TECH REVIEW – I spent the past week testing out Huawei’s surprisingly affordable new open-fit earbuds. The FreeArc is a lightweight, ear-hook-style pair that shines when paired with Android phones, and it’s built for all-day comfort, casual workouts, and phone calls on the go. The sound is decent, the battery life solid, and as long as you’re not battling street-level noise, it holds its own surprisingly well.

In 2025, true wireless earbuds are still everywhere—and the open-fit design trend continues to grow. Forget silicone tips jammed into your ears or massive domes cradling your ear canal; this is a third way: clip-on hooks that sit just outside the canal and beam the sound in from a distance.

The benefit? You stay connected to the outside world. Whether you’re jogging, biking, or just walking through town, you don’t feel shut off. And for those stuck at a desk all day on video calls, the FreeArc offers real comfort—no pressure on the ear, no soreness, just easy wear for hours at a time.

The latest open-style earbuds I’ve been using are the Huawei FreeArc, and they’ve proven to be a reliable set of audio companions. Whether it’s music, podcasts, or Zoom calls, they kept up without complaint. They’re not dirt-cheap, but compared to the Shokz OpenFit Air (around $120), the FreeArc—at roughly $110—delivers enough to make it a contender if all-day wear and a featherweight fit top your list.

Lightweight Feel, Old-School Vibes

You can get the FreeArc in black, bright green, or white. I went with the black version, which leans into a clean, low-key aesthetic—almost like a throwback to those single-ear Bluetooth headsets from the early 2000s. The rubberized hook flexes to hug the shape of your ear and stays comfortable even after hours of wear. It never budged while running; it felt like it belonged there.

Getting the angle just right takes a bit of fiddling, but according to Huawei, the material gradually conforms to your ear shape, ensuring a snug fit over time. The matte finish on the outer shell features a subtle Huawei logo, and both buds have responsive touch panels that let you control music playback, volume, and track skipping with taps or swipes. The gestures worked flawlessly, even during a jog, and I never had issues with accidental touches from glasses, hair, or a beanie.

Streaming music from Spotify and other platforms sounded perfectly fine. I tested it with an iPhone 16 and a Samsung Galaxy S25, and in a quiet room, the volume at just 50% was already plenty. Sound signature is relatively flat, and while you won’t get layered frequencies or dramatic spatial audio, it’s balanced enough for casual listening. Of course, open design means some sound does leak—expect those near you to catch a little twinkle of your playlist now and then.

App Support: Great on Android, Bare Minimum on iOS

The Huawei AI Life app on Android lets you tweak touch controls and tune the EQ with presets or your own profile. On Huawei phones, you’ll find it in the AppGallery; on other Androids, you’ll need to sideload it via Huawei’s official site. No surprises here—Play Store support is still a no-go for Huawei gear.

The iOS version of the app is available in the Apple App Store, but it’s limited to firmware updates—no custom controls, no EQ, no frills. That makes the FreeArc a plug-and-play device on iPhones, with zero customization options. Still, for the price, that’s not a dealbreaker—it’s just a reminder that this is a mostly Android-friendly piece of tech.

Huawei claims noise reduction, but let’s be real—this isn’t ANC in the traditional sense. Open-fit earbuds physically can’t block out ambient noise. Instead, the FreeArc attempts to filter out distractions like wind or traffic so your music or calls remain audible in semi-loud environments.

On the London Underground, I had to pause my podcast because the train noise simply drowned it out. But for outdoor running, it held up well: wind noise was toned down enough to keep the music flowing smoothly.

Battery Life That Keeps Pace

Battery performance is right where it should be. You get about 7 hours of continuous use on a single charge, and the case provides up to 28 hours total. I used them daily for a week straight and only had to plug them in once—no complaints there.

The case itself is a bit bulky, but that’s the trade-off when you’re dealing with full ear hooks. Charging is done via USB-C, but don’t expect a cable in the box. IP57 water and dust resistance is a welcome addition, especially for workouts or commutes. You can also connect to two devices simultaneously—like your phone and laptop—and switch seamlessly just by pausing one and playing on the other.

When the Mic Lets You Down

If there’s one major letdown, it’s call quality. During phone and WhatsApp calls, multiple people told me I sounded robotic and muffled, and to be fair, I thought the same of them. If you need your earbuds to double as a crisp business-call tool, this won’t cut it.

If you want top-tier sound with active noise cancellation and Hi-Res support, look elsewhere. But the Huawei FreeArc doesn’t pretend to be anything more than what it is: a lightweight, comfy, open-earbud that gets the job done for Android users—at around $110.

-Gergely Herpai “BadSector”-