After posting my thoughts on the previous Earfun earphones, Earfun reached out to see if I would be interested in reviewing their new Free Pro model. I wanted to be transparent that these were provided to me for free but that has no bearing on how I test or what I write. The Air Free Earbuds from Earfun are effectively a competitor to the likes of Sony or Apple active noise cancellation earphones at a much lower price point. These come nicely packaged with a wireless rechargeable protective case, four pairs of silicon tips in different sizes, 3 pairs of ear hooks, a USB-C cable and user manual.
The earphones themselves are of the in ear monitor (IEM) variety and reasonably small given there are no cables or external units attached. The housings are fashioned from plastic with a satin finish offering good strength and lightness - they weigh in at a lightweight 4g each.
Playback time is rated at 7 hours of normal use or 6 hours with ANC enabled which is a very respectable figure and the charging case can extend this giving a total playback time of around 32 hours.
These Bluetooth 5.2 earphones support HFP, HSP, AVRCP & A2DP profiles although there is no mention of support for the aptX codec. Bluetooth range is quoted as 15m which should pose no issue given the audio source would typically be worn on the user for this type of earphone. Pairing with my iPhone for testing was as simple as opening the case and turning on Bluetooth on my phone -they showed up instantly and paired after a single tap. I did test these in my office by leaving my iPhone on the desk and walking a few metres away through two internal walls without a single blip or dropout so the range of these is certainly up to the task provided you avoid major obstacles. Keeping the phone in my back pocket during testing did not cause any dropouts either which was a pleasant surprise as this has affected other Bluetooth earphones I have used.
Each earbud has a discreet multifunction tap area, it is not a physical button, and an LED to indicate operating, pairing and power status. Tapping controls things such as ANC mode, play/pause, track skipping, call answering/rejecting and will also activate Siri or alternative voice assistants on non Apple devices. They also feature volume control which is something quite often missing from these types of earphones so a welcome addition. Call quality is as expected with calls coming in fairly clear and the caller reporting no issues on their side.
New out of the box, first impressions are certainly favourable. They have a surprisingly detailed sound with a good, clear midrange and separation. Bass comes through with a satisfying tight thump which feels both strong and well controlled. Treble is always present and provides a little sparkle without ever sounding overly bright - I’ve actually been quite impressed with how these sound in the high frequencies. With more complex tracks, these earphones still manage to keep up with the pace, especially after being run in for a few hours. Sonically, these really impress and in my opinion are probably a good match for the AirPods Pro, even excelling when it comes to bass reproduction.
These are comfortable to wear with the selection of tips on offer contributing to this. The ear hooks help to lock the earphones in place for more rigorous activities and I had no concerns with the likelihood of these every falling out during use.
These are billed as having active noise cancellation and transparency modes and I didn’t have any scientific way of measuring this so I had to rely on my own side by side impressions. In my opinion, the active noise cancellation is very respectable on the whole but probably not as effective as the AirPods Pro or the Earfun Air Pro. I tested at home with the likes of the tumble dryer on or when out walking and passing car noise with both being well suppressed. I found when listening to the sound of the sea, the peaks of the crashing waves were still fairly clear to hear but the underlying roar of the water was absent - more of the wave sound was suppressed on the AirPods Pro and Earfun Air Pro models though. These should work well for the drone of engines on a flight or similar.
I had the chance to try these while using a rowing machine and the noise reduction does make a noticeable improvement for listening. They also stayed safely in place while I was out on a bike ride and this is a time where I welcome the transparency mode for awareness when out and about. A word of caution though - transparency mode worked quite well but the outside sound was not as apparent or as clear with these earphones. They were fine to hold a conversation or be aware of surrounding noises in general but if I was looking at these exclusively for outdoor use in high risk areas such as cycling, I would be more inclined to go for one of the other two models. This is a non issue if you are cycling with just a single earphone at a time though. One other observation with transparency mode was that I found it very susceptible to wind noise - more so than the AirPods Pro.
These are also IPX7 rated making them waterproof and sweatproof so likely a great combination for the active user.
The charging case measures in at 67 x 31 x 25mm and weigh just 42g including the earphones. The earphones drop in ear tip down and are held securely in place magnetically. The case is a nice design and the cover closes with a reassuring snap into place but it does feel very light and lacks a little of the density of the AirPods Pro case. At the back of the case you will find the USB-C port for charging the case with the included cable. Charging time is around 2 hours for the case and the earbuds also take around 1 hours for a full charge in the case. Wireless charging ups the case charging time to 3.5 hours.
One thing I did miss with these though are that when you take one out of your ear, the music continues to play and does pause as with the other earphones. I do like that the earbuds power on and off automatically when retrieving or storing in the case. I also like that you can operate a single earphone on its own which is great when out cycling as it means I can listen to music or take calls while leaving one ear free for safety reasons given the transparency mode was not as effective as the others. This also means the other earphone is safely tucked away in the charging case, ready for use if the operating earphone runs out of battery, effectively doubling the runtime! An additional bonus for some is the low latency mode - effectively halving the latency from 200ms to 100ms at the expense of Bluetooth range. This would likely be welcome to those sensitive to small audio sync issues when watching movies or gaming but this is an area where Apple’s Air Pods Pro are already quite strong.
