Huawei’s FreeBuds Pro 5 Are The Best AirPods Pro Alternative

Huawei’s FreeBuds Pro 5 might not topple the AirPods Pro crown, but they come closer than any rival yet. The flagship wireless earbuds from the Chinese tech giant deliver excellent battery life and audio quality, though their active noise cancellation (ANC) is merely good—not great—according to an early Forbes review.

The FreeBuds Pro 5 land in a market where Apple’s AirPods Pro have dominated for years, commanding premium pricing and ecosystem lock-in. Huawei, constrained by U.S. sanctions that limit its access to Google services and advanced chips, has nonetheless carved out a loyal following in Asia and Europe for its audio products. The new earbuds arrive in mid-2026, aiming to capture consumers who want high-end wireless audio without buying into the Apple ecosystem or paying AirPods Pro prices.

The review highlights battery life as a standout feature: users can expect well over six hours of continuous playback on a single charge, with the charging case providing multiple top-ups. Audio quality is described as excellent, with detailed mids and tight bass. However, the ANC performance, while capable of blocking low-frequency hums from engines or air conditioners, struggles with higher-pitched sounds like speech or clattering dishes. This is a deliberate trade-off: Huawei prioritizes battery life and sound signature over industry-leading noise cancellation.

Forbes’s Ben Sin, who tested the FreeBuds Pro 5, notes that they are the best AirPods Pro alternative for Android users—and even some iOS users willing to sacrifice seamless integration for better battery and sound. The earbuds support multipoint connection, LDAC and LHDC codecs for high-resolution streaming, and have an IP54 rating for dust and water resistance. Missing, however, is the spatial audio that has become almost standard among premium competitors.

Industry analysts view the FreeBuds Pro 5 as a strategic product for Huawei, which is still recovering from U.S. trade restrictions. The earbuds category requires less advanced silicon than smartphones, allowing Huawei to leverage its Kirin chips and in-house audio tuning without violating sanctions. This positions the company to maintain a foothold in consumer electronics while it tries to rebuild its phone business.

The next test for Huawei is the launch of the FreeBuds Pro 5 in Western markets, where brand trust remains low due to security concerns. Pricing is expected to undercut AirPods Pro by at least 20%, making the value proposition strong. If Huawei can improve ANC in a future firmware update or in the FreeBuds Pro 6, these could become genuine category leaders.