HUAWEI FreeBuds SE 4 ANC Review

Finding reliable ANC earbuds under PHP 2,000 can be a little bit difficult; Most budget models compromise on either sound quality, comfort, or battery life. 

That’s where the HUAWEI FreeBuds SE 4 ANC comes in, offering premium features like up to 50dB active noise cancellation, 50-hours of battery life, and lightweight comfort at a price that won’t break the bank. 

Are these really the best entry-level ANC earbuds today? Let’s find out.

Design and Construction

Out of the box we get one of the most understated designs from the FreeBuds series yet.

Available in either black or white, we get a sleek rounded charging case, where the buds themselves are neatly kept. The buds’ stemmed-design screams Airpods but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

People can call it Airpods-clones all they want, but maybe that’s because Apple comes up with some of the most vanilla designs almost any consumer tech manufacturer can copy in the first place.

So yes, these Freebuds SE 4 ANC’s do look alike with other truly-wireless earphones out there, whether they’re a little or a lot more expensive. Either way, they definitely look clean.

For durability, it’s IP54 dust and water-resistant rated and has passed 26 durability tests with SGS certification, making it a reliable choice for sweaty workouts, commutes, and everyday use. And yes, that includes light rain too.

Comfort and Fit

Each earbud weighs just 4.3 grams, which is lighter than an A4 sized sheet of paper. 

HUAWEI mentioned that its ergonomic design was developed based on over 10,000 ear canal samples, and with three sizes of silicone tips included, getting a secure fit is straightforward.

Even after long listening sessions, whether for study, gaming, workouts or commutes, the earbuds stay comfortable, especially with the right sized ear tips. 

Controls are also intuitive: we can double-tap to play/pause media and answer calls with either bud, triple-tap for skipping tracks, tap and hold for changing Noise control modes. 

Additionally, we can easily customize what each gesture does within the companion app, for example when triple-tapping, we can set the left bud to skip to the previous track since both are set to “next track” by default.

For tap and hold, we have the option to set it to volume adjustment or waking up our phone’s virtual assistant.

Noise Cancellation and Call Quality

The biggest highlight here is the active noise cancelling performance for its price. The FreeBuds SE 4 has some nice ANC quality which can cancel up to 50dB of noise. Basically, everyday noises like traffic, office chatter, and general ambient sounds.

It even comes with four ANC modes: Dynamic, Ultra, General, and Cozy. (Which we can choose and set with the HUAWEI AI Life app for Android and HUAWEI Audio for iOS.) There’s also Awareness mode for when ANC becomes fatiguing or even just an option to keep them off, if users find the passive seal good enough.

Awareness mode is great for using them while on the streets, because the mics pick-up and let in the ambient sounds around you, so in this case, traffic that might run you over.

So, whether we’re commuting, studying in a noisy café, or working in a busy office, the earbuds significantly reduce background noise. 

Call quality also benefits from ANC, thanks to its triple-mic noise cancellation with wind resistance. Which means, voices remain clear, and wind noise is kept in check, even when we’re out for a quick jog.

Listen to our samples. 

Battery and Charging

One of the strongest selling points here is its battery life. 

We get 10 hours of playback on a single charge with ANC off, and up to a massive 50 hours with the charging case. Which means even if we listen to music 7 hours a day, we won’t need to charge for a whole week!

Furthermore, the FreeBuds SE 4 also sports fast charging. Just a 10-minute charge can give us 4 hours of playback, which is great if we’re about to head out and our earbuds are drained. All we would need is the case plus some sort of charger, whether that’s a power bank or PD car charger.

Connectivity

The FreeBuds SE 4 ANC utilizes Bluetooth 5.4 for stable, low-latency connections and is compatible across iOS, Android, HarmonyOS, Windows, and macOS.

So, as long as your device has bluetooth, it should just work.

Conclusion

Overall, with its up to 50dB ANC, clear wireless call quality, comfortable fit, and an incredible 50-hour battery life, the HUAWEI FreeBuds SE 4 ANC sets a new standard for budget-friendly wireless earbuds.

Available in the Philippines from official HUAWEI outlets for PHP 1,999 (cheaper with promos or vouchers), it’s hard to find another pair of earbuds that competes on both features and brand trust. I mean, HUAWEI has been in the business for a long time at this point. So in this case, a renowned brand equates to quality earbuds!

This makes it an ideal choice for anyone looking for a new pair of truly wireless earbuds, especially those who want quality ANC built into them, and don’t want to fork out more than PHP 2K.

HUAWEI’s reputation in audio and ecosystem integration only adds to the value, making these earbuds tough to beat at this price point. 

What we LIKED:

• Affordability
• ANC
• Build

What we Liked LESS:

• Mic quality

HUAWEI FreeBuds SE 4 ANC specs:
10 mm dynamic driver
Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) with modes (General / Cozy / Ultra)
Bluetooth 5.4
Battery:
• Earbud: 41 mAh
• Charging case: 510 mAh
Battery life (earbuds + case combined):
• With ANC on: ~35 hours
• With ANC off: ~50 hours
Earbud-only playback:
• ANC on: ~7 hours
• ANC off: ~10 hours
USB Type-C
IP54 (dust and splash resistance)
Supported audio codecs: SBC, AAC, mSBC
Dimensions: 32.3 × 21.3 × 24.0 mm (earbud) / 46.5 × 61.8 × 24.7 mm (charging case)
Weight: 4.3 g per earbud / 36 g with case
Colors: Black, White