PEAS IN A POD
Huawei unveils ‘knockoff’ AirPods with near-identical wireless earbuds – but denies copying Apple and says they’re ‘far superior’
HUAWEI has been accused of copying Apple in designing its latest wireless earbuds.
The FreeBuds 3 were unveiled by Huawei today but look almost identical to Apple's own buds, the AirPods.
4
Both feature a sleek, minimalist design with a long protruding limb that sticks out of the bottom of the buds.
Even the cases bare a resemblance, with both Apple and Huawei opting for a small, rounded design.
Huawei showed off its FreeBuds 3 during the IFA 2019 trade show in Berlin.
Apple fans were quick to jump on the earphones, with several branding them "knockoffs".
4
"Not even trying to hide the imitation. How many people buy knockoffs like these?" one online commenter wrote on .
"If people are buying the FreeBuds with the intention to look like they’re using AirPods, Apple loses money because of copycats," another said.
Speaking to The Sun, Huawei denied the new Freebuds take after Apple's iconic design.
A spokesperson said: "People don't get a good look at the details of a product when viewing photos online. If you look at the FreeBuds in detail you will see there's a difference between them and the AirPods.
"Both are black and white so we see why people are drawing similarities.
"Check the specifications, you will see our buds are far superior."
The FreeBuds 3 will hit shelves in November.
No word on price yet, though Huawei promised they'll be "cheaper" than the AirPods.
4
The Chinese tech titan made repeated references to the AirPods during its Friday press conference.
The FreeBuds 3 will reportedly last 50% longer than the AirPods on a single charge, and charge twice as fast.
It was also made clear that a new noise cancellation feature coming with the buds does not feature in the AirPods.
Also at the event, Huawei unveiled a new version of its P30 Pro smartphone.
4
Buyers have two new colours to choose from, as well as improved photo tools.
Interestingly, the phone will apparently ship with Google's Android 10 operating system.
That's despite a US trade ban blocking US firms (like Google) from working with Huawei.
The new P30 Pro will ship later this month for around £800.
What is IFA? A quick guide
Here's everything you need to know
- IFA is a gigantic annual tech conference held in Berlin, attracting nearly 250,000 visitors each year
- It's typically held in the first week of September and has been running since 1924
- Some of tech's biggest names, including the likes of Sony, Samsung, Huawei and more gather at the event to show off their new gadgets
- TVs, phones, smart watches and more are shown off at the show – nearly anything goes at IFA
- For those who are curious, the acronym stands for Internationale Funkausstellung Berlin (International radio exhibition Berlin)
TOP STORIES IN TECH
Huawei was recently dropped from Vodafone's 5G lineup amid the US-China trade war.
The firm has been banned from using any Google app on its new smartphones – including Maps, Photos, Gmail and more.
Huawei recently "revealed" its own Google Android rival called ‘Hongmeng’ – to dodge Trump’s blacklist.
Do you think the FreeBuds 3 are similar to the AirPods? Let us know in the comments!
We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at [email protected] or call 0207 782 4368 . We pay for videos too. Click here to upload yours.
Topics