The sign of a maturing gadget market is homogeneity – products start looking the same and offering similar features. The TWS earbuds space is getting there too. So every once in a while when a brand tries something new with design, I have to applaud them. The Redmi Buds 5 looked pretty slick in their official images before launch. And now after using them for a week, I can confirm they look and feel even cooler in person. Here’s my in-depth review.
I audibly said “wow” when I first unboxed these earbuds and held the case. Despite not using any fancy materials, it still manages to scream premium with its matte white finish that’s easy to clean and pretty low maintenance. The device is also available in mint and black, but I would’ve gone with white as a buyer. Plus the fact that the case is so slim means there’s a minimal bulge when you slip it into your pockets.
The premium feel continues on the inside of the case as well. There’s a cool LED indicator inside for battery and pairing notifications. But my favorite bit was the soft cushioning surrounding the edges inside which adds this satisfying cushioning sound when you snap it shut. The hinge mechanism is also very springy and pleasing.
Unfortunately, the design of the earbuds that rest inside don’t do justice to the stellar case design, in my opinion. They feel cheap by comparison and the silver sticker that runs across their body looks tacky rather than premium. But they are pretty light at 5.3g each and fit quite nicely in my ears.
Pairing the Buds 5 was pretty easy thanks to Google Fast Pair. As soon as I opened the lid, my Android smartphone showed a pop-up at the bottom. I hit that and the earbuds were instantly paired with my phone.
Moving on to audio quality…those 12.4mm drivers inside the Redmi Buds 5 offer a V-shaped frequency response, much like most other TWS earbuds in this price segment. This means bass and treble are slightly emphasised. But where these earbuds shine is how natural the bass sounds. It’s quite punchy and can be boosted further via the Audio effects in the Xiaomi Earbuds app without making the overall sound signature get muddy.
The Buds 5 also offer active noise cancellation (ANC) up to 46 decibels, which again is great for the price point. It did a good job at cutting out most annoying low-frequency sounds for me, including the obnoxiously loud fan near my office desk. Some higher frequencies can still sneak through the ANC, but that’s nothing we haven’t seen before even on pricier earbuds. Meanwhile, call quality is crystal clear and no one on the other end had any complaints.
Redmi claims a total battery life of 40 hours with the charging case. With ANC, the earbuds lasted for about 6 hours for me, which is decent.
So far so good. But there’s one thing that I did not particularly like – touch controls. While they work just fine for the most part, there are plenty of accidental touches whenever you try to adjust the fit, which interrupts your listening. Some newer earbuds now also feature squeeze controls to work around this problem but then again, these are budget Rs 2,999 earbuds – so I am going to let this slide.
So in summary, at this price point, the Redmi Buds 5 stand out with their slick charging case design and great sound quality. The decent ANC and battery life are just bonuses. I’d say the Redmi Buds 5 punch well above their weight given the price tag.
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First uploaded on: 28-02-2024 at 13:15 IST