For the money, you are getting a great Bluetooth earphone package if you like being free from any cables with the added practicality of a storage case that also provides charging duties when out and about. I consider these very good all-round earphones indeed, and a great value alternative to the likes of the Apple Airpods Pro. They sound great and the active noise cancellation and transparency modes work well enough, if not quite as strong as some other models.
The earphones themselves are of the in ear monitor (IEM) variety and reasonably small given there are no cables or external units attached. The housings are fashioned from plastic with a satin finish offering good strength and lightness - they weigh in at a lightweight 4g each.
Playback time is rated at 7 hours of normal use or 6 hours with ANC enabled which is a very respectable figure and the charging case can extend this giving a total playback time of around 32 hours.
These Bluetooth 5.2 earphones support HFP, HSP, AVRCP & A2DP profiles although there is no mention of support for the aptX codec. Bluetooth range is quoted as 15m which should pose no issue given the audio source would typically be worn on the user for this type of earphone. Pairing with my iPhone for testing was as simple as opening the case and turning on Bluetooth on my phone -they showed up instantly and paired after a single tap. I did test these in my office by leaving my iPhone on the desk and walking a few metres away through two internal walls without a single blip or dropout so the range of these is certainly up to the task provided you avoid major obstacles. Keeping the phone in my back pocket during testing did not cause any dropouts either which was a pleasant surprise as this has affected other Bluetooth earphones I have used.
Each earbud has a discreet multifunction tap area, it is not a physical button, and an LED to indicate operating, pairing and power status. Tapping controls things such as ANC mode, play/pause, track skipping, call answering/rejecting and will also activate Siri or alternative voice assistants on non Apple devices. They also feature volume control which is something quite often missing from these types of earphones so a welcome addition. Call quality is as expected with calls coming in fairly clear and the caller reporting no issues on their side.
New out of the box, first impressions are certainly favourable. They have a surprisingly detailed sound with a good, clear midrange and separation. Bass comes through with a satisfying tight thump which feels both strong and well controlled. Treble is always present and provides a little sparkle without ever sounding overly bright - I’ve actually been quite impressed with how these sound in the high frequencies. With more complex tracks, these earphones still manage to keep up with the pace, especially after being run in for a few hours. Sonically, these really impress and in my opinion are probably a good match for the AirPods Pro, even excelling when it comes to bass reproduction.
These are comfortable to wear with the selection of tips on offer contributing to this. The ear hooks help to lock the earphones in place for more rigorous activities and I had no concerns with the likelihood of these every falling out during use.
These are billed as having active noise cancellation and transparency modes and I didn’t have any scientific way of measuring this so I had to rely on my own side by side impressions. In my opinion, the active noise cancellation is very respectable on the whole but probably not as effective as the AirPods Pro or the Earfun Air Pro. I tested at home with the likes of the tumble dryer on or when out walking and passing car noise with both being well suppressed. I found when listening to the sound of the sea, the peaks of the crashing waves were still fairly clear to hear but the underlying roar of the water was absent - more of the wave sound was suppressed on the AirPods Pro and Earfun Air Pro models though. These should work well for the drone of engines on a flight or similar.
I had the chance to try these while using a rowing machine and the noise reduction does make a noticeable improvement for listening. They also stayed safely in place while I was out on a bike ride and this is a time where I welcome the transparency mode for awareness when out and about. A word of caution though - transparency mode worked quite well but the outside sound was not as apparent or as clear with these earphones. They were fine to hold a conversation or be aware of surrounding noises in general but if I was looking at these exclusively for outdoor use in high risk areas such as cycling, I would be more inclined to go for one of the other two models. This is a non issue if you are cycling with just a single earphone at a time though. One other observation with transparency mode was that I found it very susceptible to wind noise - more so than the AirPods Pro.
These are also IPX7 rated making them waterproof and sweatproof so likely a great combination for the active user.
The charging case measures in at 67 x 31 x 25mm and weigh just 42g including the earphones. The earphones drop in ear tip down and are held securely in place magnetically. The case is a nice design and the cover closes with a reassuring snap into place but it does feel very light and lacks a little of the density of the AirPods Pro case. At the back of the case you will find the USB-C port for charging the case with the included cable. Charging time is around 2 hours for the case and the earbuds also take around 1 hours for a full charge in the case. Wireless charging ups the case charging time to 3.5 hours.
One thing I did miss with these though are that when you take one out of your ear, the music continues to play and does pause as with the other earphones. I do like that the earbuds power on and off automatically when retrieving or storing in the case. I also like that you can operate a single earphone on its own which is great when out cycling as it means I can listen to music or take calls while leaving one ear free for safety reasons given the transparency mode was not as effective as the others. This also means the other earphone is safely tucked away in the charging case, ready for use if the operating earphone runs out of battery, effectively doubling the runtime! An additional bonus for some is the low latency mode - effectively halving the latency from 200ms to 100ms at the expense of Bluetooth range. This would likely be welcome to those sensitive to small audio sync issues when watching movies or gaming but this is an area where Apple’s Air Pods Pro are already quite strong.
For the money, you are getting a great Bluetooth earphone package if you like being free from any cables with the added practicality of a storage case that also provides charging duties when out and about. I consider these very good all-round earphones indeed, and a great value alternative to the likes of the Apple Airpods Pro. They sound great and the active noise cancellation and transparency modes work well enough, if not quite as strong as some other models.
