Home Wireless Earbuds Huawei Freebuds 5 Vs. Sony Wf C500

A Review By Comparison of the Huawei Freebuds 5 Vs. Sony Wf C500

Last updated on Apr 17, 2023   7 minute read
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Huawei FreeBuds 5

Huawei FreeBuds 5

Reasons why you might like the Huawei FreeBuds 5

Overall Score 6 Represents average audio ecosystem compatibility score.

  • Ingress Protection (Ip) Rating of IP54
  • Has Active Noise Cancellation (Noise Control)
  • Battery Life of 5 hours
  • Has Usb Type-C
  • Number Of Microphones of 6 only
  • Has Ambient Sound Mode
VS
Sony WF C500

Sony WF C500

See price on Amazon

Reasons why you might like the Sony WF C500

Overall Score 5.3 Represents average audio ecosystem compatibility score.

  • Ingress Protection (Ip) Rating of IPX4
  • Battery Life of 10 hours
  • Has Usb Type-C
  • Number Of Microphones of 2 only

A summary of the review by feature comparison

Category Features Huawei FreeBuds 5 Sony WF C500
DESIGN ingress protection (ip) rating ip54 ipX4
weight 10.8g 10.8g
has no wires or cables
sweat resistance
has stereo speakers
SOUND QUALITY has active noise cancellation (noise control)
has passive noise reduction
driver unit size 11mm 5.8mm
lowest frequency 16hz 20hz
highest frequency 40,000hz 20,000hz
has a neodymium magnet
POWER battery life 5hours 10hours
battery life of charging case 25hours 10hours
charge time 2.5hours
battery power 42mah
has a battery level indicator
CONNECTIVITY has usb type-c
bluetooth version v5.2 v5
maximum bluetooth range 10meters 9meters
has aac
has ldac
MICROPHONE number of microphones 6only 2only
has a noise-canceling microphone
EXTRAS has ambient sound mode
has in/on-ear detection
has find earbuds feature
supports fast charging
multipoint count 2only
has a mute function
control panel placed on a device
warranty period 1years
has voice prompts
travel bag is included
See price on Amazon

A breakdown of the review per specifications

Design

Ingress Protection (Ip) Rating

Huawei FreeBuds 5 ip54
Sony WF C500 ipX4

Ingress protection ratings refer to the rating of protection offered by an enclosure, against solids and water. The letters 'IP' are followed by two values The first value means protection against solids such as dust, while the second refers to resistance against liquids (sweat).

Having a value of IP54, the Huawei FreeBuds 5's rating for solids indicates that ingress of dust is not totally prevented but dust does not enter in harmful quantities to interfere with the correct operation or impair safety, and the second number of 4 means that they can withstand low pressure spray similar to that of a shower head when tilted at 180° for 10 minutes.

In comparison to the Huawei FreeBuds 5, Sony WF C500 have a rating of IPX4 meaning that no data available to specify a protection rating and that of liquids is that, they both have the same rating against liquids

Weight

Huawei FreeBuds 5 10.8g
Sony WF C500 10.8g

The Huawei FreeBuds 5 have a weight of 10.8g . We consider a lower weight better because lighter devices are easier to transport.

The Sony WF C500, at 10.8g have the same weight as the Huawei FreeBuds 5

Has No Wires Or Cables

Huawei FreeBuds 5
Sony WF C500

True wireless devices have no wires connecting any part of the device together, Huawei FreeBuds 5 are true wireless for this matter since they have no wires. This is an important difference since wireless earbuds have wires linking the two earbuds .

Sony WF C500 also is true wireless because it has no cables linking the pair of earbuds together.

Sweat Resistance

Huawei FreeBuds 5
Sony WF C500

Huawei FreeBuds 5 are resistant to sweat

Sony WF C500's resistance to sweat makes both devices good for use while doing sports such as long-distance running, marathons, training in workout bodysuits, etc

Has Stereo Speakers

Huawei FreeBuds 5
Sony WF C500

Huawei FreeBuds 5 have stereo speakers, devices with stereo speakers deliver sound from independent channels on both left and right sides, creating a richer sound and a better listening experience.

The Sony WF C500 also have stereo speakers

Sound Quality

Has Active Noise Cancellation (Noise Control)

Huawei FreeBuds 5
Sony WF C500

Active noise cancellation makes use of advanced kind of tech to reduce ambient sounds. How it works, it listens to the sound pattern outside and inside the earbud and after inverts the soundwaves to cancel it out. In simple terms, it's like taking +1 (noise) and adding -1 (counter sound by the device) giving 0 therefore "diluting" the noise.

