In response to the rising rate of insecurity in the country and the need to equip Nigerian youths with relevant skills, the Chinese tech faint, HUAWEI along with TD Africa, Access Bank, Universities and others, have come together to organise an ICT youth training programme.
This was made known at the HUAWEI ICT job fair event which held in Abuja at the International Conference Centre (ICC).
Speaking at the event, the Deputy Managing Director of HUAWEI Nigeria, Mr. Osita Nweze, said the tech faint was partnering with stakeholders for the development of ICT in Nigeria.
“For almost 6 years HUAWEI has partnered with schools and universities to provide ICT training for Nigerians. We are giving a platform for those who are into, and those who are interested in ICT to come on board and become professionally trained ICT staff,” he said.
He noted that so far, HUAWEI has setup over 100 ICT centre’s in the country and have projected to build over 200 new centres by 2025 to train 30,000 students in both academic and industrial qualification.
“We partner primarily with universities, currently we’ve partnered with over 100 universities to deliver them access to our ICT academies and programs such as this one,” he added.
Also, speaking at the event, the Managing Director of Coscharis, Mr. Sunday Okoro, lauded the efforts of HUAWEI in alleviating the unemployment situation in Nigeria and described Huawei as an “Organisation that values relationships, and places emphasis on Human Capital development through series of trainings and certifications.”
He also expressed dismay at the present state of unemployment and insecurity in Nigeria and pledged to employ youths who go through the program.
“We have a lot of youths that are jobless, but technology drives every sector, and for those that will be chosen today we ask that you take this serious. We have taken a look at our partners and decided to emulate them, we are going to make a commitment to continually employ and recruit the youths who go through this training, the following trainings and are certified by HUAWEI,” he said.
In his goodwill, the Vice Chancellor of Ahmadu Bello University, who was represented by Prof. Kabri Bala, described how HUAWEI approached the University in 2018 to request a partnership to contribute towards equipping students with highly sort after skills.
He said, “this partnership, though young has yielded benefits for the two parties, for instance the ABU has enrolled over 1,300 students on the HUAWEI talent portal to train and certify them in ICT skills such as; Datacom, routing and switching, wireless technologies and artificial intelligence.
“The training program is one of the best in Africa in teaching hands on skills, and the students have gone on to win National and multinational awards,” he said.
Other dignitaries present at the event include; Mrs. Juliet Emeruonye, the HUAWEI HR person, Professor Paulinus okwelle, the executive secretary of National commission of colleges of Education, Deputy Executive Secretary of National University Commission (NUC), Dr. Christopher Maiyaki, the VC of Tafawa Balewa University Professor Muhammad A. Abdulazeez, and Mrs Chioma Chimere, CMD of TD Africa distribution limited among others.
Leading ICT company, Huawei has been commended by the Deputy Education Minister, Rev. John Ntim Fordjour, for the pivotal role it plays in harnessing the potential of ICT to promote equitable and inclusive education for all, through its Technology-enabled Open School System (TeOSS) project.
The Technology-enabled Open School Systems (TeOSS) is an initiative in partnership with UNESCO, the Ministry of Education through the Ghana Education Service (GES) and Centre for National Distance Learning and Open Schooling (CENDULOS) as well as other key players in Ghana, Egypt and Ethiopia.
The project which is aimed at building robust crisis-resilient school systems seeks to connect school and home-based learning, to ensure the continuity and quality of learning under normal or crisis situations.
It also seeks to empower beneficiaries through enhanced connectivity, digital skills, and professional development over a period of three years.
Speaking at the just-ended UNESCO-Huawei Cross Country Seminar held in Accra, the Deputy Minister, elaborated on the government and Ministry’s commitment to collaborate further with Huawei, UNESCO and other development partners to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 4 which focuses on ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education and promoting life-long learning.
Rev John Ntim Fordjour elaborated that, to meet the key targets of SDG Goal 4, more digital platforms are needed as an enabler and the leverage to achieve them.
He said government has put in a lot of effort through industry partnerships to reach every place where learners are found.
“We are excited about this discussion going on with Huawei Ghana and the team of experts that are sharing ideas and supporting this very brilliant intervention that the Ministry is undertaking,” he said.
He thanked the UNESCO Ghana Country Director, Diallo Abdulmahamahne and the Ghana team for their consistent support geared towards transforming Ghana’s education sector.
The Technology-enabled Open School project which was officially launched on November 25, 2021, is expected to benefit primary school students, Junior High School students, out-of-school children and vulnerable groups in Ghana.
Since its inception, the project has been piloted at 10 schools across 10 regions in the country. Under the pilot, educators and learners had access to online and offline resources to ensure that schools based in communities without internet access and electricity could benefit from the project.
As a company focused on accelerating the digital skills and the development of ICT talents in Ghana, Huawei through strategic partnerships has trained over 50,000 Ghanaians in advanced ICT courses like Artificial Intelligence, Cyber Security, Routing and Switching, Coding, Financial Technology and Cloud Computing under its Women in Tech initiative.
This year, under its LEAP (Leadership Entrepreneurship Advancement Possibility) program, Huawei organised its maiden ICT Job Fair in collaboration with key government ministries and successfully provided employment opportunities for over 200 tertiary students.
Twelve Nigerian students from the University of Ibadan, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, and University of Port Harcourt have qualified for the Huawei Global ICT competition following an excellent performance in the cloud and network examination at the just concluded Huawei sub-Saharan Africa region ICT competition finals.
The Huawei ICT Competition, which generally covers examination on the latest ICT technologies such as cloud computing, artificial intelligence, mobile networks and big data, is believed to be the biggest of its kind in Africa featuring 123 student-talents from 13 countries in sub-Saharan Africa, grouped into 41 teams (28 network track and 13 cloud track teams).
At the sub-Saharan regional finals, the students compete for 18 prizes and 12 admission tickets for the Huawei Global ICT Competition Final in October 2020, which will attract more than 300 other student-talents from 66 countries across the globe.
Team Nigeria had 15 students grouped into five teams who competed under the network and cloud segment. The Nigerian students had a great performance which guaranteed four of the Nigerian teams’ tickets to the Global ICT Competition.
Two teams emerged first position and third position respectively in the Cloud examination, while two other teams of the Nigerian students emerged second position in the Network examination.
Due to the pandemic, the Huawei ICT sub-Saharan regional competition was held virtually. The Nigerian students participated from the Huawei Technologies Nigeria offices in Abuja and Lagos respectively.
The Huawei ICT competition which is established to foster ICT learning in Africa and bridge the gap between theoretical study and practical experience typically comprises of a national preliminary contest, regional semi-final and a Global final. Following a successful run at the national finals of the Huawei ICT Competition which was held on December 10th 2019 and had over 23,000 Nigerian students in the contest, 15 students were selected to represent Nigeria at the sub-Saharan Africa Region ICT competition finals which held on September 10th and 11th, 2020 to determine those who will be selected to participate the Huawei Global ICT Competition finals.
