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Headphones or jewellery? These earbuds are both
by Laura Scholz
Freeclip 2 review: Huawei’s improved multiple details
19/1/2026
Translation: Megan Cornish
Pictures: Jan Johannsen
From making it lighter to ensuring a longer battery life and adding new features, Huawei’s improved an incredible number of details in the Freeclip 2 compared to its predecessors.
The volume adjusts automatically, gesture controls now include swiping and the battery life’s been extended. And the Huawei Freeclip 2 headphones are even lighter. The open-ear headphones are less tricky to wear with glasses, and the manufacturer’s made them into jewellery.
Comfortable open-ear headphones: glasses yes, hat no
Unlike in-ear headphones, open-ear headphones such as the Freeclip 2 don’t sit in the ear canal. Instead, a small speaker, which Huawei calls the Acoustic Ball, hangs in front of the ear. This means you can still hear your surroundings, which can be great or completely annoying depending on the situation and your personal preference.
A lot of open-ear headphones sit over the ear. This isn’t always ideal for glasses wearers, as they can get in each other’s way. The Freeclip 2 makes this much less likely. While they also have a clip that clamps behind the ear, they hang in the middle of the ear.
And they stay surprisingly firm and securely in place, even while running or during quick, sudden movements. Things get more problematic if you wear a hat because of the cold. The hat presses on the earbuds, making them more noticeable and less comfortable. Plus, a hat slightly shifts their position. If the Acoustic Ball’s no longer exactly in front of the ear, the sound quality deteriorates significantly.
Lightweight headphones that automatically adjust volume
Compared to their predecessors, the Freeclip 2 are 0.5 grammes lighter, weighing in at 5.1 grammes per earbud. The charging case is even more compact and 6.7 grammes lighter, bringing the total weight to 37.8 grammes. With an IP57 rating, the Freeclip 2’s now protected against dust and temporary immersion in water. The first generation was only splash-proof with an IP54 rating.
Despite the lighter weight, there’s now more battery capacity. The earbuds now offer 60 mAh each – an increase of 5 mAh. The charging case’s capacity has also increased by 27 mAh to 537 mAh. This results in a battery life of approximately nine hours for the earbuds at 50 per cent volume and 38 hours with charging in the case. That’s one or two hours more than its predecessors. A ten-minute charge should provide three hours of use.
Speaking of volume, the Freeclip 2 earbuds can automatically adjust it. All you need to do is activate adaptive volume in the Huawei Audio Connect app under Experimental Features. As the name suggests, Huawei doesn’t yet consider the feature complete. However, it already works well. As soon as the ambient noise level increases or decreases for more than a few seconds – a toilet flushing, for example – the Freeclip 2 adjust the volume. The change isn’t abrupt – it’s gradual without getting too loud. That’s fine when listening to music at higher volumes. However, it’s not enough to reliably hear all of podcasts or audiobooks. This is a fundamental problem with the OpenEar concept, which is designed so that you can hear your surroundings.
During phone calls, AI’s supposed to improve noise cancellation. The person you’re speaking to should be able to hear you better. However, it’s subtle, as I’ve been told during phone calls. Huawei seems to be aware of this and recommends testing the feature while cycling at 15 km/h – i.e., at a leisurely pace – and only with short sentences.
Swipe to adjust volume
Huawei’s expanded the Freeclip 2’s controls to include swipe gestures. The headphones recognise when you swipe up or down across them. By default, they then adjust the volume. The headphones also recognise double and triple taps. Somewhat confusingly, it doesn’t really matter where you touch them. However, the ear hook only responds to taps, not swipes. Swiping only works on the Acoustic Ball or the «bean» behind the ear.
You can change the gesture assignments in the Huawei Audio Connect app and even accept or reject calls hands-free. All you have to do is activate Head Control in the app, then you can determine what happens to the call by nodding or shaking your head. It works surprisingly reliably.
In addition to the settings, the app also includes sound effects and an equaliser. With the sound effects, you can boost the bass, treble or vocals with a single click. However, in my testing, I prefer to stick with the default setting. It’s good, and the other profiles don’t sound as nice. If you’re not satisfied with that, you can adjust the sound to your liking by moving the sliders for each of ten frequency bands up to 13 steps.
Good sound, as long as you don’t want big bass
The diameter of the Freeclip 2’s dual-diaphragm speakers is unchanged at 10.8 millimetres. They’re supposed to offer more volume and stronger bass reproduction than their predecessor. And yes, the bass is noticeably stronger on the Freeclip 2. However, they still aren’t the headphones for you if you’re looking for booming bass. Over-ear models and even most in-ear headphones offer more noticeable bass.
I’m really happy with the reproduction of the highs and mids. They’re well-balanced and clearly separated. Vocals come through clearly, and instruments are easily distinguishable without becoming a jumbled mess. Plus, the open-ear design ensures the sound doesn’t originate inside your ear. It comes from outside, creating a more spacious feel.
Despite the somewhat weak bass, I really like the overall sound of the Huawei Freeclip 2. I enjoy wearing them and listening to podcasts and music with them.
Also importantly, there’s no sound leakage. The sound from the Freeclip 2 headphones is directed straight into your ear. For example, fellow passengers on a bus or train can’t hear it.
Dare to wear more bling
Even with the first generation of Freeclip headphones, I had to put up with people telling me they looked like earrings or piercings. The Freeclip 2 headphones are no different – they could easily be mistaken for jewellery.
Huawei’s going a step further and offering clip-on pendants for its headphones. As someone who doesn’t usually wear jewellery, I’m clearly not the target audience. But this is what it would look like:
In a nutshell
The second generation boasts a lot of improvements
The sound of the Freeclip 2 is unchanged and excellent, yet Huawei has managed to improve these open-ear headphones with minor adjustments. There’s more battery life, and the volume can now be adjusted directly on the earbuds. Adaptive volume is automatic as the ambient noise level changes.
If you wear glasses, the Freeclip 2’s more comfortable than over-the-ear models. They only get in the way if you’re wearing a winter hat. If you’re looking for an open-ear model and neither the piercing look nor the high price puts you off, these are a good option.
Pro
- Adaptive volume
- Extended gesture control
- Long battery life
- Good sound
- Can hear your surroundings
Contra
- Don’t sit well if you wear a hat
- Can hear your surroundings
Header image: Jan Johannsen
Jan Johannsen
Senior Editor
Jan.Johannsen@galaxus.deAs a primary school pupil, I used to sit in a friend's living room with many of my classmates to play the Super NES. Now I get my hands on the latest technology and test it for you. In recent years at Curved, Computer Bild and Netzwelt, now at Digitec and Galaxus.
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