The Huawei FreeBuds 5 have Active Noise Cancellation enabling you to listen at lower volume levels, causing less ear fatigue as you don't have to crank up the earbuds volume to overcome background noise.

Has Passive Noise Reduction

Huawei FreeBuds 5
Sony WF C500

Sony WF C500 sit well in place, creating an acoustic seal that reduces your environment noise well as preventing the device voice audio from leaking out at the same.

Driver Unit Size

Huawei FreeBuds 5 11mm
Sony WF C500 5.8mm

Huawei FreeBuds 5 have a unit size of 11mm in diameter, the bigger the unit the more powerful, and can produce better bass. A driver unit is the component that produces sound in the device, the unit size determines the sound produced by the device.

Sony WF C500 driver unit is 5.8mm in diameter, which means that they have a smaller driver unit than that of Huawei FreeBuds 5 by 5.2mm , a common assumption that driver units of a bigger size automatically produce better sound quality.

However, large drivers find it difficult to produce high frequencies so yes, larger drivers can generate louder sound, but this does not imply that they produce better quality sound.

Lowest Frequency

Huawei FreeBuds 5 16hz
Sony WF C500 20hz

Huawei FreeBuds 5's lowest frequency is at 16Hz, low-frequency response measures if and how well a particular audio component generates low frequencies that can be heard, and if it makes any changes to the signal on its way through.

Sony WF C500's lowest frequency is at 20Hz, this means that Huawei FreeBuds 5 can produce a juicier bass than the Sony WF C500

Highest Frequency

Huawei FreeBuds 5 40,000hz
Sony WF C500 20,000hz

The Huawei FreeBuds 5's highest frequency is at 40,000Hz, high-frequency response measures if and how well an audio device produces high human frequencies and if it adjustments to the signal while at it.

Sony WF C500's highest frequency is at 20,000Hz, this means that Huawei FreeBuds 5 produce a clearer and crispier treble than the Sony WF C500

Has A Neodymium Magnet

Huawei FreeBuds 5
Sony WF C500

Sony WF C500 have neodymium magnets, when used in earbuds produce a higher sensitivity and substantial sound output using less power to do so. They can help generate music at quite a high sound pressure level, with the use of high magnetic flux.

Power

Battery Life

Huawei FreeBuds 5 5hours
Sony WF C500 10hours

Huawei FreeBuds 5's battery life is 5 hours, these last less than 5 hours of listening which is considered average for a single charge. A device's battery life is commonly given by the manufacturer, and with more battery hours, you get to use it for longer and have to charge the device less often.

Sony WF C500's battery life is more than that of Huawei FreeBuds 5 by 5 hours . Each time you recharge your earbuds, they get a little less playing time. The effect is barely noticeable at first, but over time, your wireless earbuds will have shorter listening time.

Battery Life Of Charging Case

Huawei FreeBuds 5 25hours
Sony WF C500 10hours

This is given by the manufacturer, and the Huawei FreeBuds 5's case has a charge of 25 hours. A charging case with a longer battery life enables you to recharge your earbuds on the go many times before having to recharge the case itself.

Sony WF C500's charging case has a battery life of 10 hours, less than that of Huawei FreeBuds 5 by 15 hours

Charge Time

Huawei FreeBuds 5
Sony WF C500 2.5hours

It takes 2.5 hours to fully charge the Sony WF C500's battery. It is recommended to fully charge the battery before using the earbuds for the first time.

Battery Power

Huawei FreeBuds 5 42mah
Sony WF C500

Huawei FreeBuds 5's battery capacity is 42mAh, battery capacity, represents the amount of electrical energy that a battery can keep.

Has A Battery Level Indicator

Huawei FreeBuds 5
Sony WF C500

Huawei FreeBuds 5 have a battery level indicator, an indicator notifies you when the device has a low battery. The battery indicator lights indicate the charging status of your earbuds and charging case.

Sony WF C500 too have a battery level indicator, charging indicators enable you to tell the charging state of your earbuds, whether fully charged, or the battery is running low.

Connectivity

Has Usb Type-C

Huawei FreeBuds 5
Sony WF C500

The Huawei FreeBuds 5 support USB TYPE-C, an industry-standard connector for transmitting both data and power through a single cable.

Sony WF C500 too have USB TYPE-C. This USB-C plug comes along with most current laptops, phones, and tablets.

Bluetooth Version

Huawei FreeBuds 5 v5.2
Sony WF C500 v5

The Huawei FreeBuds 5 have Bluetooth version of 5.2, Bluetooth is a wireless technology standard that enables data transfers between devices placed in close proximity, using short-wavelength, ultra-high frequency radio waves.

