Huawei has launched the FreeBuds SE 5 Max, a budget pair of earbuds that adds LDAC, connection to two devices at once and a much bigger battery than last year’s FreeBuds SE 4 ANC. In Japan they cost ¥8,580 including tax.
The headline figure is 80 hours of music with the charging case, up from 50 hours on the older model. That number is for noise cancelling switched off. Turn it on and the rating drops to 57 hours with the case, or 7 hours from the earbuds alone. Quick charging is listed too: 10 minutes for up to 4 hours of music.
The numbers are Huawei’s own lab results, and its global specification page notes the test phone was a Mate 80 Pro. Huawei says results vary with volume, audio source and settings.
Noise cancelling is rated at up to 52dB and comes in four modes: Ultra, Standard, Relaxed and Dynamic, which adjusts itself to the noise around you. There is also a transparency mode. The earbuds use roughly 10mm dynamic drivers, and the Huawei Audio Connect app offers four sound presets and a 10-band equaliser.
LDAC is new to this line. Huawei’s Japanese press release says it can carry up to 990kbps, about three times the data of standard Bluetooth audio, though that needs a phone that supports LDAC. Most recent Android phones do; iPhones do not, so they fall back to AAC.
The earbuds also support Bluetooth 6.0 and can stay connected to two devices at once, for example a laptop and a phone. Each earbud weighs about 4.3g and has three microphones for calls. The earbuds are rated IP55 for dust and water, but the charging case is not. Controls are touch-based: double-tap to play or pause, triple-tap to skip and touch-and-hold to switch noise cancelling modes.
For comparison, the FreeBuds SE 4 ANC it replaces was rated for 50 hours with its case, and did not support LDAC or connection to two devices at once, according to Huawei’s Japanese release. The Audio Connect app also lets you remap the taps and update firmware.
The case has a translucent lid and a matte body, and comes in white, black and a pearly blue. Silicone tips ship in S, M and L.
In Japan the white version went on sale on 6 November at electronics chains and online stores. Black and blue open for pre-order and ship on 20 November. Huawei also lists the model on its UK and German sites.