One of the Huawei Channel Training Managers for ICT Talent Ecosystem Development in Nigeria, Mr. Weilei, said: “The Huawei ICT competition was first launched in Nigeria in 2017 and currently runs under the Huawei ICT Academy which is in collaboration with more than 90 Nigerian universities. The Huawei ICT Academy was established to train students for free in the latest internationally relevant ICT skills in subjects such as Networks, Cloud Computing and Big Data. As at today, over 10,000 Nigerian students have benefitted.”
He added that “there are 150 instructors from partnering institutions, with 120 of them acquiring various Huawei certifications in different technology track and 250 training classes in various technology tracks, in Routing & switching, storage, cloud services, big data, W-Lan, security and AI delivered by Huawei certified instructors.”
Director, Huawei Nigeria Enterprise D&S Department, Ms. Melissa Chen, said: “The competition-related training has helped over 300 students receive job offers. In Nigeria alone, over 3,000 Nigerian students trained by Huawei have successfully passed the Huawei professional certification exams. Huawei hopes to skill up more than 700,000 ICT professionals by 2023. The aim is to bridge the ICT talent gap, advance the digital transformation of industries, and bring digital to every person, home and organization for a fully connected, intelligent world.”
Mr. Kenneth Igwe, another of the Huawei Channel Training Managers for ICT Talent Ecosystem Development in Nigeria, explained how the students were trained adequately for the examination by Huawei certified instructors, following hands-on trainings/internship with the company. He said: “Prior to the ICT competition, Huawei Technologies Nigeria took time out to train 9 of the 15 students who were also given internship opportunities with the company in Abuja and Lagos. Meanwhile, all the students had also been trained since January for this competition and many of them already acquired HCIA, HCIP and HCIP which are globally recognised certifications in various Huawei technology Courses.”
The students and instructors were glad to have qualified to represent Nigeria at the Huawei Global ICT competition which will be held later in the year 2020.
“I am excited we have qualified for the global finals since we have been preparing for this for over 8 months. Huawei gave us free access to their cloud services and also free vouchers to write the HCIP Cloud Services Certification and also support from their engineers” – Abdullahi Muhammad Khalifa, Cloud Team, student from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, said.
“Huawei offered us internship opportunities which exposed us to real life projects and has played a major role towards our success in the regional final even as we look forward to a greater performance at the global finals. Connection, Glory, Future, the theme of the Huawei ICT Competition says it all. I am looking forward to the glory of becoming a world champion which will make the future brighter for me,” Ugheoke Anthony Oshiobugie, Network team student from the University of Port Harcourt, said.
“I feel very excited to be participating in the Huawei ICT Global Finals. It took a lot of time and effort to come this far and I am glad our team’s perseverance yielded great results. Huawei provided us with a suitable learning environment during our six weeks internship where we learnt about the emerging technologies such as Cloud and Storage,” Mustapha Abdullahi Jimoh, Cloud Team, and student from Ahamadu Bello University, Zaria, said.
“I am very excited to represent Nigeria in the global final and I will put more effort to bring the Gold medal home. Huawei has helped me in attaining my HCIA and HCIP R&S certifications and I also participated in a lot of rigorous trainings organized by Huawei including but not limited to HCIE training. These certifications and trainings really go a long way” – Abideen Bolaji Olaide (Network Team, student from University of Ibadan)
“I am so excited and honoured to represent Nigeria in the global finals, it has been an awesome experience so far. I was part of the boot camp at the Huawei office Abuja for about 2 months where we (I and my team) were extensively trained and well equipped for the regional finals. I am definitely looking forward to coming out in flying colours and making Nigeria proud at the global finals.” – Ukasanya Elma Tejiri (Network Team, student from University of Port Harcourt).
“What an intensive support from Huawei through the provision of quality trainings and test vouchers right from the associate level to the expert level also the provision of quick access to study guides.” – Badiru Toheeb Adeniyi (Network Team, student from University of Ibadan).
“This competition made me learn a lot of things. Previously, I could not configure a Huawei enterprise router via the CLI. But after preparing for this competition, I have been able to configure, install and integrate some enterprise links using Huawei enterprise routers. The preparation for this competition has enabled me to master most of the syntax for setting up a Huawei router/switches via CLI. The Huawei Academy has been so helpful in our preparation for the Regional finals through well-planned online classes, lucid presentation via Meet/Zoom mobile Apps and excellent tutors. During the classes, we were given all the materials needed for the exam” – Ohagim Chinemere (Network Team, student from University of Port Harcourt).
“This platform has enabled me broaden my knowledge in computer networking, information and network security. It has also kept me abreast on trending network protocols and procedures and how I can secure information properly hereby ensuring the triple A (authentication, authorization and accounting) to protect data and information using the 3 major components (CIA Triad) confidentiality, integrity and availability. This competition has also helped my knowledge and the level of experience acquired during the course and has enabled me have an outstanding edge of knowledge and professional qualification over other IT computer personnel’s in networking and security” – Nwala Uchechi Blessing (Network Team, Student from University of Port Harcourt).
“Looking at the performance of the students, I am just so happy. I am encouraged by the way they embrace this challenge, and always look forward to even more challenges. Huawei really helped in preparing us for the finals by making a pool of learning resources available online which we can always refer to at any time. More preparation time would go a long way for the students as they anticipate the global finals. A great performance is what I look forward to.,” Adebayo, Samuel Oluwafemi, Network Team, and Instructor from University of Port Harcourt, said.
Introduction
If you’re in the market for a new laptop and Huawei seems like the brand you’re going with, we’ve come up with a list of all the best Huawei options that you can buy right now.
It’s safe to say that we’re very familiar with Huawei at this stage, as our team of experts have thoroughly reviewed countless laptops over the years, with a fair few falling under the Huawei brand.
We’ve made sure to make this list as diverse as possible, so you can find the laptop that’s right for you. There are varying sizes of screen, weight, battery life and specs here, so you know all the options that the company offers.
And if you can’t find anything here that you like right now, make sure you bookmark this page and come back soon, as we will be updating this list every time we test a new Huawei laptop that impresses us. We’re in the process of reviewing the latest MateBook 16s laptop right now, though you can check out our first impressions of the laptop by clicking on the link prior.
And if you decide that you want to look at laptops beyond the Huawei brand, then you can take a look at our best lists for the Best Laptops, as well as Best Budget Laptop, Best Student Laptop, Best Chromebook, Best MacBook and Best Gaming Laptop, so there should be something for everyone.
How we test
Every laptop we review goes through a series of uniform checks designed to gauge key things including build quality, performance, screen quality and battery life.
These include formal synthetic benchmarks and scripted tests, plus a series of real-world checks, such as how well it runs the most frequently used apps.
We also make sure to use every laptop we review as our primary device for at least a week to ensure our review is as accurate as possible.
Huawei MateBook X Pro (2022)
Best overall Huawei laptop
Pros
- Intuitive trackpad gestures
- Vibrant and bright display
- Thin and lightweight design
- Powerful processor
Cons
- Expensive considering lack of discrete GPU
- Doesn’t include 12th-gen Intel processor
- Mediocre battery life
The Huawei MateBook X Pro (2022) is one of the best Huawei laptop options we’ve ever tested, bringing in everything we loved from the MateBook 14s but with an 11th-Generation Intel i7 processor which provided a speedy performance during our review. In our benchmarks, the MateBook X Pro outperformed its predecessor and even beat out the LG Gram 17 (2021) in our PCMark 10 benchmark.
