Great deal! Alza no longer wants even 1,100 CZK for these ANC headphones, but there's a catch

Affordable ANC headphones are one of the most prominent categories this year, and Huawei fits into it surprisingly well. The FreeBuds SE 4 ANC model has now dropped to 1,082 CZK with AlzaPlus+ membership, the lowest price ever during its sale period. If you want to check current availability and membership conditions (prices can change quickly with similar offers), you’ll find everything directly in the product details.

Quick summary:
✅ Makes sense if you are looking for lightweight ANC headphones under 1,100 CZK for public transport, office, sports, and calls – with genuinely long battery life.
⚠️ Consider if you want higher audio codecs than AAC (LDAC, aptX) or more precise ANC in noisier scenarios like airplanes.
💡 For 1,082 CZK, this is one of the most advantageous offers in the category of ANC headphones under a thousand – you usually pay more for similar parameters.

Why these headphones are interesting

Huawei FreeBuds SE 4 ANC are aimed precisely where the biggest movement in the headphone market is – at the price point around a thousand, where they compete today with, for example, Redmi Buds 6 Pro or Philips TAT3509. From the original 1,499 CZK upon their release in September 2025, the price gradually dropped, and in the current promotion with AlzaPlus+ membership, we reach up to 1,082 CZK. This is the least these headphones have ever cost on Alza.

The main draw is the combination of three essential things: active noise cancellation, over 30 hours of battery life even with ANC, and a weight of just 4.3 grams per earbud. This is not a feature set you would automatically expect at this price – competitors often cut either ANC or battery life. For people who have previously used cheaper TWS without noise cancellation, this is a concrete upgrade without a higher investment.

Key parameters explained simply

Inside each earbud works a 10mm dynamic driver with a frequency range of 20–20,000 Hz and support for codecs SBC, AAC, and mSBC. For most listeners on Spotify, YouTube, or audiobook apps, this is a feature set that is fully sufficient. However, anyone listening to lossless music from Tidal or Apple Music and wanting maximum transmission quality will encounter limitations – there is no support for higher codecs like LDAC or aptX.

Active noise cancellation has an average depth of 24 dB and three modes: Ultra (most aggressive), Standard, and Comfortable (most gentle). This means you can adapt the intensity to your environment – Ultra for public transport, Standard for the office. Also included is a transparency mode for moving around the city when you need to hear your surroundings. In addition, Bluetooth 5.4 and IP54 certification against dust and splashing water, so rain or sweat during training won’t harm them (the case is not water-resistant – beware).

Calls are handled by three microphones with ambient noise cancellation and according to user feedback, this is one of the best aspects of these headphones – in the sub-thousand CZK price range, you often hear complaints about voice clarity, but that’s not the case here so far.

Practical aspects: battery life, controls, AlzaPlus+

Battery life is one of the main arguments for the FreeBuds SE 4. Without ANC, the earbuds themselves last 10 hours, with the charging case a full 50 hours of continuous listening (manufacturer’s data). With ANC enabled, battery life drops to 7 hours (35 hours with the case), which is still above average in this category. A bonus is fast charging – 10 minutes in the case = 4 hours of music, so a quick “charge before you go” works really fast. Actual values, of course, vary depending on volume and codec, but these are official results from Huawei laboratories.

Control is handled by touch gestures on the earbud stem: double-tap for pause/answer call, triple-tap for next track, hold for 2 seconds to switch ANC modes. After a firmware update, it’s also possible to assign volume control directly on the headphones – it was originally missing. For finer tuning, the AI Life app (Android and iOS) is used, where you can set the equalizer and custom gestures. For iPhone compatibility, the AAC codec, which is native here, is sufficient.

The price of 1,082 CZK is valid only for members of the AlzaPlus+ program. Membership costs 299 CZK annually (i.e., 25 CZK per month) or 59 CZK per month without commitment. In addition to this discount and access to many others, you get free delivery to all pick-up points without a minimum order value – AlzaBoxes, Zásilkovna, PPL ParcelShop, and Czech Post. If you shop frequently on Alza and order smaller items that might seem disadvantageous with shipping fees, you will ultimately save money thanks to the subscription.

What users say

On Alza, the headphones have a rating of 4.8 out of 5 (17 ratings) and 100% of customers recommend them. The return rate is low (0.23%), and over 200 units have been sold. There are only 5 detailed text reviews so far, so the sample is limited, and the overall picture may become more precise as the number of ratings grows.

From what users write, they repeatedly praise the ANC quality, powerful bass, and price/performance ratio. One reviewer even explicitly mentions that they were deciding between AirPods 4 ANC and this model and chose Huawei – among other things, due to volume control directly on the headphones (after a firmware update) and the overall sound. Others appreciate the compatibility with EMUI on older Huawei phones, where many competing headphones don’t work through apps, and the secure fit in the ear during sports.

Critical voices have practically not appeared in reviews yet, but this may be related to the low number of responses. From a technical standpoint, it’s worth noting that ANC in the cheapest TWS headphones never reaches the level of more expensive models like Sony WF-1000XM5 or Bose – for regular public transport and office use, it works excellently, but on an airplane, you’ll notice the difference compared to more expensive models.

If this particular model didn’t appeal to you, but you’re looking for affordable headphones on sale, you can also check out the current Alza Days, where other discounted TWS models from JBL, Xiaomi, and Philips regularly appear.

When it doesn’t make sense

The discount is significant, but not for everyone. If you listen to lossless music from Tidal or Apple Music and want to utilize top sound quality, you’ll encounter the missing LDAC or aptX codec – however, this is standard at this price point, so it’s not a weakness specific to Huawei. A second reason to consider other models: if you need extremely powerful ANC for airplanes and noisy offices, full-fledged alternatives are more expensive models from Sony, Bose, or Apple, priced at 4–8 thousand CZK.

And thirdly: if you don’t want to pay for AlzaPlus+, you’ll get the headphones for 1,139 CZK in a regular promotion – which is still a good price, but the record low of 1,082 CZK is not achieved. For the competing model Huawei FreeBuds SE 3 (without ANC), the price on Alza today is around 889 CZK, so if you don’t need active noise cancellation, you’ll save even more.

Verdict: Who it’s worth it for

If you are looking for lightweight ANC headphones under 1,100 CZK for daily use – public transport, sports, calls, office – and you catch the price of 1,082 CZK with AlzaPlus+, this deal is one of the best in its category in terms of price/performance ratio. While Huawei doesn’t work miracles with the FreeBuds SE 4, it delivers a balanced combination of battery life, weight, and ANC at a price these headphones haven’t had on Alza before. Conversely, if you prefer lossless audio, top-tier ANC, or a cheaper variant completely without active noise cancellation, it’s worth looking elsewhere.

Is basic ANC enough for you in headphones under a thousand, or would you rather pay extra for top-tier noise cancellation?