True Wireless
Huawei FreeBuds Neo
85Outstanding
$110
Full review dataHuawei FreeBuds Neo vs Samsung Galaxy Buds Core: 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 5 of 7 measures.
- Huawei FreeBuds Neo
- Samsung Galaxy Buds Core
HearWiki score
85
76
Sound
8.0
7.2
Noise cancelling
8.0
5.5
Battery
8.0
9.0
Calls
8.0
7.0
Value
9.0
8.8
Price (USD)
$110
$55
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?
New platform
Huawei FreeBuds Neo (2026) against Samsung Galaxy Buds Core (2025). The Huawei FreeBuds Neo is the newer platform here: Top codec LDAC against AAC and ANC type Adaptive against Hybrid. It also adds Custom EQ and Water resistance IP55 against IP54.
- FreeBuds Neo20261 yr newer
- Galaxy Buds Core2025
What differsFreeBuds NeoGalaxy Buds Core
- Top codec
- LDAC
- AAC
- ANC type
- Adaptive
- Hybrid
- Custom EQ
- Yes
- No
- Water resistance
- IP55
- IP54
Platform
Everyday features
Level on: Transparency mode, Companion app.
Specifications
FreeBuds NeoGalaxy Buds Core
- Type
- True Wireless
- True Wireless
- Price (USD)
- $110
- $55
- HearWiki score
- 85
- 76
- Released
- 2026
- 2025
- Availability
- Sold new
- Sold new
- Driver
- dynamic
- 12 mm dynamic
- Driver type
- dynamic
- dynamic
- Driver size
- -
- 12 mm
- Drivers per side
- -
- 1
- Frequency response
- 10 Hz - 48 kHz
- 20 Hz - 20 kHz
- Bluetooth
- -
- 5.4
- Codecs
- LDAC
- SBC, AAC, Samsung Scalable
- Multipoint pairing
- -
- No
- Wireless range
- -
- 10 m
- Battery life
- 10 h
- 35 h
- Battery life (ANC on)
- 6.5 h
- 20 h
- Battery incl. case
- 40 h
- -
- Quick charge
- -
- 10 min → 1 h
- Wireless charging
- -
- Yes
- Active noise cancelling
- Yes
- Yes
- ANC type
- adaptive
- hybrid
- Transparency mode
- Yes
- Yes
- Companion app
- Yes
- Yes
- Custom EQ
- Yes
- No
- Wear detection
- -
- Yes
- Controls
- touch
- touch
- Voice assistant
- -
- Yes
- Weight
- 4.8 g
- 5.3 g
- Case weight
- -
- 31.2 g
- Water resistance
- IP55
- IP54
- USB-C
- -
- Yes
- Model code
- -
- SM-R410NZKALTA
- Microphones
- 4
- 3
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
Samsung Galaxy Buds Core
The Samsung Galaxy Buds Core are an affordable pair of true wireless earbuds that bring hybrid active noise cancellation, clear call quality, and a comfortable fit. They offer a versatile sound profile with a bass-forward or balanced tuning option, plus a long total battery life with the charging case. While they lack multipoint and custom EQ, they remain a solid budget choice for Samsung users.
- Pro:Effective hybrid ANC for the price
- Pro:Clear call quality with 3-mic setup
- Pro:Long combined battery life of 35 hours
- Con:No multipoint connectivity
- Con:No custom EQ in the app
- Con:Bass-heavy default tuning may not suit everyone
Summaries are AI-condensed and paraphrased from published reviews and specs - not original hands-on testing. More on our method.
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