Huawei’s FreeBuds SE 5 Max promise 80 hours of music and LDAC sound for €79

Huawei’s new budget earbuds, the FreeBuds SE 5 Max, claim up to 80 hours of playback with the case and support LDAC, the high-resolution Bluetooth codec usually found on pricier models. They went on sale in Japan on November 6 and are coming to Europe at €79.

The headline figure needs a footnote. Huawei’s own product page says the 80 hours were measured with noise cancellation off, at half volume and with several top-ups from the case. Notebookcheck, citing Huawei’s specifications, puts real-world numbers lower: 10 hours per charge, or 7 hours with ANC on.

The rest of the spec sheet reads like a step up from Huawei’s older FreeBuds SE 4 ANC, which Notebookcheck says were rated for 50 hours. The new pair uses 10 mm drivers, streams LDAC at up to 990 kbps and can stay connected to two devices at once, including iPhones and Android phones via the Huawei Audio Connect app. The earbuds, though not the case, are rated IP55, and a 10-minute charge is said to add four hours.

In Germany, Notebookcheck reports a launch offer of €49 from November 10 to 30, which would put LDAC earbuds at impulse-buy money. Japan gets white first, with black and blue following on November 20. Huawei already lists the model on its UK site but has not shown a UK price there yet.

Reported by Huawei, Notebookcheck. Compiled with AI tools.