We thought this laptop boasted an amazing build quality, with no flex in the chassis and a sleek design that is reminiscent of Apple’s MacBook Pro series. It weighs in at 1.38kg, with the heft making it feel sturdy and durable while still being perfectly serviceable as a portable device. Our reviewer claimed they had no issues carrying it from work and home, making it a good choice for anyone who is currently hybrid working.
The trackpad is one of the best features on this laptop, with haptic touchpad gestures allowing you to change the volume, take a screenshot and scrub through text. We thought this was incredibly intuitive and streamlines the experience of using the laptop, making small actions like muting music or moving forward in a video incredibly easy.
The 14.2-inch screen was also vibrant, with a refresh rate of 90Hz. The 10-point-multi-touchscreen was responsive and makes navigating pictures and maps much more fluid. We would recommend the MateBook X Pro to anyone after a mature work laptop, as it loads up incredibly quickly and the bright screen can also be used for streaming your favourite shows.
Reviewer: Gemma Ryles
Full review: Huawei MateBook X Pro (2022) review
Huawei MateBook 14s
Best value Huawei laptop
Pros
- Beautiful display with great resolution
- Lightweight and very portable
- High-quality keyboard
- Webcam issues from the MateBook 16 has been fixed
Cons
- Sometimes goes to sleep when unplugged
- Fan can get a little noisy
- No option for a discrete GPU
Sporting the same 14.2-inch screen as the MateBook X Pro (2022), the Huawei MateBook 14s offers a similar experience to the Pro but at a more affordable price point.
The 3:2 aspect ratio made it easy to have multiple work tabs open without the screen feeling too cluttered, with our reviewer also loving the touchscreen capabilities. Anyone who needs to scour maps or look through big excel sheets will definitely appreciate this feature, and the sturdy build quality makes this a perfect laptop for on-the-go working since it fits easily in most backpacks.
It comes with up to an 11th-Generation Intel Core i7 H-Series processor which beat out the MateBook X Pro (2021) in our testing. While it does pack an integrated GPU that limits graphically intensive work like video editing or 3D rendering, the Intel Iris Xe Graphics will still allow for light photo-editing and casual gaming – although we would recommend this more to anyone after a productivity work laptop.
The MateBook 14s is a great choice, with a portable design that can be taken to and from the office and a bright screen that can handle multiple tabs open at once. However, if you’re looking for a larger screen to work on, check out our next entry on the MateBook D 16, which comes with a punchy 16-inch display.
Reviewer: Gemma Ryles
Full review: Huawei MateBook 14s review
Huawei MateBook D 16 (2022)
Best big-screen Huawei laptop
Pros
- Large and vibrant display
- Speedy 12th-Gen Intel processor
- Relatively cheap price
- Great port selection
Cons
- Poor battery life
- Annoying trackpad placement
Moving onto the largest laptop on this list, the Huawei MateBook D 16 packs a massive 16-inch screen that comes with a 16:10 aspect ratio. It also has a 90% screen-to-body ratio, which gives the laptop a premium look – more stylish than other chunkier laptops, like the Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 – and makes it easier to have more tabs open on the screen without it feeling overcrowded.
The large screen also has a 1920×1200 resolution, which our review noted was sharp and vibrant. In our benchmarks, we also saw the screen reach 328.5 nits, with a contrast of 1442:2. This falls slightly short of the MateBook 16, though it ensured a clear difference between dark and bright imagery for great picture quality.
It also packs a 12th-Generation Intel Core processor, which we thought allowed for speedy load-up times. It was able to handle multiple Chrome tabs, Spotify and YouTube being opened at once without faltering, making it an ideal productivity laptop.
Plus, the large and tactile keyboard is full-sized, giving users access to a numeric keyboard. Anyone who regularly works with numbers or spreadsheets will find this helpful, and we liked how quiet it was to use.
Reviewer: Gemma Ryles
Full review: Huawei MateBook D 16 review
Huawei MateBook E
Best hybrid Huawei laptop
Pros
- Two-in-one laptop
- Huawei keyboard comes included
- Support for Huawei M-Pencil
- Amazing colour accuracy
- Responsive touch screen
Cons
- Slightly heavier than you may expect
- Disaspointing battery
- Keyboard can be unresponsive
- Not enough ports
The Huawei MateBook E (2022) is the best Huawei laptop with a 2-in-1 design, which means it can bew used as both a tablet and a laptop. It comes bundled with the Huawei Keyboard, while you can also buy the M-Pencil to doodle and draw with more precision, although the screen was still perfectly responsive when using your finger.
The 12.6-inch screen uses OLED technology, which our reviewer thought was vibrant, with the blacks looking deeper and colours looking punchier. Our tests backed this up, as the screen came out with a high brightness of 418 nits and a perfect contrast. It also scored great in our colour accuracy tests, meaning that any creative professionals will be fine using the MateBook E for photo editing and other colour-sensitive work.
Furthermore, our reviewer found that this laptop rarely ever stalled and could handle simple tasks like web browsing, word processing and video streaming with ease. The versatile design means it can be configured in multiple ways, allowing users to switch from productivity work to watching a movie seamlessly.
While we wouldn’t recommend the MateBook E for any creatives that want to engage in intensive work (like video editing or 3D rendering) due to the lack of discrete GPU, we think it’s ideal for anyone who values portability and versatility.
Reviewer: Gemma Ryles
Full review: Huawei MateBook E review
FAQs
The SSD (solid state drive) is essentially the component that determines how much storage your laptop has. A 512GB SSD is the norm these days, with anything less making storage space feel cramped if you get a lot of music, photos and videos.
A 2-in-1 laptop is a device that has a flexible hinge, allowing it to be folded up into a tablet form. These laptops often have stylus support too, making them good options for doodlers and creatives.
RAM (Random Access Memory) is computer memory that helps the processor offer a smooth performance. 8GB seems to be the default for laptops these days, with anything less potentially seeing noticeable slowdowns for your computer when performing multiple tasks.
Thunderbolt is a port technology that is typically found through USB-C connections. Thunderbolt is signalled with a small lightning bolt icon and can allow for multi-purpose functions such as power delivery, display output and data transfer for an all-in-one solution.
Intel Evo was first introduced in 2020 and is the second edition of the Intel Athena programme, which is essentially branding found on certain laptops that pass a number of tests set by Intel. Intel also requires its Evo laptops to have Wi-Fi 6 connectivity, as well as Thunderbolt 4 ports and USB-C charging, alongside a few other highlights.
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Convertible?
- Huawei just announced a refresh to its flagship laptop, the MateBook X Pro.
- The device is powered by a 12th Gen Intel Core processor and is available in Ink Blue, White, and Space Grey.
- Huawei has not shared pricing information or a release date for the new MateBook X Pro at this time.
