Huawei FreeBuds Pro 2 Plus review: Support heart rate and temperature detection

Health monitoring is the biggest highlight of Huawei FreeBuds Pro 2+ (Huawei FreeBuds Pro Plus) – the industry’s first infrared + green light high-precision heart rate monitoring and body temperature detection functions. It also supports L2HC/LDAC codec, spatial audio, smart dynamic noise cancellation 2.0, etc.

HUAWEI FreeBuds Pro 2 Plus specs and features:

• Bluetooth 5.3 with AAC/L2HC/LDAC codec
• 4.5-6 hours playback of per charge (ANC on/off)
• Charging case can charge earbuds fully 3 times
• IP54 waterproof rating (rain and sweat resistant)
• Support multi-point connection and game mode
• 47dB deep noise cancellation
• $161 – Check latest price on AliExpress, Amazon US or other Amazon countries

Appearance Design and Comfort

The charging case still uses the cobblestone shape and feels very comfortable. There is a circular button on the right side of the charging case for pairing and reset. At the bottom is the Type-C charging port and power indicator light. The charging case is small and light, can be easily opened/closed with one hand, and can also be put into any pocket.

The earbuds adopt the highly recognizable “piano key” shape. The edge part adopts the exclusive laser engraving process to create a visual effect like gilt gold. A temperature sensor and a heart rate sensor are added on both sides of the earbuds to realize heart rate monitoring and body temperature detection functions.

Temperature sensor (left earbud) and dual-mode heart rate sensor (right earbud).

The earbuds is designed with the short-stem in-ear structure, and the wearing comfort and stability are quite good. The earbuds fit the contours of the ear, and are also very firm, and they are not easy to fall off when shaken. After actual measurement, the overall weight of Huawei FreeBuds Pro 2+ is about 64g, and the weight of a single earbud is 6.2g.

Connectivity and Control

Huawei FreeBuds Pro 2 + uses Bluetooth 5.3, support SBC, AAC, L2HC and LDAC codec, the transmission rate can reach up to 960-990 kbps, and has obtained HWA and Hi-Res Audio certification. Support multi-point connection, you can connect two bluetooth devices at the same time.

When used with the smartphone or tablet with the HarmonyOS system, Huawei FreeBuds Pro 2+ support automatic pop-up pairing mode, and the connection can be quickly completed after clicking.

When other brands of mobile phones are connected for the first time, just select “Huawei FreeBuds Pro 2+” in the bluetooth device list to quickly connect. Open the charging case for subsequent use to connect to the successfully paired bluetooth device. The earbuds is connected to the mobile phone stably within 10 meters. In an environment without obstacles, the connection will be intermittent if the distance from the mobile phone is more than 10 meters.

In the bluetooth setting, you can adjust items such as noise control, sound effects and gestures. More features include smart wear detection, health use reminder, smart game low latency, audio decoder and other settings.

The headset stem still support pinch operation, which can realize functions such as switching songs, playing/pausing, answer/hang up, and switching noise cancellation modes. The side support sliding operation to adjust the playback volume. Some gestures can be customized in the APP.

Noise Cancellation and Battery Life

Huawei FreeBuds Pro 2 + uses the triple-mic stereo array ANC system. Through the dual microphones on the outside of the earbud and the microphone on the inside, they jointly detect external noise and noise in the ear canal, achieving greater average noise cancellation depth and wider noise cancellation frequency band. According to official data, in the main living environment noise frequency band of 50Hz-3kHz, the average noise cancellation volume is 15% higher than that of HUAWEI FreeBuds Pro, and the maximum noise cancellation depth can reach 47dB.

In terms of noise cancellation mode, FreeBuds Pro 2+ supports smart dynamic noise cancellation mode, mild noise cancellation mode, balanced noise cancellation mode and deep noise cancellation mode. Smart dynamic noise cancellation 2.0 support dynamic detection of the ear canal structure and wearing status, automatically adapts to the user’s ear, and achieves exclusive noise cancellation effects. It can also intelligently identify environmental noise and automatically switch to the noise cancellation mode that matches the user’s environment.

I selected the smart dynamic noise cancellation mode for testing. For example, in offices and studios, after turning on the mild noise cancellation mode, the noise of the computer host and keyboard can be effectively eliminated. When I go outside and the noise gets louder, the earbuds switch to a deep noise cancellation mode – the noise cancellation height ramps up quickly, suppressing most noise fairly quickly.

