Huawei FreeBuds Neo review: tiny, fun earbuds only let down by the software situation

Date:
Wed, 28 Oct 2026 22:00:00 +0000

Description:
The Huawei FreeBuds Neo are lovely tiny earbuds but they also sound
energetic and aren't too expensive.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Huawei FreeBuds Neo: Two-minute review Storied Chinese company Huawei may still be struggling to win friends in the phone and tablet worlds, with its lack of access to the Play Store still making the company's hand-held products impossible to recommend, but the brand's been a surprisingly reliable maker
of admirable earbuds.

We gave the Huawei FreeBuds 5 Pro a perfect score earlier this year, and I maintain that the Huawei FreeArc are the best hook-style open earbuds I've ever tested. But now, instead of doing something better than everyone else, Huawei is doing something different. The Huawei FreeBuds Neo seem to be the result of someone thinking the AirPods Pro 3 are perfect except for being too big; the brand continues its mission of all-but imitating Apple , while slyly improving the formula. That is to say, these are wireless in-ear buds which are ice-white (note: other finishes are available) but really small. Latest Videos From TechRadar Watch full video here:

We've seen small earbuds before (see the JLab JBuds Mini for something really diddy) but they often tend to be cheap and feature-light. Not the FreeBuds Neo, which don't ask you to make compromises and are still affordable, compared to the FreeBuds 5 Pro or AirPods.

The carry case is a slender pill, which was second to none when it came to
how easy it was to slip into my pocket and forget about. The buds are light, with shortened stems which make them look truncated.

It's not all about the design. These buds sound fun and energetic, with a V-shaped sound profile that adds some zest to your music. They're not the best- sounding buds I've tested, even at the price, but only audiophiles will be let down by what you're getting.

Now for the let-down, and it's a common one for Huawei: software. You see,
the brand's app isn't on the Play Store, and you have to download it through its own app store, which you have to side-load on your phone. A complicated process which literally didn't work for me. Throughout my testing process, I couldn't access the app, and I know from past experience that this isn't an unheard-of occurrence. Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in your inbox Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more.
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Admittedly the app isn't that useful if you don't want EQ a problem in and
of itself but if features are locked behind the roll of the dice that is 'will the app download?', it's not great.

Add to that the knowledge that the battery life and ANC are both good, but
not particularly stellar and you'll see compromises but these are all more understandable when you bear in mind the small size.

Despite the setbacks, these are still the best small earbuds you can buy the best of a small bunch, if you'll pardon the pun but they might not be mighty enough to sway people who don't care all that much about the compact and oh-so-portable size of their earbuds. Huawei Freebuds Neo (White) at Amazon for 89 Huawei FreeBuds Neo review: Price and release date (Image credit: Future) Released in September 2026, sold October Goes for 119.99 / AU$290 (about AU$160) Don't get excited though; there is unlikely to be a US release The Huawei FreeBuds Neo were unveiled on September 2, 2026, ahead of a
release later in the month.

The buds cost 119.99 / AU$290 (about $160, but Huawei doesnt officially sell them in the States). So theyre about a third cheaper than the brands top
buds, including the FreeBuds Pro 5, which go for 179.99 (about $240, AU$360).

Its a smart price, for buds which feel like a Lite alternative to the Pro model, as you can consider them a streamlined pick. Huawei FreeBuds Neo review: Specs Swipe to scroll horizontally

Drivers

11mm

Active noise cancellation

Yes

Battery life

6 hours (ANC on), 9 hours (ANC off)

Weight

4.8g (buds) 31.4g (case)

Connectivity

Bluetooth 6.0

Frequency response

20-40kHz

Waterproofing

IP55 Huawei FreeBuds Neo review: Features (Image credit: Future) Significant app download problems Unimpressive 6-hour battery life ANC is fine, not great Installing Huaweis Audio Connect is a real challenge for Android users like me. Its not on the Play Store, so you have to side load the Huawei
AppGallery, and use that to download it. (If you have an iPhone, youll find Audio Connect on the App Store, easy peasy).

Not only does that mean youre downloading an unwanted app just to get to another one, but the process is fraught with difficulty. Case in point, I simply couldnt install the AppGallery onto my Samsung phone, despite trying multiple times and diving into the settings. The APK wouldnt take, and so I couldnt use Audio Connect.

Ive had troubles with the process before, and Im ready to declare the app unusable for some people. Every time I need to use it on a pair of buds, it feels like Im tossing a coin to see if itll work out this time.

