Huawei FreeClip 2 review: I’m still not sold on these open-fit earphones, but not because of how they sound

Introduction

Open fit wireless earbuds are having a moment right now. What started as a niche aimed firmly at fitness fans has gone mainstream, and fashionable clip-style buds are a big reason why. Huawei was the first firm to get me to wrap a set around my ears, and now it’s back with a sequel.

The FreeClip 2 iterates on the original Huawei FreeClip with a sharper design, better battery life, and upgraded audio, while most rivals still on their first attempt. And though big names like Bose and JBL are now in the mix, the FreeClip 2 also has price on its side at £179 (there won’t be any US sales, given Huawei’s standing with the current administration).

But does any of that matter if you still can’t get past the fact they look like you’re wearing hoop earrings?

Design & build: put a ring on it

Compared to a typical stem-style earphone, the FreeClip 2 looks almost extraterrestrial. Each C-shaped bud has two bulbous parts held together by a skinny, flexible bridge piece; one half sits on your ear’s concha and the other half sits behind the ear lobe.

The C-bridge does an even more convincing impression of a small hoop earring than the first-gen EarClip did, again with no piercing required. It’s a look, for sure – one I don’t think a mid-30s dad can pull off, if I’m honest. My black review unit gave the sort of vibe I’ve not tried to pull off since my teenage years.

That was also the case with the original FreeClip, but here Huawei has shrunk everything down. The buds weigh about 9% less now, and are 11% smaller. The C-bridge is also made of skin-friendly liquid silicone that’s 25% softer, and reduces pressure on your ears by a considerable amount. That should help them fit a wider range of ear sizes.

I had zero complaints about the fit, which was comfortable enough I could leave the FreeClip 2 in all day. They stayed in place even while I was exercising, and the improved IP57 water resistance meant I wasn’t concerned about being caught out by rain showers.

The charging case has been on even more of a crash diet, being significantly smaller and narrower than the original FeeClip’s pebble-like box. It still has a magnetic flip-top lid that makes it a breeze to get the earbuds out, and you don’t have to put the left and right buds back on specific sides either.

Features & battery: you’ve got the touch

It also makes no difference which bud goes in which ear; they work out which way round you’re wearing them and arranges the stereo channels accordingly. This was pretty much flawless in my testing, and was quick to react when I tried to sneakily switch them around.

The touch controls haven’t changed between generations, meaning there’s still no single tap interaction; just double- and triple-taps for playback controls. I like that these can be on any part of the earbuds, though, not just one small area. The swipe controls for volume adjustment are a bit more finicky, being contained to the part that sits behind your ear.

They can also pick up head-based gestures, like nodding to answer incoming phone calls, though the feature is switched off by default. You’ll need to install Huawei’s Audio Connect companion app, which replaces the old AI Life software used by the firm’s older audio kit. Huawei apps still aren’t available on the Google Play Store, but the firm has struck deals with Xiaomi, Oppo and Samsung to appear on their respective stores instead. Apple owners will find it in the iOS app store easily enough too. I had to follow a QR code link and install the APK file manually on my Google Pixel, which is an extra hurdle non-techies might find confusing.

It’s worth the trouble, as the app lets you bounce between paired devices (the FreeClip 2 supports two at a time thanks to Multipoint), toggle wear detection, play a sound to help track down lost earbuds, and enable the adaptive volume mode. This raises or lowers your music based on how noisy your surroundings are, which could be useful in louder environments as there’s zero passive sound isolation here.

There are also a trio of EQ presets to pick from beyond the default tune. Treble boost and Voices are self-explanatory, while Elevate puts more emphasis on mid-bass and the mid-range, without turning the low end into a muddy mess. There’s also a 10-band custom equaliser for making up to three custom profiles.

In my testing, the buds got within a couple of minutes of Huawei’s claimed nine hour runtime, besting the old pair by around an hour and giving it the edge over rivals like the Nothing Ear Open. With the case fully charged, you’re looking at almost forty hours of listening before needing to refuel, either over USB-C or wirelessly on a compatible charging pad. I liked that a ten minute charge was sufficient for another three hours of listening as well.

Sound quality: tuning up the band

Bass response used to be an Achilles’ heel for open fit earbuds, but they’ve come a long way in double quick time. The FreeClip 2’s dual-diaphragm dynamic drivers preserved a surprising amount of low end, stopping my test tracks from sounding overly weak or hollow. That was even true at modest volume levels – the sort needed for maximum situational awareness when out in public.

Sub-bass is still another story, with Pendulum’s Mercy Killing not having the punch even a simple pair of in-ears can deliver. It schools the Nothing Ear Open though, while also having a warmer tone and more volume on tap. There are clear generational gains over the first FreeClip.

The treble and high mids don’t come across as at all sharp or abrasive, even on the challenging doomy electronica of Black Wing’s If I Let Him In. Vocal clarity was a highlight. So was the lovely sense of space, which is a common theme with open fit earphones.

You are dependent on getting the positioning right: I’d sometimes find one side had a more balanced sound, because the other was sat a little off-axis to my ear. There’s also no noise reduction (cancellation being virtually impossible with open fit designs). Shokz proved how effective even some level of active reduction can be on the OpenFit Pro, whereas here I’d find tunes could be drowned out by my surroundings if they were particularly loud. On the other hand, I could have a conversation (while my music was paused) without having to take out the buds, as my ear canals were completely unobstructed.

Huawei FreeClip 2 verdict

Now that Huawei isn’t the only game in town, the FreeClip 2 had to work a little harder to stand out – but the smaller build and longer battery life are very welcome. They’re very comfortable to wear and have taken a larger step up in sound quality than I was expecting for an open design. They’re a lot cheaper than the Bose Ultra Open, too.

I personally spend too much time in loud environments and on public transport to make these my only earphones. The active noise reduction offered by Shokz’ pricier OpenFit Pro is a better middle ground, and even then I wouldn’t pick them for air travel. Huawei hasn’t done anything to change that ‘second pair’ thinking here.

Still, if you’re a fan of the distinctive clip-on styling and don’t mind the tiny bit of extra work needed to get the smartphone companion app installed, the FreeClip 2 is an example of open fit done very well.

Huawei FreeClip 2 technical specifications