Why the Huawei FreeArc headphones won’t become my favoured running companion
The best technology works intuitively and reliably. It’s what I was hoping for with the new Huawei Free Arc headphones. But I’m afraid this open-ear model falls short of my expectations.
Open-ear headphones have carved out a niche for themselves among sports devices. They allow you to listen to music while jogging, cycling or working out in the gym and be aware of your surroundings.
They achieve this through their design: the mini speakers dangle loosely over your ear canal and – unlike earbuds – don’t block it. Your ears remain open to birdsong, the sounds of a stream, approaching cyclists and even traffic noise.
This improves safety, and it’s why I’ve been wearing open-ear headphones almost exclusively during outdoor sports for some time now. A whole range of brands now offer this type of music and voice delivery. As the sound quality of open-ear headphones has improved with almost every new model, I was excited to see the new FreeArc headphones from Huawei.
Good finish and very comfortable to wear, most of the time
The Huawei FreeArcs look well made and solid. At 8.9 grammes per headphone, they’re also fairly light. Not light as a feather mind you, like the Freeclip from Huawei, which my colleague Jan Johannsen tested. The band is very flexible, so the headphones fit your ear perfectly. Although the FreeArc are larger than earbuds, they’re still more discreet than the Shokz Open Run Pro 2, for example. Those are connected to each other via an eye-catching bracket at the back of the neck.
The Huawei headphones are available in black, beige and a spring-like light green.
I have very sensitive ears, but the FreeArcs didn’t bother me at all, even on longer runs. They’re much more comfortable than classic in-ears, which I have to take out after an hour at the latest due to pinching, no matter how much soft silicone surrounds the bud.
Comfort is one thing, a secure fit is another. This is where the Huawei open-ears really score. Nothing wobbles or slips when jogging or cycling. I even wore the headphones during a high-intensity trampoline session. Even as I jumped wildly, they stayed in place. Wonderful.
But… after so much praise, there had to be a but. On colder days, when I wore a headband or hat, the FreeArcs did pinch. They also aren’t ideal for long-haired users. My headphones landed on the floor several times as I brushed my hair behind my ear and unintentionally levered out the band.
The touch controls aren’t great
Yeah, I know. Most open-ear headphones rely on touch controls. I have no idea why. During physical activity, they’re imprecise and cumbersome. The gestures are simple enough: swipe up or down to adjust the volume, tap twice to pause or answer a call and tap three times to reject a call or skip the current song.
This works perfectly when standing or in everyday life. But when I’m jogging, jumping or otherwise moving fast, I can’t touch the headphones precisely enough. I need three attempts to adjust the volume. And answering a phone call doesn’t work at all. Pity.
On the other hand, the headphones often react if I happen to touch them to brush back a strand of hair or adjust them slightly.
To be honest, I don’t understand why the touch controls are necessary and why there aren’t just simple buttons too. Like on sports watches. With most of those, you can choose between a touchscreen and buttons. I want to do the same on headphones. In short – put buttons on my headphones!
Balanced sound and full basses
While the operation leaves some of my wishes unfulfilled, I like the sound. «I’ve got no roots» by Alice Merton thrilled me with decently full basses. The mids and highs are also clear. I listened to various genres from rock and pop to reggae and hip-hop for testing. During longer runs at a lower intensity, I listened to audiobooks and podcasts – all speech sounded natural. Overall, the sound is balanced and the full sound experience is good – given these are open-ear headphones that provide the soundtrack to your workout while allowing ambient noise to pass through. They don’t quite come close to the sound of earbuds.
If you want to boost the bass or take the edge off the treble, you can do so using the equaliser in the app. I’ve been listening in the standard settings so far.
The whole point of open-ear headphones is that you’ll be aware of your surroundings. As a result, loud street noises or strong winds might drown out sound. To a certain extent, you can compensate for this by adjusting the volume. But on a busy road, you might miss a crucial part of your audiobook.
Phone calls are a bit better. Thanks to the noise cancellation in the microphone, I was, according to my conversation partner, easy to understand when I called him during a windy training session.
Battery life, connectivity and suitability outdoors
According to the manufacturer, the battery lasts seven hours for music and five hours for phone calls. With the charging case, this jumps to 28 and 20 hours respectively. Since I never go for that long while jogging, I’ve never fully exhausted the battery. But with the case, I was able to use the headphones for a week without intermediate charging.
I like the quick-charging function. Ten minutes in the case provides three hours of music. However, the case can only be charged via USB-C. Wireless charging isn’t available for these headphones.
The headphones use Bluetooth 5.2. The connection works smoothly, and thanks to multipoint pairing, I can use the headphones in the office with my laptop and take calls on my iPhone or go jogging without having to reconnect.
I only had problems with the volume a few times after switching from the iPad to the iPhone. The sound was unpleasantly loud and couldn’t be turned down even with touch controls. To be precise, it went from very loud to silent with the swipe of a finger. Only when I reconnected did everything work as it should. I encountered this bug several times, but couldn’t find anyone else across discussion forums who had similar problems.
The FreeArcs have an IP57 rating, so they’re protected against sweat, rain, splash water and dust. They’re definitely suitable for outdoor adventures. I’ve run in the rain several times and can confirm that splashes of water don’t harm the headphones.
In a nutshell
Solid open-ear headphones with good sound, but hard to operate
There’s a lot I like about the Huawei FreeArc headphones, but there are a few things that bother me. They fit great and the sound quality’s impressive too. If you’re looking for open-ear headphones suitable for everyday use and occasional sports, they’re a good choice.
However, anyone looking for pure open-ear sports headphones may be better served by other models with a neckband and control buttons. I don’t think the touch controls are precise enough for sports. And for users with long hair, the FreeArcs with their ear hook and touch operation will only be suitable to a limited extent.
Pro
- Good sound with rich bass
- Suitable for outdoor use thanks to IP57 rating
- Great support for jogging and intensive training
- Comfortable, stay in place without pinching
- Lightweight
Contra
- Touch controls fiddly during intensive activity
- Not ideal under hats and headbands
- Tricky with long hair
Header image: Siri Schubert
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Siri Schubert
Senior Editor
Siri.Schubert@digitecgalaxus.chResearch diver, outdoor guide and SUP instructor – I love being in, on and around water. Lakes, rivers and the ocean are my playgrounds. For a change of perspective, I look at the world from above while trail running or flying drones.
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