Honor Earbuds 4 review: ANC on a budget
The Earbuds 4 model is a great value proposition. That is if you can find and buy a pair.
Earbuds have come a long way. That thought occurred to me as I was checking the specs sheet of the Honor Earbuds 4. These premium-looking, ANC-enabled earbuds cost just $69.99 (if you can find a pair), and given all the features onboard, that's a real bargain!
Speaking of availability, the Honor Earbuds 4 can be found around shops in the Middle East and in some select European countries, while North America is generally off-limits. That said, you can probably get a pair through Amazon or other big online retailers. When there's a will, there's a way.
These tiny buds have a lot to offer, the hybrid ANC that uses three microphones and can dampen up to 50dB of noise, the 9-hour battery life, and all the smart features all add up to form an amazing package. When you factor in the price, it's almost unbelievable. Earbuds have come a long way.
But enough of that. Let's dig in and explore the Honor Earbuds 4 in more detail.
Speaking of availability, the Honor Earbuds 4 can be found around shops in the Middle East and in some select European countries, while North America is generally off-limits. That said, you can probably get a pair through Amazon or other big online retailers. When there's a will, there's a way.
But enough of that. Let's dig in and explore the Honor Earbuds 4 in more detail.
Honor Earbuds 4 Specs
Here's a quick specs sheet for the Honor Earbuds 4:
| Color options | White, Black |
|---|---|
| Audio | Bluetooth 5.3, AAC & SBC |
| Noise cancelation | ANC 50dB noise cancelation with three mics |
| Connectivity | BT multipoint (dual device) |
| Battery life | 9 hours from buds, 46 hours with the case |
| Wireless charging case | No, USB-C charging |
| Ingress resistance | IP54 buds |
Honor Earbuds 4 Design
Expect the price of these buds to be mentioned on a regular basis in this review. This should serve as a reminder to all ultra-premium brands that charge hundreds of dollars for a pair of buds. I'm not here to try and topple the capitalist oppressors, but I'm pleasantly surprised when I see budget offerings that punch way above their weight.
The Honor Earbuds 4 look and feel quite premium. Yes, the overall design is very similar to the AirPods Pro shape, but so many brands are guilty of this design inspiration (Samsung included) that I'm not going to write it down as a con.
There are two colors available, white and black, with the latter being more of a metallic gray hue. The case features a big glossy lid, drawing a nice contrast with the matte part of the case, holding the buds inside.
There's a big LED on the front indicating the charge state and connection, a USB-C port on the bottom, and a reset/pairing button next to it.
There are two colors available, white and black, with the latter being more of a metallic gray hue. The case features a big glossy lid, drawing a nice contrast with the matte part of the case, holding the buds inside.
There's a big LED on the front indicating the charge state and connection, a USB-C port on the bottom, and a reset/pairing button next to it.
The buds themselves have a sculpted, ergonomic design. The parallels with the aforementioned AirPods are absolutely there, but to be fair to Honor, the design is slightly different, and unlike AirPods, which fall off my ears no matter what tips I try, these buds stay firmly put.
The IP54 rating is a nice bonus, and while it's not a full-blown IP68, it still means you can sweat all you like wearing those. Let's move to the most important part — the sound.
Listening experience and ANC
Even though these buds cost just $69.99, they come with some sophisticated audio tech on board. Each earbud has two titanium-coated drivers (11mm for the low-frequency and a 6mm high frequency driver).
Pairing is very easy; you just open the case and search for the buds in the Bluetooth menu of your phone. To take full advantage of all the features, you need to install the companion app - Honor AI Life. It can be found in both the App Store and the Google Play Store as well.
Pairing is very easy; you just open the case and search for the buds in the Bluetooth menu of your phone. To take full advantage of all the features, you need to install the companion app - Honor AI Life. It can be found in both the App Store and the Google Play Store as well.
The Earbuds 4 model also comes with touch controls. You can tap, squeeze, and swipe the stems, and the default actions are the usual ones—play/pause a song, change volume, skip a song, etc. You can also customize those gestures to your liking.
One of the big features is the triple-mic hybrid ANC that promises to cut up to 50 dB of unwanted noises. It's a pretty bold claim for in-ear headphones, but I think it's down to the design. These buds can be fitted quite tight, and with a good seal, some decent ANC could be achieved.
There are three settings — Cozy, Moderate, and Ultra. The last one gives you perceivable noise cancellation. Whether it's 50dB or not, I can't tell. It's close to Huawei's FreeBuds Pro series, and maybe a little weaker than what the AirPods Pro has.