Sony WF C500 has a Bluetooth version of 5, older than that of Huawei FreeBuds 5 . Newer versions provide faster data transfers.

Maximum Bluetooth Range

Huawei FreeBuds 5 10meters
Sony WF C500 9meters

Huawei FreeBuds 5 have a 10meters distance to connect via Bluetooth.

Sony WF C500 have a maximum range of 9meters, less than that of Huawei FreeBuds 5 by 1meters

Has Aac

Huawei FreeBuds 5
Sony WF C500

Sony WF C500 support AAC, a codec used for Bluetooth audio. It supports 24-bit audio at 250kbps. Since it uses psychoacoustic modeling, it provides better results than other codecs at a similar bit rate.

Since its the highest quality codec that any Bluetooth-supporting Apple product supports, the Sony WF C500 will work well with your MacBook. If you intend on using these with Android , ensure that they also support aptX HD, LDAC, or LHDC as well.

Has Ldac

Huawei FreeBuds 5
Sony WF C500

The Huawei FreeBuds 5 support LDAC, a codec developed by Sony which allows streaming high-resolution audio over Bluetooth connections at up to 990 kbps at 32 bit/96 kHz. It can reach a high bitrate of 990kbps, which provides high-resolution audio.

Microphone

Number Of Microphones

Huawei FreeBuds 5 6only
Sony WF C500 2only

The Huawei FreeBuds 5 have 6 microphones.

The Sony WF C500 microphones are 2, less than that of Huawei FreeBuds 5 by 4 . More microphones result in better sound quality and enable the device to filter out background sounds.

Has A Noise-Canceling Microphone

Huawei FreeBuds 5
Sony WF C500

Huawei FreeBuds 5 have a noise-canceling type of microphone, these microphones are designed to reduce background sounds from the desired sound.

Extras

Has Ambient Sound Mode

Huawei FreeBuds 5
Sony WF C500

The Huawei FreeBuds 5 support ambient sound mode, which uses microphones to pass through ambient sound so that they can still be heard even while wearing them

Has In/On-Ear Detection

Huawei FreeBuds 5
Sony WF C500

The Huawei FreeBuds 5 have in/on-ear detection, the sensors in the device can detect when they are removed from your ears so that the music is paused.

Has Find Earbuds Feature

Huawei FreeBuds 5
Sony WF C500

If lost in a room, or can't easily find them in your bag, Huawei FreeBuds 5 have a find earbuds feature.

Supports Fast Charging

Huawei FreeBuds 5
Sony WF C500

Huawei FreeBuds 5 support fast charging. Most often, technologies like MediaTek’s Pump Express, are used to lower the time it takes to fully charge a device.

Sony WF C500 too support fast charging. This kind is similar to regular charging, only that the battery is filling up much faster. For example, with Quick Charge 3.0, the battery is charged to 50% in just 30 minutes.

Multipoint Count

Huawei FreeBuds 5 2only
Sony WF C500

The Huawei FreeBuds 5 have a multipoint of 2 connections, the multipoint feature allows you connect to more than one Bluetooth device and switch between them. Say, you can easily switch calls from one device to another without having to manually disconnect and reconnect.

Has A Mute Function

Huawei FreeBuds 5
Sony WF C500

The Huawei FreeBuds 5 have a mute function, they have the option to mute/unmute a conversation directly from the earbuds.

The Sony WF C500 too support the mute function. The mute function means that you are in position turn off the device's microphone, but you can still hear the other party's voice.

Control Panel Placed On A Device

Huawei FreeBuds 5
Sony WF C500

The Huawei FreeBuds 5, so you can easily access the volume control, pause, play, mute, etc whichever features are supported on the device.

Sony WF C500 also have a control panel on them.

Warranty Period

Huawei FreeBuds 5
Sony WF C500 1years

Sony WF C500 have a warranty period of 1 Years, the period of time that warrant free repair and adjustment services in case of a malfunction occurring under normal use that has followed instruction manuals.

Has Voice Prompts

Huawei FreeBuds 5
Sony WF C500

The Huawei FreeBuds 5 have voice prompts. With voice prompts, you receive information via audio messages, say if there is a problem with the connection.

The Sony WF C500 also support voice prompts .i.e the device notifies you when the battery is low, and you need to recharge them.

Travel Bag Is Included

Huawei FreeBuds 5
Sony WF C500

The Huawei FreeBuds 5 come with a special case. Carrying earbuds without a case, or placing them inside your bag without a cover can easily damage them.

Sony WF C500 also have a travel bag included, which offers safe transportation.

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