Huawei just unveiled a refresh to its flagship laptop, the MateBook X Pro. The new PC runs on a 12th Gen Intel Core CPU and is available in two additional color options, Ink Blue and White (the traditional Space Grey remains an option as well). Despite showing off the new PC, Huawei did not share pricing information or a release date for its new laptop.
It's worth noting that while Huawei's high-end notebooks often compete with the best Windows laptops, they aren't available for purchase in the United States. Those in Europe and Asia will likely be able to order the new PC.
The MateBook X Pro has a 14.2-inch 3.1K display with a screen-to-body ratio of 92.5%. It has an average ΔE of less than 1 on the P3 and sRGB dual-color gamuts as well. The display has a TÜV Rheinland Eye Comfort3.0 Certification, which is a first among laptops according to Huawei.
To reduce glare, Huawei coated the screen of the MateBook X Pro with a Magnetically-controlled Nano Optical AR layer, which the company claims reduces light reflection by 60%.
The new MateBook X Pro is Intel Evo certified. It also has the option to run with a TDP of 30W when in Performance Mode.
Huawei highlighted the audio and video capabilities of its new laptop as well. The PC has six speakers and four built-in microphones. Along its top bezel, it has an HD camera that supports AI features, such as background switching and what Huawei calls hardware-level beauty enhancements. It also supports FollowCam and Eye Contact to help conference calls feel more personal.
Huawei also announced new versions of the MateBook 16s, MateBook D 16, MateBook 14s, and MateBook 14 laptops today, all of which have been refreshed with 12th Gen Intel Core CPUs. The MateBook 16s is the most powerful of the bunch, sporting an Intel Core i9-12900H processor.
The MateBook D 16 is unique because it features a Huawei Metaline Antenna, which the company claims will Strengthen its signal by 56%.
Three Nigerian students are set to win the sums of N1 Million, N700,000 and N500,000 respectively in the ongoing 2021 Huawei global ICT competition ending on November 7.
The winners will also get a chance to be awarded internship opportunities, get free Huawei devices including laptops and smart devises as well as Huawei Certification vouchers. One of the vital part of the competition is a roadshow – an avenue to intimate the students about the ICT Competition as well as the ICT Academy program.
“The Huawei ICT Competition is a competitive ICT talent exchange event developed by Huawei for University and College students globally to promote the healthy development of the ICT talent ecosystem and support the integration of industry and education. Nigerian students have participated in this competition since 2018, with over 40,000 Nigerian students registering for the competition cumulatively since 2018. Nigerian students reached the 3rd position in the Global final in 2018-2019.
“In the 2019-2020 competition, students from Ahmadu Bello University, University of Port Harcourt and University of Ibadan clinched 2 of the grand prizes in the Cloud and Network Track,” Mr Kenneth Ogwe, the ICT Talent Ecosystem manager said in a statement issued at the end of the awareness road show.
“This is part of Huawei’s CSR programs under which the company is unrelenting in investing heavily in nurturing local ICT talent to compete equally with counterparts from across the globe. This is in addition to growing the local ICT talent ecosystem, strengthening capacity building and increasing people’s digital competence.” he said.
“Despite the Covid-19 pandemic, Huawei Nigeria did not relent in its efforts in ensuring Nigerian students register under its Authorized Information and Network Academy and get thoroughly trained in core ICT skills. Trainings and classes are online based, engaging hundreds of students across the country on their computer screens from the comfort of their homes.
“Over 15,000 Nigerian students have been trained for free under the Huawei ICT Academy program on subjects such as Networks, Cloud Computing and Big Data. This program also provides Nigerian students with access to globally recognized career certificates at three levels; Huawei Certified ICT Associate, Professional and Expert (HCIA, HCIP and HCIE),” Mr. Ogwe said.
The competition affords students the opportunity for talent building in the ICT Talent Ecosystem. Students are given the platform to enhance their ICT knowledge, practical and application skills, stimulate their innovation skills and creativity and acquire a globally acceptable certification.
During the competition, students choose between the Network and the Cloud track. Under the Network track students compete in networking technologies including Routing and Switching, Security and WLAN while the Cloud Track features newer technologies such as Big Data, Cloud Computing, Cloud Service, Storage and Artificial Intelligence.
Huawei has so far partnered with over 110 institutions across the country, providing training to more than 5,000 students annually. In 2021, Huawei extended its partnership to over 20 universities across the country to provide training on emerging technologies.
“The Huawei ICT Competition has become an opportunity for students in related fields to connect and compete with fellow students in the country and globally, learn the latest technologies and also get an opportunity to win prizes. Most especially, it allows them to bridge the gap between theoretical study and practical industry experience,” he added.
The registration for the ICT Competition commenced in July and ends on the 7th of November. The students will sit for the Preliminary test slated for the November 8th, 2021 thereafter followed by the National Final by the end of November 2021.
Interestingly, though, Xiaomi's flagship smartphones used to be the ones that took (and still take) some cues from the competition. While that's far from uncommon for a newly-established brand (take a look at the Nothing Phone, which resembles an iPhone 12), it left many with the impression that Xiaomi was one of those "Chinese knock-off brands" - like the 130401284 ones that actually exist.
But that's not the case…
Xiaomi's journey: From a unique identity, through desire to fit in and all the way back...
Xiaomi's always appreciated Apple's iOS, and it shows...
Software: MIUI isn't afraid to be a little bit like iOS and a little bit like Android
Before talking about hardware, I can't skip highlighting that Xiaomi's modern version of MIUI strongly resembles another OS - namely iOS.
While Xiaomi is far from the first and only brand to take after Apple's app drawer-less and minimalistic home screen, it's probably the company that comes the closest to delivering a tasteful Apple-like visual experience on Android.
Still, despite Xiaomi's apparent and openly-admitted iOS influence (Xiaomi's CEO has made positive remarks in regards to Apple on many occasions), there are notable differences in the way iOS and MIUI behave. For example, the iPhone won't let you freely rearrange icons and widgets, but MUI (being Android) does.
MIUI also happens to be one of the most (if not the most) customizable Android skins as a whole. A mix of iOS in terms of looks and Android when it comes to functionality, some might see MIUI as the best of both worlds. That might make Xiaomi phones one of the good choices for those ready to switch from iPhone to Android - an unlikely transition, but certainly one that makes a bit more sense than you might've thought.
Hardware: Xiaomi phones prior to 2020 looked uninspiring, yet somewhat inspired (by the likes of the iPhone and Galaxy)
Xiaomi Mi3 (left) and Xiaomi Mi8 (right) - does the latter remind you of any $1,000 phone?
Here's where things get more interesting…
Xiaomi's hardware journey has gone through a couple of notable transitions. When it comes to flagship phones, the Xiaomi Mi3 - Mi6 cycle was when one could say that Xiaomi phones had their own design flair.Design-wise, the Xiaomi Mi 5 and Xiaomi Mi 6 were one of the most praised Android phones of their time, with glass/ceramic builds, slightly curved screens, and sophisticated paint jobs. However, the ancient Xiaomi Mi 3 was the most easily recognizable Xiaomi flagship that I can think of, and that's probably because it didn't look like an iPhone or a Galaxy...
