Is the Huawei FreeBuds Neo worth the upgrade from the Xiaomi Redmi Buds 8 Pro?
Verdict
Meaningful upgrade
The Huawei FreeBuds Neo scores 5.3 points above the Xiaomi Redmi Buds 8 Pro. That's a real improvement, though not the kind you'd notice on every track. The gains are concentrated in battery (5.5 to 8.0). On paper: weight 10.6 g to 4.8 g, battery incl. case 35 h to 40 h and microphones 3 to 4. One caution: this steps down a line tier (Redmi Buds 8 Pro to FreeBuds Neo), and base models usually trade away tier features - check the codec and ANC rows above before trusting the score gap alone. That costs $34 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.
- Sound8.08.0
- Noise cancelling8.08.0
- Battery5.58.0
- Calls7.68.0
- Value9.39.0
Spec differences
Only where the two genuinely differ - everything they share is omitted.
| Spec | Redmi Buds 8 Pro | FreeBuds Neo | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|
| Codecs | SBC, AAC, LC3, LHDC | LDAC | |
| Weight | 10.6 g | 4.8 g | |
| Water resistance | IP54 | IP55 | |
| Battery incl. case | 35 h | 40 h | |
| Microphones | 3 | 4 | |
| Custom EQ | No | Yes | |
| Driver | 3× 11 mm driver | dynamic | |
| Frequency response | 20 Hz - 40 kHz | 10 Hz - 48 kHz |
About this verdict
Direction matters here: this page answers "Redmi Buds 8 Pro to FreeBuds Neo". 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.