As you know, Honor has it easy in the field of mobile phones. Its phones can't include Google services, so it's no wonder it's now focusing on smartwatches, wireless handsets and even laptops.
But the new Magic Earbuds were a pleasant surprise early on, as they offer active noise cancellation for half the price of Apple's Airpods Pro. But is ANC even noticeable? Do the headphones sound good? Find out in today's review.
Content of the review
At the outset, it should be mentioned that Honor Magic Earbuds are sold in addition to the typical white (Pearl White), also in turquoise blue (Robin Egg Blue). So you can choose the design that will most often match your outfit.
Design and execution
The box itself looks quite premium, which is confirmed by several indicator LEDs, modern USB-C connector and even a reset button for the headphones, which is rather a rarity. The package also traditionally includes replacement earbuds of various sizes, which is a big plus.
The first indicator LED is found on the outside of the wireless headphones. This diode indicates the % charge of the box itself and also informs us whether the case is currently charging.
The second indicator diode can be found after opening the box itself. This LED indicates the % charge of the headphones themselves and also informs us whether the headphones are in the pairing phase, etc.
The headphones are shaped like earbuds, which I appreciate. I'm exactly the type who doesn't find Airpods-style pumps comfortable in my ear and they often fall out. The Magic Earbuds fit absolutely great after taking out the right silicone plug. They don't fall out and on their own can already pleasantly suppress ambient noise.
A couple of important parameters for the Honor Magic Earbuds:
- Bluetooth 5.0
- One earbud weighs 5.4g
- 10mm transducers
- Easier pairing with EMUI 10.0 and higher phones
- 3 different sizes of earbuds in the package
Sound quality
The Honor Magic Earbuds offer a pretty dynamic sound that adapts nicely to a particular genre. The mids may not be as crisp and accurate as I would have liked, but overall they offer a believable sound that most casual users will love.
I directly compared the Honor Magic Earbuds to Anker Liberty Air 2 and Samsung Galaxy Buds+, which I found to sound more pleasant, detailed, and vibrant.So there would be room for improvement, but still keep in mind that neither Anker nor Samsung offer active noise cancellation.
Is the noise cancellation really effective?
With the right size of earbuds, the headphones themselves can suppress ambient noise very effectively. However, I recommend taking advantage of the active noise cancellation, which uses two microphones to provide quality noise cancellation.
You'll know immediately when ANC is on with these headphones. It filters out the lower frequencies emitted by, for example, motors. So you'll hear less noise than usual on planes, subways and trams. I was very pleasantly surprised how well ANC can work in this price range.
Other interesting features in the app
The Honor Earbuds connect via Bluetooth 5.0 and if you have a phone with EMUI 10.0 and above, pairing the headphones will be even easier. Samsung and Apple also offer a similar feature with their headphones.
When you initially pair, don't be alarmed if you can't find the headphones under the right name in the Bluetooth log. Look for the Honor Magic Earbuds under FlyPods 3 or Huawei Walrus, which should be an identical product, just with a different name for the Chinese market.
The earbuds have touchpads that work beautifully reliable and you can set individual tapping functions directly in the Huawei AI Life app. Just pair the headphones and you're immediately able to choose your own combinations:
- Turn active noise cancellation on or off
- Turn on or off the "ambient sounds" mode, which in turn lets more sound into the headphones
- Pause music
- Skip music
- Accept or reject calls, etc.
The app is also used to install updates to the headphones, so we can expect more small improvements in the future.
Endurance
In this aspect, the Honor Magic Earbuds were rather disappointing. The earbuds alone last for 3.5 hours of listening time, but with active noise cancellation on, you'll get even lower figures. The box gives them another 13 hours of listening time, but that's still not a dazzling parameter. Such Anker Liberty Air 2, which I recently testedlasted me 7 hours on a single charge, and the box gave them another 21 hours of endurance.
On the other hand, I never got the low battery information while listening. If you only use the headphones when going to and from work, you'll probably only charge them once a week.
I must mention, however, the lack of wireless charging that most wireless headphones in this price range offer. So you'll be charging with the USB-C cable that's included.
Will they live up to their price?
The Honor Magic Earbuds sell from £2,999 (€110), which is definitely not much for headphones with active noise cancellation. In a similar price range we can find the Anker Liberty Air 2, which sound slightly better, have better durability and higher water certification. However, they lack the crucial noise cancellation. So it's up to you which aspects are key for you.
Final review
Although the Honor Magic Earbuds don't sound as high-end as other wireless headphones under £3,000, there's almost nothing to fault them for their price. The sound quality is adequate, the microphones for making calls are loud enough and above all the active noise cancellation works really reliably.
Personally, I would have appreciated more battery life. The less often I have to think about recharging, the better, of course. But despite the lower battery life, the headphones will last you one working week.
I can recommend the Honor Magic Earbuds with a clear conscience.
