True Wireless
Huawei FreeBuds Neo
85Outstanding
$110
Full review dataHuawei FreeBuds Neo vs Nothing Ear (a): which should you buy?
On aggregated review scores the Huawei FreeBuds Neo comes out ahead with a HearWiki score of 85. The full breakdown - sub-scores, specs and what reviewers actually said - is below.
Our pick: Huawei FreeBuds Neo - Outstanding overall at around $109.
True Wireless
Nothing Ear (a)
79Great
$80
Full review dataScore breakdown
Each axis is a 0–10 blend of what reviewers scored, not a lab measurement.
Huawei FreeBuds Neo leads on 4 of 7 measures.
- Huawei FreeBuds Neo
- Nothing Ear (a)
HearWiki score
85
79
Sound
8.0
8.0
Noise cancelling
8.0
6.2
Battery
8.0
7.7
Calls
8.0
7.5
Value
9.0
9.7
Price (USD)
$110
$80
Generation & platform
The scores rank quality. This is the other question: is the newer one actually newer technology, or the same platform in a new shell?
Half a step newer
Huawei FreeBuds Neo (2026) against Nothing Ear (a) (2024). The Huawei FreeBuds Neo edges ahead on platform, but only just: ANC type Adaptive against Hybrid. It also adds Water resistance IP55 against IP54.
- FreeBuds Neo20262 yr newer
- Ear (a)2024
What differsFreeBuds NeoEar (a)
- ANC type
- Adaptive
- Hybrid
- Water resistance
- IP55
- IP54
Platform
Everyday features
Level on: Top codec, Transparency mode, Custom EQ, Companion app.
Specifications
FreeBuds NeoEar (a)
- Type
- True Wireless
- True Wireless
- Price (USD)
- $110
- $80
- HearWiki score
- 85
- 79
- Released
- 2026
- 2024
- Availability
- Sold new
- Still sold new
- Driver
- dynamic
- 11 mm dynamic
- Driver type
- dynamic
- dynamic
- Driver size
- -
- 11 mm
- Drivers per side
- -
- 1
- Frequency response
- 10 Hz - 48 kHz
- 20 Hz - 20 kHz
- Impedance
- -
- 32 Ω
- Bluetooth
- -
- 5.3
- Codecs
- LDAC
- SBC, AAC, LDAC
- Multipoint pairing
- -
- Yes
- Wireless range
- -
- 10 m
- Battery life
- 10 h
- 9.5 h
- Battery life (ANC on)
- 6.5 h
- 5.5 h
- Battery incl. case
- 40 h
- 42.5 h
- Quick charge
- -
- 10 min → 10 h
- Wireless charging
- -
- No
- Active noise cancelling
- Yes
- Yes
- ANC type
- adaptive
- hybrid
- Transparency mode
- Yes
- Yes
- Companion app
- Yes
- Yes
- Custom EQ
- Yes
- Yes
- Wear detection
- -
- Yes
- Controls
- touch
- touch
- Weight
- 4.8 g
- 4.8 g
- Case weight
- -
- 39.6 g
- Water resistance
- IP55
- IP54
- USB-C
- -
- Yes
- Microphones
- 4
- -
What reviewers said
Huawei FreeBuds Neo
The Huawei FreeBuds Neo are lightweight, comfortable true wireless earbuds with adaptive active noise cancellation and a robust feature set for their price. They offer solid call quality, a lively sound signature, and practical extras like transparency mode and app support, making them a versatile mid-range option for travel and daily use.
- Pro:Comfortable and lightweight fit
- Pro:Effective adaptive ANC
- Pro:Good call quality with 4 mics
- Con:Battery life with ANC is modest
- Con:May not satisfy audiophiles seeking specialized tuning
- Con:Touch controls may require adjustment
Nothing Ear (a)
The Nothing Ear (a) delivers a warm, immersive sound signature wrapped in a distinctive design, making it a strong contender in the budget true wireless segment. It offers impressive battery life, comfortable fit, and solid hybrid ANC for the price, though its touch controls can be finicky and Android multipoint connectivity may occasionally stutter.
- Pro:Warm, engaging sound with good bass presence
- Pro:Exceptional battery life, especially with the case
- Pro:Solid hybrid ANC and clear call quality for the price
- Con:Touch controls can be unreliable and require practice
- Con:Multipoint connection issues on some Android devices
- Con:Charging case lacks wireless charging support
Summaries are AI-condensed and paraphrased from published reviews and specs - not original hands-on testing. More on our method.
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