last up to 9 hours of playtime and 38 hours of total battery life. In our testing, we got closer to 8 hours and 30 minutes of use before needing to recharge.
When you do need to recharge, you can do so via the USB-C port on the case. This approach takes about an hour to fill up the buds and case from 0 to 100%. You also have the option to go the wireless route at up to 3W speeds, but this approach takes over 2.5 hours for a full charge.
Verdict
As it stands, the Huawei FreeClip 2 are arguably the best open earbuds we’ve tested to date. From their compact and lightweight design, class-leading comfort and audio that punches above what you’d expect from open earbuds, these peculiar-looking part earrings, part earbuds are a testament to how the OWS market is evolving.
It wasn’t that long ago that open earbuds were relegated to being good only for jogs, with audio quality playing second fiddle to spatial awareness. The FreeClip 2 are a prime example that you can get good audio quality without stuffing silicone tips inside your ears.
Huawei managed to bring impressive amounts of bass while also offering ample battery endurance and the option to tweak the EQ to your liking. We also loved the ambidextrous approach, which does not differentiate between the left and right earbuds.
With all of that said, we would like to see improved microphone performance from future iterations and while we enjoyed our time with the FreeClip 2, their polarizing design is certainly not for everyone.
Huawei’s asking price is up there with some of the flagship in-ear buds, which offer active noise cancellation (ANC) and better microphone performance. But if you value all-day comfort with good sound quality and don’t rely on ANC, then the FreeClip 2 are a worthy consideration.
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