But of course, as the story often goes, the Chinese brand (like many others) fell into a familiar mainstream trap - the one of visual assimilation. I sort of made up that last term, but it simply means that the Xiaomi Mi 8 flagship took the company's phones from ones that had their own look to… iPhone clones.
After influencing the company's software look, in 2018, Apple became Xiaomi's primary hardware role model too.
Sure, Xiaomi didn't make 1:1 iPhone knock-offs, but the resemblance between the iPhone X (September 2017) and Xiaomi Mi 8 (May 2018) was uncanny. Xiaomi borrowed:
- Apple's notch and Face ID, but with its own (slightly less advanced) infrared sensors together with Xiaomi's own Animojis
- The iPhone X's rear design, including the camera layout
On paper, it might look like two simple design elements, but really the notch and rear camera layout are what made the iPhone X an iPhone X and, therefore, what made the Xiaomi Mi 8 look like Android's iPhone.
Xiaomi Mi 10 - Xiaomi Mi 11 series: Xiaomi finds its own identity (again)
As Bob Ross says, there are no mistakes - only happy accidents…
Xiaomi quickly realized that being heavily influenced isn't the way to establish itself as a brand that can influence...At this point, Hugo Barra (former product lead at Google) had already joined Xiaomi as the company's new Vice President. Note, not VP of design, or something else, but VP... period. Hugo Barra's role wasn't only to point Xiaomi's products in the right direction but to help establish the brand as a player outside of the Chinese market - this was the real challenge.
Anyway, it seems to have worked out well! Barra left Xiaomi last year (to join Facebook's Oculus project), but he also left the company with a newly-found identity of a brand that knows how to be itself and stand out in the pool of slabs.
That could already be seen in the Xiaomi Mi 9 series, which escaped the iPhone's design shadow, but it was the Xiaomi Mi 10 series (especially the Xiaomi Mi 10 Ultra), and Xiaomi Mi 11 series (again, especially the Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra) that turned heads and dropped some jaws. At least mine, anyway.
Unnatural selection: "The Huawei ban" puts the beginning of Xiaomi's Ultra age
Hi, Huawei! Is this seat available?
Until 2020, Huawei was undoubtedly the most aggressive player in the smartphone market, thanks to the company's advances in hardware, mostly revolving around the camera. Of course, the US trade ban had Huawei out of the picture, but it also rolled the red carpet for the other big Chinese phone-maker, and boy, was Xiaomi ready to walk the regal rug!
Xiaomi Mi 10 Ultra and Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra picked up right where Huawei's super-aggressive flagships left off after crumbling on the global scene.
Little Rice (which is what Xiaomi means) went for it! The Xiaomi Mi 10 Ultra looked like nothing else on the market (of course, it was still a slab phone). Still, most importantly, it was Xiaomi's entry into the newly-established ultra-premium flagship segment. It took everyone by surprise and delivered a show-stopping camera and incredible charging speeds. Then came the Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra, which took things to a completely new level. Not just for Xiaomi but for Android as a whole. The 11 Ultra had the largest camera sensors on a phone (all three of them), an unmistakable ceramic Panda colorway, and a literal display on its back to let users take (probably) the best selfies we've ever seen come out of a phone's "selfie" camera.
Xiaomi 12S Ultra: Taking over the smartphone world - what is Xiaomi missing?
The Xiaomi 12S Ultra takes things to a new level, but Xiaomi still has some challenges...
But forget Apple and Huawei…
And that's how we come to the present da and Xiaomi's latest flagship phone. The new Xiaomi 12S Ultra isn't just a phone with a unique identity, but one that plays by its own rules and, frankly, in its own league. That has a double meaning, which you'll discover below.The design of the Xiaomi 12S Ultra is a paradigm shift and a departure from the four-year-old iPhone copy that was the Mi 8, but also from Xiaomi's prior Ultra flagships. Xiaomi is playful and not afraid to reinvent itself at this point, but the good news is that things only get better below the surface.
Xiaomi Problem 1: Global availability
And that's the moment for me to get a bit more personal…
I have a beef with Chinese phone-makers. It has to do with the fact that they're keeping their best phones for the Chinese market, and I'm out here drooling over the likes of the Xiaomi 12S Ultra, Huawei Mate XS 2, and a ton of awesome mid-range phones that often don't make it out of Asia or do so way too late.
The Xiaomi 12S Ultra brings the best camera hardware I've ever seen on the back of a phone. It's frankly one that must be protected at all cost, which is probably why the Leica-powered cameras come with a case that has a protective camera cap to go with it. If that doesn't make the Xiaomi 12S Ultra feel like a "real camera", then I don't know what does…
But why is Xiaomi also "protecting" the 12S Ultra from… western markets?
Yes, global availability is the main constraining factor that holds Xiaomi's top flagships back from challenging the Apples and Samsungs of the world. It looks so simple, doesn't it? The Xiaomi 12S Ultra is ready to rock and roll! All that's needed is to start selling it globally and make the competition extremely nervous and customers extremely happy. Anyway, I'll discuss why Xiaomi might be keeping the 12S Ultra domestic-only in a future story.
Xiaomi Problem 2: Too many mid-range phones
One thing worth mentioning is that although Xiaomi's ultra flagships are the most impressive phones the company sells (or doesn't sell, depending on where you are), it's the mid-range Xiaomi devices that helped put the company on the map.
Xiaomi's budget and mid-range phones are best-sellers in several European countries and dominate the Asian market, alongside Samsung.
The problem lately has been that there are too many of them! Xiaomi has created several sub-brands like Redmi and Poco and launches budget phones virtually every couple of months - left and right. Most of them share specs and looks and only confuse customers and… tech writers.
Remember the iconic Xiaomi Mi A2 (with clean Android)? What about the Xiaomi Poco F1, which broke all the rules and made OnePlus' "flagship-killers" look overpriced and underperforming? And what about the Xiaomi Redmi K20 and K20 Pro that brought the pop-up camera-flagship chip combo to the mid-range segment?I honestly struggle to think of better value phones from any company at any moment in smartphone history. The above-mentioned phones were that good, and the reason I remember their names is because they weren't accompanied by five other Xiaomi phones that sort of looked like them (and also because I'm a phone nerd).
Anyway, Xiaomi's now trading blows with Apple for the second spot in global smartphone shipments, and I truly believe it's not far from permanently taking the spot behind Samsung and even getting to the very top.
So, Xiaomi, if you're reading this, I got two things:
- Give me my Xiaomi 12S Ultra (to replace my Pixel 6 Pro) before I come to China and get it
- Bring back the tradition of the standard-setting mid-range phone release - but just one every year, OK?
I'll go and get a life now…
The Huawei FreeBuds Lipstick earbuds are one of the most controversial products I’ve reviewed in a while, as it seems that both my coworkers and friends can’t make their minds up about the striking design. Regardless, the audio quality and overall premium feel have landed them firmly in my good books, though I wouldn’t recommend them to everyone.