If you do download it, youre offered the bare bones of such an app, including the ability to change the touch control functions, tweak ANC strength, adjust EQ, use multipoint connections and turn on spatial audio. I used the FreeBuds Neo just fine without Audio Connect, though if Id paid money for the buds, Id be irked that I wasnt getting all of these tools. (Image credit: Future) The buds have a 6-hour battery life with ANC on and 9 hours with it turned off (not 6.5 and 10 hours, as Huawei advertises loudly the small text on its website reveals that this is just for lower-quality music such as MP3s, which I really hope you dont listen to).

Using the case, you get up to 22 hours with ANC on, or 33 hours with it
turned off. Again, those stats are for higher-resolution music streaming, but you'll get more if you listen to low-res tunes. Don't do that to yourself, though.

Its not an especially competitive battery life, but in my testing, it often felt like Id eke an extra half hour or so out of the buds. And its hard to be too annoyed with the limited battery life with small buds: where would a chunkier battery pack go?

ANC isnt ground-breaking either, but its absolutely fine. I used it on
planes, trains and buses; it removed the engine rumble from the last two and lessened it on the former, but didnt do as much to silence people around me with all their unreliable or sporadic sounds. Features score: 3/5 Huawei FreeBuds Neo review: Design (Image credit: Future) Tiny 31.4g lozenge case Light short-stem buds Reliable in-ear fit The FreeBuds Neos entire pitch
rests on their design: theyre the JLab JBuds Mini meets the AirPods Pro 3. Theyre small earbuds, both in terms of the carry case and the buds
themselves.

As soon as I removed the lozenge-shaped charging case from the box, I was surprised by how small it was. Its just shy of 7cm wide and 3cm deep, and weighs just 31.4g. It disappeared into my trouser pockets enough that I kept losing them, only to discover that what I thought was a rolled tissue was in fact the charging case.

Like the earbuds, the case comes in white, black, silver or pink. The case basically just has enough space for the earbuds, along with a USB-C charging port and color-changing status indicator LED, which was useful for letting me know if the buds were at full charge. (Image credit: Future) Those earbuds dont take up much space either, because like the case, theyre minuscule. Unlike those other baby buds from JLab, the FreeBuds Neo are ostensibly stem-toting earbuds, but with the tiniest stem Ive ever seen. They look a lot like imitation AirPods Pro, but if Huawei changed its mind half-way through making the stem.

True to the pint-sized promise, the FreeBuds Neo only weigh 4.8g, and the weight isnt just useful for comfort. Tip-toting earbuds can be rather hit-or-miss when it comes to in-ear stability, but not once in my testing did the Huaweis wobble or fall.

Despite the small size, Huawei found space in the Neo to add touch controls if you can set them up in the app. The buds also have an IP55 protection, ensuring theyre safe against limited dust ingress and gentle jets of water (including rain). Design score: 4.5/5 Huawei FreeBuds Neo review: Sound quality (Image credit: Future) 11mm driver per bud. Has V-shaped sound: focus on bass and treble Supports LDAC playback on supported phones Huawei hasn't returned the FreeBuds 5 Pro's dual-driver system in the FreeBuds Neo, and I don't blame it; the whole point is for them to be nice and small.

Instead, you're getting a sole 11mm driver per bud, which acts as a jack of all trades across the audio spectrum.

Don't expect audiophile-level sound, then, but I see these being pleasing for the average listener. They offer a V-shaped sound profile, which means the bass is hearty and the treble sharp.

As is always the case with V-shaped sounds, it means that you'll sometimes find mids are lacking. For example in Mipso's Talking in My Sleep , you get lovely textured strings and vocals, and the bass is controlled and full, but it's hard to tell where the acoustic guitars begin and other instruments end. Likewise in What About Flamingos? by Lake Street Dive, you get lovely
resonant low-end and articulate treble, but only the faint hint of all the other instruments making up the composition. (Image credit: Future) Of
course, in plenty of songs, all you want is low-end and top-end. I enjoyed listening to pop and electronic music without feeling like I was missing out on anything. There's a reason this kind of sound profile is chosen by earbud manufacturers; it's a crowd-pleaser.

Perhaps a symptom of the small size or driver configuration, but I didn't
hear as prominent or pronounced a sound stage as you often do in earbuds like this. Sometimes instruments sounded a little more squished together than I'd like, but it was only an issue in songs with a complex instrumentation.

