HD audio quality or lossless audio quality settings on my HUAWEI earbuds

Supported device models

• Earbuds:
  • FreeClip supports only L2HC and a maximum bit rate of 640 kbps.
  • FreeBuds Pro 4 earbuds support LDAC, L2HC 2.0, L2HC 3.0and L2HC 4.0.
  • FreeBuds Pro 3 earbuds support LDAC, L2HC 2.0, and L2HC 3.0.
  • FreeBuds 6i, FreeLace Pro 2, FreeBuds 5, and FreeBuds Pro 2 support LDAC and L2HC 2.0.
  • FreeBuds 5i supports only LDAC.

• Phone/Tablet: The Prioritize sound quality mode is only available for devices that support L2HC or LDAC. If this option is unavailable, your device may not support L2HC or LDAC, or non-HUAWEI phones may be restricting the use of LDAC on earbuds. For further details, contact the device manufacturer.
  • L2HC 4.0 (up to 2.3 Mbps of bit rate) is available on the following devices:
    • Phone/tablet: Pura 70 series (except Pura 70), Pocket 2, MatePad Pro 13.2-inch Premium Edition, Mate 60 series, and Mate X5. "LOSSLESS" displayed in the earbuds pop-up window indicates that the earbuds support CD-level lossless audio transmission bit rate.
  • L2HC 3.0 (up to 1.5 Mbps of bit rate) is available on the following devices:
    • Phone/tablet: Mate XT, Pura 70 series (except Pura 70), Pocket 2, MatePad Pro 13.2-inch Premium Edition, Mate 60 series, and Mate X5. "LOSSLESS" displayed in the earbuds pop-up window indicates that the earbuds support CD-level lossless audio transmission bit rate.
  • L2HC 2.0 (up to 960 Kbps of bit rate) is available on certain HUAWEI phones/tablets running EMUI 13/HarmonyOS 3.0 or later (see the list below). For updates to this list, stay tuned for official announcements.
    • Phones: Mate XT, Pura 70 series, Pocket 2, Mate X5, Mate X3, Mate 60 series, Mate 50 series, Mate 40 series, Mate 30 series, P60 series, P50 Pocket, P50 Pro, P50, P40, P40 Pro, P40 Pro+, Mate X2, Mate Xs, Mate Xs 2, nova 12 series (except nova 12 Lite), nova 10/nova 10 Pro, nova 9/nova 9 Pro, nova 8 Pro, nova 7 Pro 5G, HONOR 30/30 Pro/Pro+, HONOR Play4 Pro, and HONOR V30/V30 Pro
    • Tablets: MatePad Pro 13.2-inch Premium Edition, MatePad Pro 11-inch 2024, MatePad Pro 13.2-inch 2023 Wi-Fi, MatePad 11 2023, MatePad Pro 11-inch 2022 Performance Edition, MatePad Pro 11-inch 2022, MatePad Pro 12.6-inch 2021, MatePad Pro 10.8-inch 2021, MatePad 10.8, MatePad 10.4 Yuedong Edition and MatePad Pro 12.6
  • LDAC (up to 990 Kbps of bit rate) is available on certain HUAWEI devices running EMUI 8.0/HarmonyOS 2.0 or later. For non-HUAWEI devices, contact the device manufacturer. Currently, iOS devices do not support LDAC.
• Once you have updated the plug-in in the AI Life app to version 2.1.0.54 or later, the Smart HD option for FreeBuds Pro 2 and FreeBuds 5i will change to Prioritize connection quality or Prioritize sound quality.

To enable HD audio quality, perform the following steps:

1. Pair and wear your earbuds.
2. Update the plug-in in AI Life and Audio Accessory Manager to their latest versions.
3. Open the AI Life app on your device, touch the earbuds card, go to Sound quality, and select Prioritize connection quality or Prioritize sound quality.
   • Prioritize connection quality: The Bluetooth codec is AAC. After this feature is enabled, both connection stability and audio quality are ensured.
   • Prioritize sound quality: The Bluetooth codec is LDAC or L2HC. Enabling this feature brings high-quality audio experience.
      

     • Currently, Prioritize sound quality is enabled by default for FreeBuds Pro 3 only when the earbuds are connected to Pura 70 series, Mate 60 series and Mate X5 phones.
     • Enabling Prioritize sound quality improves audio quality, but may also affect the earbuds' battery life and cause stuttering. It is recommended that you select Prioritize connection quality or do not use Prioritize sound quality in environments with high interference, such as in stations and at airports.
     • Once you've enabled HD spatial audio, the audio codec cannot be changed. After this feature is disabled, the original settings will be restored.
4. Once you've enabled Prioritize sound quality, you will be able to view or switch the Bluetooth codec simply by opening the AI Life app, touching the earbuds card, and going to Settings > Bluetooth audio codec.

If the earbuds are used with a non-HUAWEI phone, the effects may not be obvious because your phone does not support LDAC, or your phone restricts the use of LDAC. For details, please contact the phone manufacturer.