Pros
- Cool and distinct design
- Solid audio quality
- Premium finish and build quality
- Responsive touch controls
- Companion app
Cons
- ANC can be a little lacklustre
- Design can sometimes make them tricky to spot
- Expensive
Availability
- UKRRP: £199.99
- USAunavailable
- EuropeRRP: €179.99
- CanadaRRP: CA$348.99
- AustraliaRRP: AU$399
- Active Noise CancellationFeatures ANC 2.0 to reduce ambient noise
- Companion appAdjust EQ presets and gestures
- Distinctive designRed lipstick inspired design
Introduction
You can’t fault Huawei for being simple. While we’ve already crossed paths with earbuds such as the FreeBuds Pro 2, we finally got a hold of the FreeBuds Lipstick, and they haven’t disappointed.
The Huawei FreeBuds Lipstick came out in late 2021, though they seem to have passed people by. It seems the company has been pushing its MateBook range rather than focusing on its cosmetic-inspired audio device.
Packing ANC and featuring support for the companion app Huawei AI, there is more to these earbuds than meets the eye.
Design
- Striking and interesting design
- Can sometimes look too much like a lipstick
- Premium and sturdy build
One of the most enticing aspects of these earbuds is the design, and for good reason. While being a fair bit chunkier and heavier than traditional lipstick with the case weighing in at 84.5g, the FreeBuds Lipstick are a pretty faithful recreation of the cosmetic item, which I personally found really fun.
While I won’t deliver Huawei too much credit – and I do imagine that these are part of some bigger plan to get women more interested in the company – I think the design is distinctive, and the build quality feels very premium, like a designer lipstick.
Most of the casing is a sleek shiny black, with a rose gold strip that features Huawei branding. You can only close the case if this line matches up, which is slightly more fiddly than some other earphone cases, like the OneSonic BXS-HD1. But I didn’t find it to be a big hindrance, especially as you get used to it the more you use them.
The case, specifically the rose gold accent, is prone to smudges due to its glossy finish. While this doesn’t really matter for day-to-day use, it can make them look a little grubby when in sunlight.
The earbuds themselves are completely red, which adds to the lipstick aesthetic. One thing Huawei is missing here is multiple colourways; my makeup-enthused friends and I all believe that pink, peach, apricot, and basically any other classic lipstick colour should also be available. And while red is an iconic lipstick colour, anyone looking to match their makeup to their earbuds would probably be better off with a softer colour, like peach.
I also believe that the case itself should come in different colours, potentially all rose gold or even red. These issues are purely cosmetic, and I still think that the product overall looks premium, but it would be nice to see more colourful and cute options considering the lipstick premise.
However, even though I am a big fan of the design, inherently this is not going to appeal to all audiences. Similarly to the Gravastar Sirius Pro earbuds, if you’re not a fan of the design I doubt you would even consider these as your next pair of earbuds, which I think is a shame. That’s also why I think Huawei should expand the colourways, as they may find a wider audience with makeup enthusiasts if they could find their favourite lipstick shade in the form of earbuds.
I was very pleased with the touch controls on the earbuds, as they were very responsive, on par with my AirPods 2. You can configure the controls in the Huawei AI Life app, with the three options being double tap, touch and hold and swipe.
I also felt the earbuds fit very well in my ears, and I never had any instances of them falling out or moving around. Since I have smaller ear canals I tend to find that plastic units fit me better than silicon ear tips, though I think these have an ergonomic shape that would work well for most people.
The bottom of the charging case houses a USB-C port for charging alongside an LED indicator, which glows orange when they’re charging on a low battery, and green when they hit around 80% charged.
Features
- Decent but underwhelming ANC
- Companion app
- Good battery life
The active noise cancellation on these earbuds has two modes, General and Cozy. I found both modes to be decent but by no means amazing. General mode did help to push out some of the ambient noise on the bus, like announcements and the engine, though I could still pick up on some chatter if people were sitting directly next to me.
I have used the Cozy mode less since it lets in more noise, though I enjoyed using it while waiting for my order in a coffee shop, as I could still catch my order while blocking out the music playing overhead. It also worked great in the office, as it blocked out enough noise that I could focus but not enough that I couldn’t hear a co-worker talking to me.
Despite not being everything I had hoped for, the FreeBuds Lipstick have better ANC than the 1More PistonBuds Pro, and I do think there is a big difference when it’s turned on compared to the ambient mode.
Moving on to the companion app, and I was impressed with the variety of options it gave me in terms of customisation. I was able to manually switch between ANC modes and could change the controls associated with the gestures. Since the touch controls are solid I didn’t have to dip into the app as often, which made the experience of using them more fluid.
You also have the option to play with the EQ presets. However, you only have the option between Bass boost, Treble boost and Default, with no option to manually customise the audio. While I would have liked more options, I was impressed with the Bass and Treble modes presented and thought they worked well with the audio.
You can also check the battery on each earbud and the charging case which I really like, as earbuds like the Sirius Pro don’t deliver you any way of checking how much power your device has left.
The battery life was also good, and I found that I rarely had to charge the earbuds. I used the earbuds in total for around five hours with the ANC being toggled on and off before they needed to go back into the charging case, which is longer than Huawei claims they can last on one charge. The charging case claims to offers up 22 extra hours with ANC turned off, and I think I got about that during my time using them, with the earbuds lasting several long train and bus journeys before dying completely.
The connection overall was also impressive, and I didn’t experience any dropouts or interference when linking up the earbuds in busy signal environments like a train station. They also worked seamlessly with my laptop, the Huawei MateBook D 16, and I think the audio quality was consistent no matter what they were connected to.
Sound Quality
- Punchy, warm audio
- Impressive bass performance
- Detailed vocals
Despite the quirky design, the main reason to invest in earbuds is because they sound good. Thankfully, I think the FreeBuds Lipstick hold up, with music playback sounding punchy and warm without losing nuance.
Heat Waves by Glass Animals sounded smooth and detailed, with the vocals and instruments balancing out. The bass notes could reach a deep level without sounding distorted, with the drums sounding distinguished and punchy. This song also had a distinctive soundstage, as I could hear the vocals coming in from the front and the percussion rounding out the sides.
Bass boost mode also elevated certain songs, like alt-J’s Breezeblocks, as it allowed the notes to go even deeper. In Breezeblocks, I could pick up on the individual bass notes being played under the vocals, and it created more contrast against the drum snare and bells than when I played in Default mode.
I didn’t utilise the Treble mode as often, though that’s mostly due to my own music taste. Steely Dan’s Do It Again, however, sounded great using this mode. The electric sitar and percussion instruments shined without sounding distorted or overpowering, having a great tonal balance while still sounding impactful.
Default mode also worked well and I tended to have that mode on more often than others, since it was still able to create a decent soundstage with less emphasis on the higher and lower notes. Olivia Rodrigo’s good 4 u sounded bright and maintained a lot of detail, with the track having more emphasis than when I played it on the PistonBuds Pro.
Comparing these to my AirPods 2, I think the Huawei have more overall detail and a better representation of the mid-range, and I didn’t need them to be turned up too loud to actually distinguish the instrumentals.