The suppression effect of Huawei FreeBuds Pro 2+ on low and medium frequency noise is particularly obvious. When riding with headphones, even in headwind conditions, the suppression of wind noise is very effective. In most cases, no wind noise can be heard, and occasionally a little wind noise can be heard.

The earbuds have the single battery life of up to 6 hours, and the charging case can provide an additional 21 hours of battery life – the overall battery life can reach 27 hours. After turning on the ANC mode, the single battery life is about 4.5 hours.

Sound Quality and Spatial Audio

Huawei FreeBuds Pro 2+ is equipped with the super-sensing acoustic dual unit – 11mm 4-magnet dynamic unit and micro-planar tweeter. The low-frequency extension is as low as 14Hz, and the high-frequency is extended to 48kHz, which has the widest frequency response range in the TWS industry. And it is equipped with digital dual frequency division technology, so that the treble and bass units work independently in their respective frequency bands without interfering with each other.

Test song (ED sheeran’s “Shivers”): You can obviously feel the precise high frequency and low frequency restoration. The treble is bright and not harsh, and the bass is surging without dragging. The drums and cymbals in the background sound are clearly layered and highly recognizable.

In terms of spatial audio, Huawei FreeBuds Pro 2+ provides two spatial modes: head tracking and fixed sound field. And support sound theater, cinema, concert hall mode. Thanks to the Audio Vivid standard and six-axis gyro sensor, when the head tracking mode is turned on, the headset will dynamically track the head movement – reshaping the position of the sound field in real time, creating an immersive 360° spatial audio surround listening experience.

Heart Rate and Body Temperature Monitoring

Huawei FreeBuds Pro 2+ adds three temperature detection sensors, using a 3D temperature measurement architecture. Arrange a sensor at the earbud outlet, eardrum and headset stem to obtain all-round temperature data. Combined with the intelligent temperature measurement software algorithm, the earbuds can calculate and compensate according to the three-way information input from the sensor, and finally calculate the core temperature.

The test is also very simple – the first test needs to be worn for 5 minutes, and then the temperature can be measured in the HUAWEI AI Life APP. In order to give you a more intuitive comparison, I also conducted a test. The measured temperature after wearing the headset for 5 minutes was 36.6°C, and after 10 minutes it was 36.8°C. After taking off the earphones, I tested it with a temperature gun, and the temperature was 36.9°C.

On the basis of ensuring sound quality, Huawei FreeBuds Pro 2 + adds an optical heart rate sensor and an acceleration sensor to the eardrum, and creatively builds an infrared + green light dual-mode fusion monitoring architecture. Cooperating with Huawei’s self-developed heart rate fusion algorithm, it brings monitoring capabilities comparable to heart rate belts.

We can choose between continuous heart rate measurement or single heart rate measurement. The single heart rate measurement is similar to the previously shared temperature measurement logic, you need to click the measurement button in the app or pinch the right earbud to test. After the continuous heart rate measurement function is turned on, the heart rate card in the APP will be in a dynamic state, and the heart rate value will be automatically refreshed, recorded and formed into a heart rate graph, which is convenient for us to detect in real time.

In addition to the measurement function, FreeBuds Pro 2+ has an active voice broadcast function. When the heart rate is too high or too low, a reminder will be issued, and the specific gear setting can be personalized according to your own needs.

In addition, the earbuds also support high-precision monitoring mode. In the state of exercise, after turning on the high-precision detection mode, the earbuds will use green LED lights with strong anti-interference to measure heart rate – which will be more accurate. In a resting state, the earbuds will use infrared to measure heart rate, and there is no feeling in the detection process.

Conclusion

Huawei Freebuds Pro 2+ has a good appearance and is the industry’s first TWS earbuds that supports infrared and green light high-precision heart rate monitoring. With good sound quality, it has obtained HWA and Hi-Res Audio Wireless certification. Its noise cancellation ability is very strong, and it has many functions. Overall, it’s a good-looking, easy-to-use, and good-sounding wireless earbuds.

Check Huawei Freebuds Pro 2 Plus price:

• Check latest price on AliExpress
• Check latest price on Amazon US
• Check latest price on other Amazon countries