Back in September, realme released the Buds Q, a pair of TWS earbuds that had a good design and a fun, bass-heavy sound, all at less than PHP 2,000. Now though, realme has launched another pair of TWS earbuds–the realme Buds Air Pro.
As a ‘Pro’ model, the Buds Air Pro is realme’s highest end TWS earbuds, and it has the features to back it up. Aside from sporting an in-ear design, the Buds Air Pro also comes with active noise cancellation (ANC).
While other TWS earbuds with ANC can cost a lot, the realme Buds Air Pro has a price tag of less than PHP 5k which is quite affordable given the competition. But how does it sound? And how does it hold up to actual use? Find out here in our full review of the realme Buds Air Pro!
Design and Fit
First, let’s take a look at the realme Buds Air Pro’s design. The earbuds come in a round case that features the realme logo, and an LED light indicator. As with realme’s Buds Air (which released earlier this year), the Pro model’s case has a glossy finish similat to Apple’s signature AirPods. While this glossy finish might look slippery, it’s actually fairly grippy, meaning the case won’t easily slip your grasp.
As for the earbuds themselves, the Buds Air Pro has an AirPods-style design, but it is a bit larger. Plus, it also has an in-ear design, meaning it should provide better noise isolation, even with ANC off.
When worn, the Buds Air Pro feel fairly comfortable, though you better make sure that the eartips fit properly. If you use eartips that are too large, the Buds Air Pro will not be comfortable to wear after a while. Once you do get a proper fit, the Buds Air Pro can be comfortably worn for hours on end (at least for me). The in-ear design also means it won’t fall off easily, even when you’re out and about.
Because fit is key, the Buds Air Pro packs three extra pairs of eartips, each having different size. Coupled with the ones fitted on the earbuds, the realme Buds Air Pro packs four eartips in total, meaning you should be able to find the one that fits you.
Sound Quality
Now we move on to sound quality, the most important aspect of any audio device. In my experience with realme earbuds, they’re often fun-sounding but a bit too bass-heavy for my liking. So I expected the realme Buds Air Pro to also retain this bass-heavy sound signature.
To my surprise, the Buds Air Pro have a slightly more balanced sound compared to other realme earbuds I’ve tried. Sure, the overall sound signature is still bassy, but not enough that the low end drowns out the mids and highs. Thanks to this more balanced sound signature, the realme Buds Air Pro is able to sound good on a wider range of genres, even without using an equalizer for tuning.
If you love listening to pop, hip-hop, R&B, or other bass-heavy genres, the Buds Air Pro will satisfy because of the low end emphasis. Though if you listen to rock/acoustic songs, the Buds Air Pro will still sound nice. Of course, the realme Buds Air Pro is still a pair of earbuds tuned for mainstream listeners. So I wouldn’t exactly recommend these earbuds for audiophiles who prefer a more detailed sound out of their headphones.
As for its ANC, the noise cancellation worked well in cutting out droning sounds such as an aircon or a fan’s hum. Of course, there are limitations as the ANC isn’t exactly able to drown out louder noises. But overall, the ANC on the realme Buds Air Pro is good enough to satisfy most users.
Aside from being good for music listening, the Buds Air Pro is also great for calls thanks to a quality mic.
Everyday Reliability
For its battery life, the realme Buds Air Pro is able to last for over 3 hours continuously with ANC on. With ANC off, the earbuds lasted for over 4 hours of continuous use. With the charging case, the Buds Air Pro should be able to last for 20 or so hours before needing charging. If you do need to charge the buds, you can do so with the provided USB-C to USB-A cable (along with your phone’s power brick), and it takes around an hour to fill it up to 100%.
While everyday usability of the realme Buds Air Pro is great, there were times that the earbuds disconnected or experiences some connection cuts when I reviewed it. Thankfully, they didn’t happen often enough to hamper my overall experience.
Final Geek Lifestyle Verdict
Thanks to its more balanced (but still bassy) sound signature, good design, and effective active noise cancellation, the Buds Air Pro is a pair of TWS earbuds that’s well worth considering, especially because it is priced at only PHP 4,990.