Huawei launches $56 earbuds with 80-hour battery life and LDAC support

What happened

Launched in Japan on November 6, the budget-friendly model promises premium-style features without the premium price tag. Huawei launches $56 earbuds with 80-hour battery life and LDAC support ⓘ Huawei Huawei's new FreeBuds SE 5 Max pack up to 80 hours of battery life, 52dB active noise cancellation, LDAC audio and multipoint connectivity into a pair of earbuds costing just ¥8,580 (approximately $56). Huawei is a telecommunications and electronics company based in Shenzhen.

Huawei has also upgraded the noise cancellation system, advertising up to 52dB of noise reduction across four selectable modes.

With fast charging and enough advertised endurance to last through several weekends, Huawei is giving both competitors and charging cables something to worry about. Wireless earbuds promising long battery life are hardly unusual anymore, but Huawei's new FreeBuds SE 5 Max takes things a little further.

According to the company's official announcement , the earbuds deliver up to 80 hours of playback with the charging case, a considerable improvement over the 50 hours advertised for the previous FreeBuds SE 4 ANC . Before anyone starts planning an 80-hour listening marathon, there is a catch: that figure applies with active noise cancellation (ANC) disabled and contains multiple charges from the case.

According to Huawei's official specifications , the earbuds themselves offer up to 10 hours per charge, dropping to seven hours with ANC enabled. Total endurance with the case reaches 57 hours with ANC switched on, while a 10-minute charge reportedly provides another four hours of listening. Huawei has additionally listed the model on its UK website .