You can manually turn off the ANC and also switch on the awareness mode, the latter helping you hear the outside world better through the triple mic setup.
One of the big features is the triple-mic hybrid ANC that promises to cut up to 50 dB of unwanted noises. It's a pretty bold claim for in-ear headphones, but I think it's down to the design. These buds can be fitted quite tight, and with a good seal, some decent ANC could be achieved.
There are three settings — Cozy, Moderate, and Ultra. The last one gives you perceivable noise cancellation. Whether it's 50dB or not, I can't tell. It's close to Huawei's FreeBuds Pro series, and maybe a little weaker than what the AirPods Pro has.
Honor Earbuds 4 sound quality
These little buds sound quite good! I tested all the settings, and strangely enough, the best sound quality is achieved with ANC on Ultra. This somehow makes the bass frequencies much more detailed and pronounced.
The less ANC you apply, the thinner and more uninspiring the sound becomes. On one hand, this means you will cut down the expected battery life significantly, as manufacturers list numbers with ANC off and at 50% volume.
But on the other hand, this is a small price to pay, as in this setting the Honor Earbuds 4 sound pretty amazing. I'd say on par with much more expensive earbuds. There are four EQ settings as well (sadly, no customizable EQ) — Classic, Rich Bass, Treble Boost, and Voice Enhance. The first one is the most balanced, but in all fairness, there's not a night and day difference between all of them.
The less ANC you apply, the thinner and more uninspiring the sound becomes. On one hand, this means you will cut down the expected battery life significantly, as manufacturers list numbers with ANC off and at 50% volume.
But on the other hand, this is a small price to pay, as in this setting the Honor Earbuds 4 sound pretty amazing. I'd say on par with much more expensive earbuds. There are four EQ settings as well (sadly, no customizable EQ) — Classic, Rich Bass, Treble Boost, and Voice Enhance. The first one is the most balanced, but in all fairness, there's not a night and day difference between all of them.
I took the Earbuds 4 for a spin, blasting different genres and artists. My favorite jazz-folk band, The Amazing Devil, sounded pretty detailed with a rich soundstage and good separation between the instruments, without sounding sterile.
Judas Priest sounds powerful and midrange-y through the Earbuds 4, and I even tried some R&B — good old Rihanna, Alicia Keys (I know, I'm old). The bass was surprisingly rich and detailed. Classical music also sounds great through these buds — Eric Satie is my guilty pleasure when I'm in need of a pinch of melancholy.
Calls also sound loud and clear; I had no trouble hearing the other side even in loud environments.
FreeBuds Pro 5 battery life
You can get 9 hours on a single charge but you need to turn ANC off | Image by PhoneArena
Honor says the Earbuds 4 can do 9 hours on a single charge, but as I mentioned above, this would require turning ANC off and listening at a low volume. In reality, you can get 6 solid hours with everything turned on, without sacrifices to the sound quality or volume. And that's still pretty good.
The buds charge quite quickly — the case was able to put them back to full in about half an hour, and you can squeeze 4 to 5 charges out of it before you need to hook it up to a USB-C cable and a charger.
Obviously, the lack of wireless charging could be a drawback for some people, but given how widespread USB-C is nowadays, it's not the end of the world.
Obviously, the lack of wireless charging could be a drawback for some people, but given how widespread USB-C is nowadays, it's not the end of the world.
Should you buy the Huawei FreeBuds Pro 5?
I can't fault the Earbuds 4, especially given the asking price | Image by PhoneArena
The Honor Earbuds 4 are a great budget alternative to more expensive in-ear headphones such as the AirPods or Samsung's latest Galaxy Buds. Even the non-Pro models are three times more expensive, while the $69.99 asking price of the Honor Earbuds 4 sounds almost too good to be true.
The design is great, albeit a bit derivative, and the active ANC is there. But most importantly, these buds sound good. Add good battery life and IP54 to the mix, and you end up with a winner. I do recommend the Honor Earbuds 4, either as a main daily driver, an all-rounder, or a backup pair of buds. Just know that finding a pair may not be that easy.
The design is great, albeit a bit derivative, and the active ANC is there. But most importantly, these buds sound good. Add good battery life and IP54 to the mix, and you end up with a winner. I do recommend the Honor Earbuds 4, either as a main daily driver, an all-rounder, or a backup pair of buds. Just know that finding a pair may not be that easy.
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