True Wireless
Huawei FreeBuds Neo
85Outstanding
$110
Full review dataHuawei FreeBuds Neo vs Realme Buds Air 5: 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.
Score breakdown
Each axis is a 0–10 blend of what reviewers scored, not a lab measurement.
Huawei FreeBuds Neo leads on 6 of 7 measures.
- Huawei FreeBuds Neo
- Realme Buds Air 5
HearWiki score
85
69
Sound
8.0
6.7
Noise cancelling
8.0
6.4
Battery
8.0
6.2
Calls
8.0
6.4
Value
9.0
4.4
Price (USD)
$110
$81
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 Realme Buds Air 5 (2023). The Huawei FreeBuds Neo edges ahead on platform, but only just: Top codec LDAC against AAC. It also adds Water resistance IP55 against IPX5.
- FreeBuds Neo20263 yr newer
- Buds Air 52023
What differsFreeBuds NeoBuds Air 5
- Top codec
- LDAC
- AAC
- Water resistance
- IP55
- IPX5
Platform
Everyday features
Level on: ANC type, Transparency mode, Custom EQ, Companion app.
Specifications
FreeBuds NeoBuds Air 5
- Type
- True Wireless
- True Wireless
- Price (USD)
- $110
- $81
- HearWiki score
- 85
- 69
- Released
- 2026
- 2023
- Availability
- Sold new
- Still sold new
- Driver
- dynamic
- 12.4 mm dynamic
- Driver type
- dynamic
- dynamic
- Driver size
- -
- 12.4 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
- Multipoint pairing
- -
- Yes
- Wireless range
- -
- 10 m
- Battery life
- 10 h
- 7 h
- Battery life (ANC on)
- 6.5 h
- 4.5 h
- Battery incl. case
- 40 h
- 38 h
- Full charge time
- -
- 130 min
- Quick charge
- -
- 10 min → 7 h
- Wireless charging
- -
- No
- Active noise cancelling
- Yes
- Yes
- ANC type
- adaptive
- adaptive
- Transparency mode
- Yes
- Yes
- Companion app
- Yes
- Yes
- Custom EQ
- Yes
- Yes
- Wear detection
- -
- No
- Controls
- touch
- touch
- Voice assistant
- -
- Yes
- Weight
- 4.8 g
- 8.8 g
- Case weight
- -
- 36.7 g
- Water resistance
- IP55
- IPX5
- USB-C
- -
- Yes
- Microphones
- 4
- 6
- Call noise reduction
- -
- Yes
- Call NR technology
- -
- ENC
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
Realme Buds Air 5
The Realme Buds Air 5 are true wireless earbuds with adaptive active noise cancellation and a 12.4mm dynamic driver for sound. They offer Bluetooth 5.3 with multipoint connectivity, IPX5 water resistance, and a total battery life of 38 hours with the charging case. Six microphones and touch controls round out the feature set, making them a solid mid-range option.
- Pro:Adaptive ANC for dynamic noise reduction
- Pro:Long total battery life of 38 hours with case
- Pro:IPX5 water resistance for workouts and light rain
- Con:No wireless charging support
- Con:Battery life drops to 4.5 hours with ANC on
- Con:Only SBC and AAC codecs, no aptX or LDAC
Summaries are AI-condensed and paraphrased from published reviews and specs - not original hands-on testing. More on our method.
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