Overall, I think the FreeBuds Lipstick work well with a variety of different genres, and I felt that the Bass and Treble modes worked wonders in elevating certain songs. While I do think that earbuds like the Sony WF-1000XM4 will provide a better audio experience overall, these are not to be sniffed at, which surprised me considering the overall draw in here is the design.
However, I would also say that the price point of these earbuds are slightly on the high end, meaning that you will need to love the design to make them really worth it.
Latest deals
Should you buy it?
You want solid audio quality and a makeup-inspired design These earbuds blend ANC, solid touch controls and a helpful companion app with a distinctive design. Any makeup-lovers should definitely consider these, and I would implore non-makeup wearers to deliver these a chance, as there is more substance to these than you may expect.
You want some traditional earbuds Despite my love of the design, it’s not going to be for everyone. The ANC is also not perfect, and you can find earbuds with the same or better audio quality for a similar price point from the likes of Sony and Bose.
Final Thoughts
The Huawei FreeBuds Lipstick surprised me as I was definitely expecting them to be style over substance. I think that the design is innovative and interesting, though I don’t think that they will appeal to some audiences, which does put them at a disadvantage.
While the ANC mode could be better, it still delivered an admirable performance that worked well for me in most environments, provided it wasn’t excessively loud. And overall I have to praise the audio quality, as I think these buds picked up on a lot of detail and nuance that some cheaper earbuds miss out on, with the Bass and Treble modes bringing new heights to certain songs.
Features like the companion app, solid touch controls and good battery life also help cement these earbuds for me, and I think they are worth it provided that you’re going to enjoy the lipstick style, as they are a similar price as some other high-end earbuds from the likes of Sony and Bose.
My main note to Strengthen is that Huawei needs to branch out in terms of the colour of the earbuds and charging case, as I can see these developing a strong fanbase provided there were a few more colourways that match up with the most popular lipstick shades.
How we test
We test every headphones we review thoroughly over an extended period of time. We use industry-standard tests to compare features properly. We’ll always tell you what we find. We never, ever, accept money to review a product.
Find out more about how we test in our ethics policy.
Tested for more than a week
Tested with real world use
FAQs
No, these earbuds come in one shade, with a black and rose gold casing and red earpieces.
Sustainability
TrustedReviews’ holds the fact that global warming is not a myth as a core value and will continuously endeavor to help protect our planet from harm in its business practices.
As part of this mission, whenever we review a product we send the company a series of questions to help us gauge and make transparent the impact the device has on the environment.
We currently haven’t received answers to the questions on this product, but will update this page the moment we do. You can see a detailed breakdown of the questions we ask and why in our sustainability info page.
Jargon buster
ANC
ANC (Active Noise Cancellation) uses an array of microphones in a headphone to detect the frequency of the sound coming at the listener, with the ANC chip creating an inverse wave (i.e. opposing sound) to suppress any unwanted external noises.(MENAFN- BCW Global) [Shenzhen, July 20, 2022]At Huawei Win-Win Innovation Week,executives Ryan Ding,President of Huawei's Carrier Business Group, and Dr. Philip Song, Huawei's Carrier BG Chief Marketing Officer, discussed the role of sustainable ICT infrastructure in helping operators systematically build green network to simultaneously address traffic growth and support carbon emission reduction. This took place during the Green Development Solutions Launch, held on the second day of the event, followed by the launch of a new solution suite.
Green ICT for New Value
During his keynote speech titled "Green ICT for New Value", Ryan Ding stressed the need for operators to prioritize energy efficiency and called for the establishment of a standard, industry-wide indicator system for energy efficiency. He explained, “Every major advancement in history has been accompanied by a significant improvement in the energy efficiency of information transmission. The increase in carbon emissions generated by exploding data traffic will become a global problem that must be tackled in the next five to ten years. Increasing energy efficiency will be the way forward."
According to third-party research, data traffic generated by digital services is expected to grow by 13-fold over 2020 by 2030. This means that, if energy efficiency improvements are not made, the ICT industry's energy consumption and carbon emissions will see a 2.3-fold increase. According to ITU, the ICT industry will need to reduce its carbon emissions by at least 45% by 2030 to meet the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Paris Agreement's goal.
Ding said, "We are now facing an unprecedented challenge: As more and more industries are going digital, the demand for data will rise sharply, which will result in a surge in energy consumption. In the meantime, the whole world is working to combat climate change, and the ICT industry must urgently achieve carbon peak and carbon neutrality."
Improvements to energy efficiency will benefit operators in three ways. First, user migration, site upgrades, and network power reduction will bring them OPEX savings. Second, improved energy efficiency will support the migration of 2G and 3G users to 4G and 5G services. Third, operators' efforts to reduce carbon footprint will positively impact the environment, helping them better fulfill their social responsibilities.
To help operators achieve these goals, Huawei has proposed a three-layer solution: green sites, green networks, and green operations. First, Huawei developed solutions to Strengthen site energy efficiency by adopting a highly integrated design, using new materials, and moving main equipment and power supply units outdoors. Second, the company's simplified network architecture makes forwarding faster and supports the construction of simplified, all-optical, and intelligent networks. Finally, at the operations level, Huawei offers a solution that generates and distributes optimization policies while making energy efficiency more visualized and manageable.
So far, these green development solutions have been deployed for operators in more than 100 countries. In Germany, for example, Huawei's PowerStar solution has helped realize minute-level energy efficiency self-optimization, improving energy efficiency greatly. In Spain, Huawei's optical cross-connect (OXC) solution has been deployed on a customer's backbone network, increasing energy efficiency by 81% and reducing costs by 29%. In Turkey, Huawei has deployed its green site solution for a customer, where equipment rooms are replaced with cabinets, eliminating the need for equipment rooms and air conditioners. The solution is expected to save 19,000 kWh of electricity per site per year.
Huawei and its operator partners are already working together to increase their "carbon handprint" by empowering carbon-intensive industries to boost energy efficiency using ICT solutions. The emissions reduction they enable can be 10 times their own emissions. Many success stories have already been seen in key carbon-intensive industries like ports, coal mining, and steel.
At the end of his speech, Ding called on the establishment of a unified, industry-wide indicator system as this would help establish baselines against which energy efficiency can be measured and serve as a guide for the green development of the ICT industry as a whole. Ding closed out his speech saying, "Huawei is ready to work with operators and create new value with green ICT."
Launching Green Infrastructure Solutions
Dr. Philip Song announced the launch of a new suite of green development solution, and delivered a speech titled "Developing Green ICT Infrastructure with Optimal Energy Efficiency". He explained how the solution is aimed at helping operators systematically Strengthen network energy efficiency: "As ICT infrastructure continues to evolve from 5G and F5G to 5.5G and F5.5G, green networks, evaluated against the network carbon intensity (NCIe) index, will become a critical part of future target networks. The main objective of our solution launch today is to help operators systematically build green networks that simultaneously address traffic growth and carbon emission reduction."
According to Song, technological innovation is required at three levels to help customers achieve green development goals:
• At the site and equipment level, more integrated designs and new materials should be used to move sites fully outdoors, and increase equipment energy efficiency and the efficiency of using renewable energy.
