Huawei has a new wireless headset model in the low-cost segment, the successor to the best-selling FreeBuds SE 4 ANC.

Huawei announced that it will open sales of FreeBuds SE 5 Max noise-canceling headphones in Vietnam from November 10, through the Huawei Flagship Store on its e-commerce platforms and online stores. The listed price is 890,000 VND, while the company's stated price for the opening sale is from 760,000 VND. Huawei has not explained where this difference of VND 130,000 comes from.

Huawei FreeBuds SE 5 Max three colors white, blue, black with charging box with semi-transparent top cover

FreeBuds SE 5 Max is a new member of the FreeBuds SE line, Huawei's popular headphone line, and succeeds the FreeBuds SE 4 ANC. According to data released by the company, as of September 30, 2026, this product line has shipped more than 30 million units globally.

The battery is the highlight of the device. When including the charging box, the headphones can listen for up to 80 hours, compared to 50 hours of the previous model. This number is conditional: it is when noise canceling is turned off. According to Huawei's specifications published in other markets, if noise canceling is turned on, the total duration is 57 hours.

Each earphone can listen continuously for 10 hours when noise canceling is turned off and 7 hours when turned on, the same as the previous model. The extra boost comes from the charging case, which has a battery that's almost twice as large. A 10-minute quick charge adds up to 4 hours of listening time. Huawei says the headphones can be used for two weeks under basic conditions, based on a listening scenario of about 4 hours a day with noise canceling turned on.

[Photo: FreeBuds SE 5 Max charging box with lid open, two headphones in the tray]

Regarding noise cancellation, Huawei states a maximum reduction of 52 dB, divided into four modes. Super Noise Canceling mode is for crowded places, General for malls or coffee shops, Low Noise Canceling for libraries and offices, while Adaptive mode adjusts itself to ambient noise. The company clearly states that the 52 dB level is only achieved in certain situations and frequency ranges. The previous generation announced a level of 24 dB but was averaged across the entire frequency range, so the two numbers cannot be directly compared to each other.

In terms of sound, the headphones support LDAC, a high-quality wireless music transmission standard, transmitting about 3 times the amount of data as regular Bluetooth according to Huawei. This standard requires a supporting device: many Android phones have it, but iPhones do not, so iPhone users will not be able to enjoy this part.

The headphones connect to two devices with different operating systems at the same time, including iOS, Android, EMUI and HarmonyOS, through the HUAWEI Audio Connect application. Each side weighs about 4.3 g, meets IP55 standards for dust and water resistance, enough for drizzle or light exercise. This standard only applies to headphones and charging cases that are not waterproof.

The product is not launched specifically for Vietnam. Malaysia opens for sale from November 3 with a suggested price of 249 MYR, about 1.6 million VND, and early booking incentives bring the price down to 159 MYR, about 1 million VND. In Germany, the headphones have a suggested price of 79 EUR, about 2.3 million VND, with a discount of 30 EUR from November 10 to 30 on Amazon. Singapore sells for 58 SGD, about 1.2 million VND, from November 10. Indonesia opens for sale from November 5, and Philippines from November 8 via TikTok. With a listing price of 890,000 VND, the price in Vietnam is lower than the price announced in Malaysia, Singapore and Germany.

Headphone buyers will also receive one year of free HUAWEI Loss Care support service from Huawei. If a headset is lost or damaged, customers are eligible to purchase a replacement at 50% off the official retail price. From now until November 9, customers can collect a voucher of 50,000 VND, applicable when purchasing FreeBuds SE 5 Max on November 10 and 11.

Readers can refer to product prices here.