Huawei lifts the veil on the FreeBuds SE 5 Max, new True Wireless earbuds with an in-ear design replacing the previous SE 4 ANC. Designed for everyday use, they feature active noise reduction technology (ANC) reaching 52 dB, the high-resolution LDAC codec, and promise a monumental battery life of 80 hours thanks to a charging case beefed up to 920 mAh.
Announced a few days ago by the Asian firm, the Huawei FreeBuds SE 5 Max position themselves as a versatile and affordable listening solution. Combining exceptional stamina, multimode noise reduction and superior sound reproduction, they aim to deliver a smooth experience, whether for daily commutes, work sessions or entertainment. Proof of the enthusiasm generated by this entry-level line, the FreeBuds SE family has already surpassed the 30 million units shipped worldwide.
Huawei FreeBuds SE 5 Max, semi-transparent design and IP55 certification
The Huawei FreeBuds SE 5 Max stand out with their semi-transparent charging case, available in three colors: a white model with a glossy finish, a blue model combining a pearly frosted texture with ultra-fine mica, and a black model with a matte metallic finish. Weighing in at around 4.3 g per earbud, the FreeBuds SE 5 Max ensure a secure and comfortable fit. Designed using a simulation platform leveraging more than 10,000 ear profiles, they are the lightest in-ear active noise-canceling earbuds in Huawei's catalog. Good news for athletes, they benefit from IP55 certification (versus IP54 on the previous generation), guaranteeing resistance to dust and splashes, although the charging case itself remains unprotected.
Huawei FreeBuds SE 5 Max: record battery life, the secret of the case
On the endurance front, these newcomers impress with up to 80 hours of music playback in total. This major improvement (the previous model topped out at 50 hours) is explained by the integration of a 920 mAh battery in the case, up from 510 mAh before. The earbuds retaining their 41 mAh cell, their own battery life remains 10 hours (ANC off) or 7 hours once ANC is activated. Note that these manufacturer measurements were taken with the standard AAC codec at 50% volume. Very practical, a quick 10-minute charge is enough to recover up to 4 hours of playback.
Huawei FreeBuds SE 5 Max, multimode noise reduction in clear progress
In noisy environments, the Huawei FreeBuds SE 5 Max deploy multimode active noise reduction with a maximum attenuation announced at 52 decibels (a significant leap compared with the 24 dB of the SE 4 ANC). Ultra mode is suited to particularly noisy commutes, General mode to shopping centers, and Comfort mode to quiet spaces. New to this range, a Dynamic mode now automatically adjusts the level of reduction according to ambient noise. For calls, a three-microphone system backed by artificial intelligence effectively isolates the user's voice.
Huawei FreeBuds SE 5 Max, : LDAC codec, Bluetooth 6.0 and compatibility
On the acoustic engineering side, the earbuds rely on a 10 mm dynamic driver and support the LDAC codec for high-resolution sound (bitrate up to 990 kbps). However, to take advantage of this codec and its enhanced audio data, a compatible Android smartphone is required (iPhone owners will remain limited to AAC). Finally, Bluetooth 6.0 connectivity allows easy switching between devices running iOS, Android, Emui or HarmonyOS via the Huawei Audio Connect app. The "low latency" mode optimized for video gaming remains, for its part, the preserve of Huawei devices running Emui 10 or HarmonyOS 2.
Immediate availability. Suggested retail price: 79.99 euros.
Reminder of the key features of the Huawei FreeBuds SE 5 Max:
• Type: True Wireless in-ear earbuds
• Speaker: 10 mm dynamic driver
• Connectivity: Bluetooth 6.0
• Supported codecs: SBC, AAC, LDAC (requires a compatible Android device)
• Active noise cancellation: yes (dynamic multimode ANC up to 52 dB)
• Earbud battery life: up to 10 h without ANC, 7 h with ANC (AAC measurements)
• Total battery life (with case): up to 80 h
• Battery: 41 mAh (per earbud), 920 mAh (case)
• Fast charging: 4 h of listening recovered in 10 minutes
• Weight: approx. 4.3 g per earbud
• Certification: IP55 for the earbuds (resistance to dust and water splashes)
