EarFun Free Pro 3 Review: These little TWS earbuds pack a solid punch

Pros:
- Energetic sound output that can be customised further
- Compact and cool design, snug fit
- Support for aptX Adaptive codec
- Hi-Res Audio and Snapdragon Sound certified
- Configurable controls with volume control
- Dual pairing support, IPX5 rated splash resistant
- Good battery backup, supports wireless charging
- 18 months warranty

Cons:
- Transparency mode needs improvement
- No wear detection sensors
- Touch controls tend to misbehave at times

Price: Rs 5,999
Rating: 4.2/5

Towards the end of 2023, we reviewed the EarFun Air Pro 3, our first true wireless (TWS) earbuds from the company, and liked what was on offer. While it was largely likeable, there were certain aspects about it that we felt needed improvement like the slightly dated design, the call quality and also the active noise cancellation (ANC). We now have the next from the company, the EarFun Free Pro 3, that looks to address all those issues without compromising its strengths like support for Qualcomm’s aptX Adaptive codec and good battery backup. Let’s figure out how it performs.

EarFun Free Pro 3: Design and Comfort (8.5/10)
The EarFun Free Pro 3 design is completely different from that of the Air Pro 3 except for the colour scheme. The combination of black and metallic grey looks elegant here too. The company has done away with the stems and opted for a compact rectangular body that barely sticks out of your ears, the back of which is touch-enabled. These are among the tiniest TWS earbuds I have tested to date. The earbuds offer a snug fit thanks to the silicone fins along the edges and are comfortable to wear for long hours.

The right-sized silicone tips from the five bundled pairs provide very good passive noise isolation. Always spend a few minutes choosing the tips that fit your ears best for optimal sound quality and better active noise cancellation (ANC). Each earbud has a small LED to shed light on the pairing/connectivity status. Though the weight of individual earbuds is not specified, they are fairly light and the buds and case combined weigh 41.5 grams; a good 10 grams lighter than the EarFun Air Pro 3.

Speaking of the case, it is equally compact and complements the buds perfectly. We weren’t too pleased with the bulky case design of the Air Pro 3 but the one here is super cool. It is sleek and looks like a small piece of chocolate. The build quality is good and has a smooth matte dark grey finish with a lustrous EarFun logo on the lid. The case has a tiny multicoloured LED at the front to indicate the level of remaining charge, a USB-C charging port at the back and a Bluetooth pairing/reset button inside.

EarFun Free Pro 3: Features and Specifications (8.5/10)
The key feature here is support for Qualcomm’s aptX Adaptive codec that offers a balance of throughput and power efficiency. In addition, the EarFun Free Pro 3 is Hi-Res Audio and Snapdragon Sound certified too. These Bluetooth 5.3-compliant earphones also support AAC, LC3 and SBC codecs. Each earbud is fitted with a 7 mm wool composite driver and three microphones for calling and ANC. The company has skipped wear detection sensors again.

The buds have an IPX5 rating for splash resistance. So you can wear them to the gym or for a jog without a worry. The case doesn’t have any ingress protection, so keep it away from moisture. The back of the buds are touch-enabled and the touch sensitivity is generally good as long as you don’t tap too fast. But it tends to misbehave at times even if you get the tap frequency right. On occasions, it refuses to accept multiple touch inputs and just pauses and resumes the audio when you double tap for instance. Things get back to normal after you put the buds in the case and take them out again.

You can assign different tasks to gestures through the EarFun Audio app available on iOS and Android both. You can assign play/pause, previous/next tracks, ANC toggle, voice assistant and volume control to single-tap, double-tap, triple-tap or touch-and-hold gestures. The latency on the EarFun Free Pro 3 is fairly low when watching videos, and there was no noticeable lag between audio and video. In Game Mode, it can go as low as 55 ms as per the spec sheet. These earbuds support dual pairing and can be paired with two devices simultaneously. It works well.

The Free Pro 3 supports hybrid ANC, and you get three main modes to switch between — NC on, NC off and Ambient Sound that let sounds through. These earphones can block up to 43dB of ambient noise with ANC turned on. One interesting addition here is four different options for Adaptive ANC to choose from that are tuned for different ear canal structures. Choose one that works best for you. Similarly, you can choose between the default transparency mode and Full transparent. More on that in a bit.

EarFun Free Pro 3: Performance (8/10)
The wireless range is perfectly fine with a strong connection at 10 metres with no obstruction between the source and the listener. There are no latency issues either as I mentioned earlier. These EarFun buds sound perfectly loud in the 60-70 per cent volume range. Just like in the case of the Air Pro 3, you get a lot of sound customisations here through the EarFun Audio app. The app is easy to use with a clean layout and simple UI. Other than the EarFun Classic (default) sound profile, you get ten audio presets, a lot of which are actually usable. We liked Rock and R&B more.

