Wireless earbuds are a great convenience when you’re on the go, but if you aren’t careful they can end up costing a pretty penny. Following last year’s release of their Airbuds 2, Xiaomi’s Redmi Buds 3 Pro is the next model in the tech giant’s mid-priced earphones line.
Priced at Rs. 2,999, the Buds 3 Pro is the equivalent of Xiaomi’s Airdots 3; the international version of the same device. For the amount of features they’ve managed to pack into the Buds 3 Pro, Xiaomi’s latest offering is certainly an enticing offer.
The Buds 3 Pro promises exclusive features to play any genre of music. With hybrid noise cancellation, wireless fast charging, and a battery lasting over 24 hours, this wireless set is Xiaomi’s latest attempt to compete at the top of the midrange market. Have the Buds 3 Pro managed to put Xiaomi at the top? Let’s find out with our review.
Design
The Buds 3 Pro has a unique yet ergonomic shape. The fit can take some getting used to, but after some time using them you’ll quickly notice how comfortable their pill-shaped design is. The high-quality matte and gloss combo finish gives these earphones a luxury feel, and you would be forgiven for thinking they cost more than Rs. 2,999. The Buds 3 Pro comes in three different colour options; namely pink, white, and blue.
Touch tech
There’s an important reason for the Buds 3’s distinctive look, and it’s got everything to do with Xiaomi’s ingenious application of touch technology. With a comparatively wide surface area compared to other brands, the Buds 3 makes clever use of touch-sensitive control, allowing you to easily manage your music. Thanks to ambitious design choices, the Bud 3’s extensive use of smart gestures are simple to control and easy to remember.
Two taps on the left earphone activates your paired smartphone’s voice assistant, while two on the right will alternate between pause and play while you’re listening. Additionally, touching and holding the left bud will switch to a previous track, and a long press of the right side will skip to the next tune in your playlist.
Battery life
Moving on to all things battery-related, we’re starting off with the charging case itself. Similar to Xiaomi’s Earbuds S, the Buds 3 Pro is packaged with a compact charging case that provides all the functionality you need. With a sleek monotone finish, the closed case has an indicator light right at the front, and a USB Type-C port at the rear. Opening the case reveals a reset button, used to set up your pairing options. Removing your earphones from the case will automatically pair them to the last device used.
Each earpiece has a battery capacity of 43mAH, while the charging case holds a powerful 600mAH battery. Xiaomi claims that charging your Buds 3 Pro for 10 minutes will give you up to three hours of listening time, and we’re happy to confirm that our testing agrees with their rather accurate estimate. With a moderate level of volume, and all features (such as Bluetooth) activated, a full charge will run for the better part of five hours, which is an extremely impressive battery life considering the relatively low asking price.
Noise cancellation
The Redmi’s dual-driver setup works well, especially when combined with Xiaomi’s hybrid noise cancellation technology. High and low frequency sounds are separated nicely, and outside noise is non-existent in almost all situations. You’ll still hear noises above 35db, but there are three different levels of noise filtering for you to choose from; low, medium, and high.
AI noise management is a quality of life upgrade you definitely wouldn’t want to miss. However, one point of criticism is that, at this point in time, you need to either have a Xiaomi or Redmi smartphone, if you want to take full advantage of the Buds 3’s advanced features. Despite three settings for varying degrees of noise cancellation, there’s unfortunately no form of dynamic noise management beyond that.
Audio quality
Compared to more expensive wireless earphones, the Buds 3 Pro can easily match the quality of sound you’d expect from a price tag of Rs. 5,000 or more. Calls and music are crisp, and well-insulated against outside interference. Dual audio separation is implemented effectively, and making or receiving calls is simple thanks to the voice recognition mentioned earlier.
Connection stability is mostly solid, although Bluetooth connections can be a bit inconsistent if line-of-sight gets compromised too much. Dynamic noise cancellation, instead of passive settings, would be a nice feature. That also means that the competitive price of the Buds 3 Pro would take a hit. All things considered, these criticisms are worthy sacrifices for a lower asking price.
The Buds 3 Pro comes with dual device support, allowing smart connectivity between your earphones, smartphone, and PC/laptop simultaneously. This interconnectivity comes in handy when you’re trying to multitask, a common skill requirement for the fast pace of modern life.
Verdict
Though it has a few negligible shortcomings, the Redmi Bud 3 Pro admirably fulfills its role as a midrange wireless earphones option. Marketed as a good value-for-money product, the sound quality on offer here is excellent, especially considering the advanced smartphone-dependent features that are potentially available, provided you own a Xiaomi or Redmi smartphone.