If you perked up at my earlier mention of high-res and low-res playback, in the battery section, then you'll be happy to know that the buds do support
the LDAC codec (as long as you're on Android, because iPhones somehow still don't support it). Sound quality: 4/5 Huawei FreeBuds Neo review: Value
(Image credit: Future) Cut the costs from premium alternatives Cost more than alternative small buds Is size all you care about when it comes to your earbuds? Then as a super-small option, you're likely going to find these poor value for money. Buy the JLabs the JLab JBuds Mini ANC even have noise-nixing!

For everyone else, though, these are a good get. They look like premium earbuds, they feel like premium earbuds, and they sound like them... However, they cost a fair bit less than you'd expect.

I'd happily recommend the FreeBuds Neo at their retail price. Obviously, discounts are always great, but you shouldn't wait for one before buying them if you're interested. Value: 4/5 Should I buy the Huawei FreeBuds Neo? (Image credit: Future) Swipe to scroll horizontally Huawei FreeBuds Neo score card

Attributes

Notes

Rating

Features

The battery life and ANC won't wow you, but the app problems make the
features worth ignoring.

3/5

Design

They're lovely and compact, and I never had comfort or fit issues

4.5/5

Sound quality

A charming V-shaped sound will be a crowd-pleaser, but not ideal for audiophiles.

4/5

Value

You're getting some solid ANC headphones for a smaller price.

4/5 Buy them if

You want small-form earbuds That's the main appeal of these, right? If you want something smaller than the average earbuds, these are the best ones to look at.

You want premium-feeling earbuds I kept forgetting that the Huawei cost what they do, because they feel like buds which cost 50% more.

You want a charging indicator It's a small feature, but many brands do it poorly; the Huawei's LED is great so you know as soon as your buds are charged. Dont buy them if

You're a frequent app user Always using your earbud app to tweak with settings? Fine if you're an iOS user, a bit risky if you're on Android.

You need top-tier ANC The FreeBuds Neo are fine for noise cancellation, but you can do better, and you don't need to pay that much more for it either. Huawei FreeBuds Neo review: Also consider Looking for alternative over-ears? Here are a few small-sized ones we would recommend. Swipe to scroll horizontally Header Cell - Column 0

Huawei FreeBuds Neo

JLab JBuds Mini ANC

Sony WF-C710N

Drivers

11mm

6mm

40mm

Active noise cancellation

Yes

Yes

Yes

Battery life (ANC on)

6 hours (buds) 22 hours (case)

7 hours (buds) 25 hours (case)

8.5 hours (buds) / 30 hours (case)

Weight

4.8g (buds) 31.4g (case)

3.4g (buds) 20.7g (case)

5.2g (bud) 38g (case)

Connectivity

Bluetooth 6.0

Bluetooth 6.0

Bluetooth 5.3

Waterproofing

IP55

IP55

IPX4

JLab JBuds Mini ANC These are small and, more importantly, roughly half the price of the Huawei. You won't get the same audio quality, but the even-smaller case and buds will please those who just want something tiny. Read our hands-on with the JLab JBuds Mini ANC

Sony WF-C710N Another tiny premium option comes from Sony, so you know they're good. They have fantastic ANC and sound great, but they don't support LDAC and don't have great touch controls. Read our full Sony WF-C710N review How I tested the Huawei FreeBuds Neo Tested for a month Paired with Android phone for Bluetooth playback Used on multiple holidays as well as use at home and around neighborhood. The Huawei FreeBuds Neo got the pleasure of an
entire month of use before I wrote this review, which gave me time to fully appreciate how they work.

That time included multiple holidays, so I brought the buds to various countries and tested them on flights, train journeys and coach trips. Of course, I also used them at home, at the gym, and on walks around my neighborhood.

During the testing process, the buds were connected to my Android phone. I listened primarily on Spotify and to my own music library of WAV tracks, but also conducted calls, played games and streamed lots of TV on Prime Video.

I've been reviewing tech for TechRadar since early 2019, and in that time
have tested many other pairs of earbuds, as well as countless Huawei
products. First reviewed in October 2026 Read TechRadar's reviews guarantee Huawei Freebuds Neo: Price Comparison 99.99 89 View 99.99 89.99 View 89.99 View voucher gift 119 89.99 View 119.99 View We check over 250 million products every day for the best prices powered by



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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/audio/earbuds-airpods/huawei-freebuds-neo-review


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