You also get a 10-band equaliser (EQ) to create your own sound profiles. And the thing I like about EarFun is that the company shares the EQ configs of the presets. So if you only need to make minor adjustments to a particular preset, you can do so from the equaliser, rather than starting from scratch to recreate a similar profile, as is the case with most audio brands. This is something the likes of Realme and OnePlus should strongly consider implementing.

The default sound output in the EarFun 3 is a little bass-heavy. Though the bass isn’t too boomy, it does suppress the lower mids and impacts the overall sharpness. The upper bass needs to be reigned in a bit to lend a better balance to the midrange frequencies like vocals and instrument sounds. This is where the 10-band equaliser can be put to good use. If you aren’t comfortable using it, simply switch to the Rock preset for a more lively sound (though V-shaped) output as compared to Classic.

For best results, choose the Rock preset and then reduce the upper bass a bit and boost the mids around the 1 KHz mark as shown in the image. Of course, sound is a subjective matter, and the way I like to hear it may not necessarily be the way you like it too. So do try our EQ settings, and then play around with the EQ and presets a little more till you find the output that suits you best.

After the sound tweaks, you get a more balanced sound with ample warmth and sharpness and a lot more detail. The bass feels tighter without losing its thump, the vocals sound crisp and the highs have just the right amount of sparkle to lend the sound the necessary sharpness without causing fatigue. The soundstage is fairly broad providing the sound a nicer feel. These earphones are enjoyable across various genres of music and video content.

Despite the smaller drivers, the Free Pro 3 sounds better than the Air Pro 3, and the ANC also sees an improvement in this pair. It may still not be as good as that on the Realme Buds Air 5 Pro, but it is quite effective in blocking low-frequency sounds like the whirr of a fan or a noisy AC indoors or the sound of car engines when outdoors. It isn’t as effective against human voices, but certainly better than the other EarFun buds we reviewed. Turning on ANC in public transport does reduce the background chatter to a great extent though it doesn’t mute it completely.

You get two options in Ambient mode - Default and Fully transparent. While the default mode lets select frequencies, it isn’t very effective. Fully transparent mode tends to amplify everything, and while it is better of the two, you get a constant buzz-like wind noise that dampens the voices being let through. It helps you be aware of your surroundings but not so much to have a conversation with the buds in your ears. I had to take the buds off to talk to the person in the room or on the road in both modes.

EarFun Free Pro 3: Call quality (8/10)
The call quality here sees a definite improvement over the Air Pro 3 despite the lack of stems. It is perfectly fine when in quieter areas. People on the line were clearly audible to each other with good voice clarity. When outdoors, wind noise suppression works well, but it does let a fair amount of ambient noises through. Having said that, they aren’t overly distracting in most cases as they are kept in the background, and the voice clarity doesn’t get impacted.

EarFun Free Pro 3: Battery life (8/10)
Each earbud is fitted with a 40mAh battery and the charging case holds 420 mAh charge. The company promises 6 hours of playback for the buds with ANC on and 7.5 hours with ANC off. The case promises to charge them at least thrice more, taking the overall battery backup in the range of 27 to 33 hours under test conditions, which is not bad at all for a product this size. The results of our tests weren’t too distant from that.

With aptX Adaptive codec, ANC turned on at all times and loudness in the 60 to 70 per cent range, the buds lasted close to five and a half hours, which is quite good. Without ANC, the number was just a shade under seven hours; again pretty good. With the charging case, we managed to get battery figures in the range of 23 to 28 hours depending on the ANC usage. These are perfectly acceptable figures. Fast charging is handy at best with two hours of playtime with ANC off after 10 minutes of charging.

The buds take about an hour and a half to charge fully from zero, while the case can go from 0 to 100 per cent in two hours when using a wired charger. The EarFun Free Pro 3 also supports wireless charging with Qi-certified chargers, with the company stating 3.5 hours for a full charge using one. The battery level of each earbud and the charging case can be seen in the companion app.

EarFun Free Pro 3: Price and verdict
The EarFun Free Pro 3 can be purchased for Rs 5,999 on Amazon India. It offers an 18 months warranty; 6 months more than what most products do. For that price you get a good-looking, feature-rich pair of TWS earbuds with energetic sound output, lots of customisations through the companion app, good ANC and more than decent battery backup with support for wireless charging. Let’s not forget support for aptX Adaptive codec which is quite rare in this price bracket. There’s also Snapdragon Sound compliance, but details on that format are still a little vague from Qualcomm’s end, but no harm in being ready.

With a lot going for it, the EarFun Free Pro 3 easily earns our recommendation. As for competition, there are two key options to consider - the Realme Buds Air 5 Pro and the new OnePlus Buds 3, priced at Rs 4,999 and Rs 5,499 respectively. Their features and performance are somewhat similar, sans aptX codec; Realme supports LDAC and OnePlus offers LHDC 5.0 compliance. While those two flaunt dual drivers in each earbud, the sound quality of all three products is comparable, which is what matters at the end of the day.