• In cross-site coordination and networking, a simplified network architecture and improved forwarding efficiency are required to maximize energy efficiency and make networks all-optical, simplified, and intelligent.
• To achieve green O&M, new O&M and energy-saving policies should be more easily developed and delivered, and energy efficiency indicators and baselines should be made more visible, manageable, and optimizable.
At the event, Song launched Huawei's green development solution with innovations at these three levels, as well as the new NCIe indicator system which supports this three-layer solution of green sites, green networks, and green operations.The NCIe energy efficiency indicator system proposed by Huawei has been approved by ITU-T SG5 and is now in the process of public consultation.
Closing out his speech, Song also announced the opening of the Evergreen Land engagement room, where Huawei will meet with global operators to discuss in-depth about green development and ways to build the most energy-efficient ICT infrastructure. He reiterated, "Huawei is committed to working with operators to Strengthen the energy efficiency of ICT infrastructure and create value using green ICT technologies."
The full details of Huawei's new green development solution have been provided below:
At the site layer, the solution focuses on innovation in three areas:
• Fully-outdoor deployment: Using innovative materials, the 12 kW blade power module features the highest capacity in the industry and supports 2G, 3G, 4G and 5G within a single site. The leading One Blade One Site solution features 97% site energy efficiency (SEE), also the highest in the industry.
• High degrees of integration: Ultra-wideband RF modules and multi-band antennas are integrated within these simplified sites. The company's unique signal direct injection feeding (SDIF) technology is able to realize zero losses with zero cabling inside multi-band antennas, boosting the telecommunications energy efficiency (TEE) of the equipment.
• Efficient use of renewable energy: Solutions such as Huawei's AI-based PV-storage optimization and iPV shading for loss reduction are used to maximize the efficiency of using renewable energy, generating about 25% more electricity than traditional solutions.
At the network layer, the solution also features innovations in three areas:
• All-optical connectivity: By upgrading the entire network from electrical switching to optical switching, the solution improves energy efficiency by about 10 times, while swapping copper for fiber further improves energy efficiency by about five times.
• Simplification: The multi-service processing capability of Huawei routers enables the solution to integrate four units of equipment into one. With SDH modernization, the solution replaces multiple cabinets per site with one sub-rack per site, significantly reducing the amount of equipment room space needed and improving network energy efficiency (NEE). Continuous innovation in the optical transmission network (OTN) has also enabled the ultra-wideband Super C120+L120 solution to support a per-fiber capacity of nearly 100 Tbit/s, which means 1 million users can simultaneously watch movies online over a single fiber the thickness of a hair.
• Intelligence: The solution supports intelligent dynamic hibernation of routers and automatically adjusts the forwarding frequency of network processors based on changes in the traffic volume.
At the operation layer, the solution focuses on user operations, energy saving policies, and energy efficiency indicators:
• The solution accelerates the migration of users to networks using more energy-efficient RATs, for example, from 2G and 3G to 4G and 5G, greatly reducing energy consumption per bit and reducing the NCIe value.
• The solution implements real-time traffic control and analysis, and adjusts forwarding processors' frequency or shuts down ports based on traffic volume changes.
• The solution ensures that the indicators are visible, manageable, and optimizable.
The Win-Win Huawei Innovation Week is held from July 18 to July 21 in Shenzhen, China. Together with global operators, industry professionals, and opinion leaders, we dive into subjects such as 5.5G, green development, and digital transformation to envision shared success in the digital economy
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Ahead of the launch of Google’s new Pixel Buds Pro, Huawei has brought out the latest version of its premium buds, the FreeBuds Pro 2.
And these buds promise a lot. Huawei has teamed up with French audio experts Devialet again to deliver some top-notch audio, and improved its active noise cancelling.
Huawei has done some good work in this area in recent years, and the FreeBuds Pro 2 are no exception. The Pro 2 bring some good advances, supporting high-resolution audio and adaptive EQ.
The buds are available in three different colours – silver blue, silver frost (aka grey) and ceramic white. The buds we got were silver blue, which are a little different from the normal earbud fare, with a iridescent glow.
In terms of design, the FreeBuds Pro 2 are broadly similar to what’s come before. Yes, there have been tweaks but the design of the new buds feels reassuringly familiar. The chunky stems are a little less chunky, but the earbuds are lightweight and easy to get to grips with.
You’ll need the AI Life app – available for both iOS and Android – to adjust some of the settings. From there, you can change the noise-cancellation settings, switch between modes designed for different environments and assign different gestures to controls such as skipping tracks, rejecting calls or switching between noise-cancelling modes. There are several of those modes by the way, but I found leaving it on dynamic and allowing the ear buds to switch to the most appropriate level worked well in neutralising the background noise for the most part.
The awareness mode was a little disappointing: I couldn’t quite hear the conversation around me in the same way that other earbuds allow on a similar mode.
One positive of the FreeBuds is that it is quite difficult to accidentally trigger those gestures when you are taking the buds out or adjusting them. On the other hand, I found it was sometimes a bit hit and miss whether the gesture I wanted to use actually worked. For the number of times I’d use gestures though, I’d prefer that scenario than constantly pausing or skipping tracks when trying to adjust the fit of the earbuds.
There are extra silicon tips in the box to ensure you get a good seal in your ears, helping to keep out the unwanted background noise even without the noise-cancelling modes activated. They don’t need to be pushed too far in to stay put either, so they don’t put too much pressure on your ears.
Huawei has a tip fit test too, which will tell you if you need to adjust the size of the silicon tips or simply just refit them. I don’t get overly hung up on this any more though as even taking the ear buds out and refitting them with the same tips can get a different result, and you’d have to run the test each time your put them in your ears to make sure the test flagged the fit as perfect.
Regardless, sound quality is top notch. I noticed details in certain songs that I hadn’t previously. It strikes the right note between rich sound without being overwhelming, and crisp and clear without being too sterile.
For the price you pay for these buds, the sound quality is amazing, before you even get to the high-resolution audio tracks. For that, you’ll need a device that supports high-resolution audio and the right content.
If there is one complaint, it would be that the battery life isn’t quite as good as I’d hoped for. Although you get four hours when you have active noise-cancelling mode enabled, it is less than the Oppo Enco X’s five hours of active noise cancelling, the AirPods Pro at 4½ hours and the Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro, which also have a five-hour battery life with active noise-cancelling on. Turn it off and the battery is much more impressive, but I like to block out the background hum.
The good
The sound quality on these earbuds is excellent, especially considering the price. They’re comfortable to wear for hours too. The gesture controls are handy, if a little fiddly to use.
The not so good
Battery life is good, but doesn’t quite match up to the bar set by some of its rivals. It may not seem like much – four hours versus 4½ to five hours – but if you are travelling, that extra hour makes a difference. The case will boost that, and you’ll get more than a full day out of it if you are periodically popping them back for a boost.
The rest
The FreeBuds Pro 2 come with IP54 rating, which will keep them safe from a splash or two of rain or sweat.
The verdict
Great sound and a decent price make the FreeBuds Pro 2 a good choice if you are looking for a new set of noise-cancelling earbuds.
