Is the Huawei FreeBuds 5i worth the upgrade from the OnePlus Buds Pro 4?
Verdict
Downgrade
The Huawei FreeBuds 5i actually scores 13.5 points below the OnePlus Buds Pro 4, so on aggregate review consensus this is a step backwards. It loses ground on battery (8.5 to 7.0) and sound (8.5 to 7.5). On paper: full charge time 70 min to 60 min and case weight 50.6 g to 33.9 g. Worth checking: battery life goes 13 h to 7.5 h and bluetooth goes 5.4 to 5.2. One caution: this steps down a line tier (Buds Pro 4 to FreeBuds 5i), and base models usually trade away tier features - check the codec and ANC rows above before trusting the score gap alone. And it costs $6 more for a lower score, which is hard to justify on the data alone. Only worth it if a specific feature above matters more to you than overall quality does.
What actually changes
Sub-scores both products have, on the same 0-10 scale. Bars extend right for a gain, left for a loss.
- Sound8.57.5
- Noise cancelling8.07.0
- Battery8.57.0
- Calls7.56.5
- Value9.08.5
Spec differences
Only where the two genuinely differ - everything they share is omitted.
| Spec | Buds Pro 4 | FreeBuds 5i | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|
| Battery life | 13 h | 7.5 h | |
| Codecs | SBC, AAC, LHDC | SBC, AAC, LDAC | |
| Bluetooth | 5.4 | 5.2 | |
| Water resistance | IP55 | IP54 | |
| Battery life (ANC on) | 7 h | 6 h | |
| Battery incl. case | 54 h | 28 h | |
| Full charge time | 70 min | 60 min | |
| Driver size | 11 mm | 10 mm | |
| Microphones | 3 | 2 | |
| Case weight | 50.6 g | 33.9 g | |
| Wireless charging | Yes | No | |
| ANC type | adaptive | hybrid | |
| Quick charge | 10 min → 11 h | 15 min → 4 h | |
| Driver | 11 mm dynamic | 10 mm dynamic | |
| Frequency response | 10 Hz - 40 kHz | 20 Hz - 40 kHz |
About this verdict
Direction matters here: this page answers "Buds Pro 4 to FreeBuds 5i". 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.