Huawei FreeBuds Pro 5 vs. Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro: who’s got the edge?
23/4/2026
Translation: Natalie McKay
Pictures: Florian Bodoky
Huawei and Samsung are launching their new premium earbuds. I compared the FreeBuds Pro 5 with the Galaxy Buds 4 Pro: sound, comfort, ANC and call quality.
Huawei’s having a tough time in Europe. The US embargo and the (official) lack of Google services on their phones have turned this smartphone heavyweight into a long-shot contender. The manufacturer’s eternal battle with Samsung for Android dominance is now a thing of the past. The situation’s different in the audio sector, with Huawei’s Freebuds continuing to impress year after year. The same can’t be said for the Samsung Galaxy Buds, as the previous model was even subject to a recall. Still, if you look at top-of-the-range true wireless earbuds, sooner or later you’ll come across these two main players. And as it happens, both companies launched new models this spring: the Huawei FreeBuds Pro 5 and the Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro.
I snapped up both models and compared them. How comfortable are they? What’s the sound quality like? And which pair should you buy?
Compact and comfortable to wear
Both pairs of earbuds feature a familiar design with a stem you’ll recognise from other models. I think it’s great. They’re not too tight, but still feel very secure and sit very far into my ear. A must-have for my narrow ear canals. The feeling of pressure in my ear’s minimal, making them particularly comfortable when listening to audio for a long time. They come with silicone tips in various sizes so you can find a snug fit. With their glossy finish, Huawei’s earbuds look more premium, while Samsung’s version stands out with a matte finish that’s less prone to fingerprints and seems more contemporary.
The similarities end once you get to the controls: Huawei’s earbuds use a combination of tap and swipe gestures on their stem. To play or pause, press the stem once; to skip, press it twice and to go back to the previous track, press it three times. This works reliably because you get clear tactile feedback – almost like a real button. You can adjust the volume by swiping up or down on the stem. You can also switch between ANC and transparency mode by pressing and holding.
Samsung’s earbuds, on the other hand, use traditional touch controls. Tap once to play or pause, twice to skip and three times to go back. This works well on the whole, but it’s more prone to accidental touches. To adjust the volume, you have to press and hold one of the touch controls, which is less intuitive than the swipe gesture on Huawei’s earbuds. On the other hand, you can customise many different gestures in the app, making Samsung’s technology more flexible.
Sound quality – Huawei: refined, Samsung: vibrant
Both pairs of earbuds deliver great sound. I remembered Huawei’s previous model being bass-heavy. I get a comprehensive picture by listening to three tracks, one focusing on treble, one on midrange and one on low frequencies/bass.
Treble: I listen to Time by Hans Zimmer
This is where Huawei’s technical prowess really comes to the fore. Thanks to the separate tweeter, the strings and chimes sound clear, clean and well-defined, without ever seeming harsh. They remain under control, especially as the volume increases.
Samsung also uses its own tweeter to deliver noticeable treble. This feels more vibrant and – in some cases – more brilliant, but it can also be more aggressive. At the same time, the treble’s tuned to prevent it sounding harsh. This makes it more enjoyable to listen to for extended periods, but slightly less analytical.
Midrange: I listen to Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen
Huawei provides excellent clarity when it comes to the midrange. The vocals are clearly audible, and the instruments don’t overlap. My tests confirm this: the midrange is well-defined, and vocals sound prominent and natural. Even in complex passages, I can make out all the separate elements – a real plus. Samsung does a good job of this as well, but takes a slightly different approach. The midrange is clear, but is more integrated into the overall sound. Vocals seem less isolated and more cohesive in the mix. This makes music sound better, but at the expense of analytical precision.
Bass (low frequencies): I listen to Bad Guy by Billie Eilish
Huawei’s earbuds deliver deep, powerful bass that’s particularly noticeable in the sub-bass range. At the same time, it remains controlled and doesn’t mask the midrange. Depending on how it’s tuned, it can easily feel a bit overbearing.
Samsung leans even more into the fun factor here. The bass is powerful, very prominent and packs a real punch. It still remains relatively clean and not completely cluttered. The tuning’s clearly geared towards energy and directness.
