Is the Huawei FreeBuds Pro 5 worth the upgrade from the Huawei FreeBuds Pro 4?
Verdict
Meaningful upgrade
The Huawei FreeBuds Pro 5 scores 5.2 points above the Huawei FreeBuds Pro 4. That's a real improvement, though not the kind you'd notice on every track. It loses ground on value (7.0 to 5.0) and noise cancelling (8.0 to 7.0). On paper: battery life 7 h to 8 h, weight 11.6 g to 5.5 g and bluetooth 5.2 to 6.0. Worth checking: codecs goes SBC, AAC, LDAC to LDAC and microphones goes 4 to 3. That costs $32 more, or about $6 per point of score - reasonable value for the jump. Worth doing if you're replacing anyway; harder to justify as a pure upgrade if what you have still works.
What actually changes
Sub-scores both products have, on the same 0-10 scale. Bars extend right for a gain, left for a loss.
- Sound7.57.0
- Noise cancelling8.07.0
- Battery6.56.0
- Calls7.06.0
- Value7.05.0
Spec differences
Only where the two genuinely differ - everything they share is omitted.
| Spec | FreeBuds Pro 4 | FreeBuds Pro 5 | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|
| Battery life | 7 h | 8 h | |
| Codecs | SBC, AAC, LDAC | LDAC | |
| Weight | 11.6 g | 5.5 g | |
| Bluetooth | 5.2 | 6.0 | |
| Water resistance | IP54 | IP57 | |
| Wireless range | 10 m | 12 m | |
| Microphones | 4 | 3 | |
| Frequency response | 14 Hz - 48 kHz | 10 Hz - 48 kHz |
About this verdict
Direction matters here: this page answers "FreeBuds Pro 4 to FreeBuds Pro 5". The other direction is a separate question with a different answer. Scores blend published review verdicts across true wireless and shift as new reviews land, so a marginal call today may not be one next quarter.