After a lot of anticipation, Realme launched its wireless Buds Air device in the Indian market priced at Rs 3,999. These wireless earbuds carry a unique feature, and it’s all about the design.
You wouldn’t be the first one to mistaken it for the Apple AirPods (especially in that white colour) but for under Rs 5,000, the company is most likely looking to make the technology accessible for the mass consumers.
But looking beyond the design, does the Buds Air (the name could have been better), for its price, offer a viable buying option with decent quality on offer? We’ve been using it for a few hours to see if that’s possible to answer in a short time.
Realme Buds Air Features
- Gaming mode
- Wireless charging
- Wear detection
- Dual mic for calling
- Works on Android and iOS
- Touch control to play/change music or pick calls
- 17 hour claimed battery playback (with case)
- Priced at Rs 3,999
Earlier this year, Xiaomi launched the Mi Soundbar for Rs 4,999 and everybody said for the price, you can’t ask for more. We’re posed with the same question with the Buds Air now. For its feature set, Buds Air does a commendable job, giving you options that very few brands are doing right now in the segment.
Realme has added options like touch control (for ease of use), and even making sure it pairs with the device, the moment you open the case and pick the buds out. But to pair with a new device, you have to hold the buds for around three seconds to connect and play.
Wireless charging is yet to catch up in the country, but using a Type C charger to power up the case ensures you don’t have to carry additional cables along with you.
The uncanny resemblance to the Apple AirPods is obvious, but we’re willing to look beyond that, especially if it caters to consumers across all segment.
The case has an LED indicator which lights in three different colours to show the battery status. When you see green, the battery life is above 75 percent, when it shows yellow, you have more than 50 percent juice and when it shows red, it’s time to charge up.
But the most important thing you’d might want to know, how does it sound?
The company claims it has added extra bass but we found it hard to notice heavy detail on the front. Having said that, the voice notes are crisp, as long as you keep the volume to mid-level, ensuring you can hear the vocals, without bursting through your earlobes.
The buds pair with the phone in quick time, and if it’s a Realme phone, the pairing is even quicker. The noise cancellation doesn’t feel very pronounced, and for the price you’re getting the Buds Air, there will be very few who will complain about that.
You can tap the buds twice to play/pause music. Triple tap takes you to the next song, but there’s Google Assistant support, which can be activated by press and holding one side.
Moving on, we feel that Buds Air are in the market to manage the balance of quality of value without going overboard on either of the aspect.
And we’re pleased to see the wireless earbuds market is now shifting to a space, where a mass consumer can consider buying one, without burning a hole in their pocket. The Buds Air offer value, and the features are just a bonus, that will appeal to buyers.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)