Huawei’s earbuds are the more analytical, balanced pair, with a focus on details and clarity. Samsung’s pair delivers a more emotional sound with more bass energy and a greater «wow factor».
Call quality: Huawei’s amazing
Differences become noticeable in everyday use, especially when conditions are less than ideal. In a quiet office, both models deliver clear speech transmission, with voices sounding natural and easy to understand – they’re almost completely evenly matched.
But things get more interesting out on a busy street. Huawei excels here: the FreeBuds filter out traffic noise much more effectively, so your voice stays in the foreground while cars and background noise are significantly reduced. The Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro are also decent, but they let in a bit more ambient noise, making conversations seem slightly less focused. The difference really becomes clear in windy conditions, such as when you’re walking and talking on the phone. This is where the Huawei buds show their strength and do a noticeably better job of suppressing wind noise, while Samsung’s version occasionally lets some distracting wind noise through.
ANC and battery: one lasts longer, the other’s quieter
The Huawei FreeBuds Pro 5 offer about six hours of battery life with ANC and a solid eight hours without it. Using the charging case takes the total runtime to around 24 hours, easily enough for several days of moderate use. The Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro have a slight edge here: they last about six hours with ANC enabled and eight hours without it. If you include the charging case, that brings the total to 26 hours. Both are decent, but nothing to write home about.
It’s the same story with noise cancellation: the differences are in the details. The Huawei FreeBuds Pro 5 feature a dual-engine system where both drivers work together to provide noise cancellation – each within its own frequency range. In everyday use, this does a great job of reducing constant noise – such as the sound of trains or engines – giving a calm listening experience on the whole.
The Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro are just as impressive: they, too, reliably block out ambient noise and deliver strong performance in everyday use. However, they do allow more residual noise to pass through in certain cases, such as at higher frequencies. On the other hand, their ANC feels less «isolating» in some situations, which can be more enjoyable depending on the circumstance. Overall, both solutions are impressive – Huawei’s is slightly more consistent, while Samsung’s blends more naturally into the surroundings.
App: Samsung’s the Apple of the Android world
There’s also a clear difference in the approach the two companies take when it comes to software. Huawei uses the Huawei AI Life app, which offers a wide range of features. You can switch between different modes, adjust the sound using equaliser presets and install firmware updates. There are many options, but the setup process – especially on non-Huawei devices – is time-consuming and complex.
Samsung hasn’t released an iOS app, which I find disappointing. For Android users, on the other hand, the Galaxy Wearables app has a clear layout and is deeply integrated into the system, especially if you use a Samsung smartphone. You can adjust ANC and transparency levels, select different equaliser profiles, enable features like 360 Audio and customise the touch controls. Unfortunately, Samsung’s proprietary codec and certain features, such as translation, are available only to Samsung users.
Conclusion: I choose…
Huawei. In my comparison, Huawei’s earbuds come out on top by a narrow margin because they offer the more well-rounded overall package. Their clear, analytical sound tuning and, above all, excellent call quality – especially in windy or noisy conditions – make the crucial difference in everyday life. And that’s not all – the ANC’s slightly more powerful and provides more consistent noise cancellation. Plus, Huawei has advantages on the usability front. Its earbuds are more precise and simple to control. Having said that, I find Samsung’s ones a bit more comfortable. They also score points for their adaptability, but aren’t quite as responsive – partly because the stem’s longer and so sometimes doesn’t provide enough resistance when I try to use touch gestures. Of course, some people might actually prefer the more vibrant, bass-heavy mix. But, on the whole, I find Huawei’s earbuds just a little more impressive.
Header image: Florian Bodoky
I've been tinkering with digital networks ever since I found out how to activate both telephone channels on the ISDN card for greater bandwidth. As for the analogue variety, I've been doing that since I learned to talk. Though Winterthur is my adoptive home city, my heart still bleeds red and blue.
Guide
Practical solutions for everyday problems with technology, household hacks and much more.
Show allThese articles might also interest you
6 comments
later