Redmi Buds 5 series.
Credit: DH Photo/KVN Rohit
Xiaomi subsidiary Redmi earlier in the month unveiled the new Buds 5 series budget earbuds in India.
Priced at Rs 2,999 (MRP), the Redmi Buds 5 is slated to hit stores on February 20. Before you make the purchase, read the review to make an informed decision.
Design and build quality
The new Redmi Buds 5 comes in a visually appealing case in a compact form factor with tapered edges; thick at the middle, and slim at the edge. It can easily slip in and out of the pocket without any hassle. It can even fit into the small pocket of jeans pants and can be pulled out with ease unless you have put coins in it.
The fusion white model looks gorgeous in the snow white colour with a matte finish. But, unfortunately, it is a tough task to keep it stain-free for long.
Redmi Buds 5 series case.
Credit: DH Photo/KVN Rohit
It gets brown smudges quite easily. I struggled to remove all the dirt on the case to capture cover photos of the device for the review article.
It has to be noted that inside, it is easy to keep the earbuds clean. Even the silicone ear tips don't get stained quite easily, but after several months of usage, it will show signs of normal wear and tear. Even the most expensive buds, particularly the white-coloured variants will eventually lose the new look over time.
Redmi Buds 5 series.
Credit: DH Photo/KVN Rohit
So, I would recommend getting other coloured models. Redmi offers two other options--fusion purple and fusion black. They look amazingly good.
The case is well-built and can protect the earbuds inside. The latter is very lightweight. Each bud weighs around 5.3g and the entire case weighs 31g. It fits onto the ear quite comfortably and the medium-sized pre-fitted silicone ear tips were perfect for me.
Redmi Buds 5 series.
Credit: DH Photo/KVN Rohit
It can stay put in its place and I didn't feel anxiety about earbuds falling off during a walk, but can't say when travelling on a crowded bus during the peak rush hour. Only the wired and neckband earbuds can offer a tension-free listening experience in crowded places.
User-interface and performance
It is really easy to set up the Redmi Buds 5. One can manually pair it with the phone via Bluetooth settings. And, for more customisation features, one has to install the official Xiaomi Earbuds app.
Users can pair the Redmi Buds 5 series with phone using Xiaomi Earbuds app.
Credit: DH Photo/KVN Rohit
It took me less than five minutes to set up the Redmi Buds 5 and pair it with the iPhone.
The new Redmi Buds 5 earbuds come with a very good quality touch-sensitive stem. It supports touch gestures and works smoothly without any issues. We reviewers who often have to relearn the gestures for every new earbud, took me a day for my muscle memory of the fingers to kick in.
It supports single taps, double taps and triple taps to answer calls, pause/play music, skip to the next or go back to the previous track. All these functions can be programmable with the Xiaomi Earbuds app.
To turn on the hybrid Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) one has to just long press any of the two earbuds.
Redmi Buds 5 series can support up to 12 gestures. Users can customise the functions through Xiaomi Earbuds app.
Credit: DH Photo/KVN Rohit
The earbuds deliver good audio output. It supports four customisation options-- Standard, Enhanced Treble, Enhanced Bass, and Enhanced Voice. Users based on their tastes, can select of of the four options. For instance, with an enhanced voice option, it works great with podcasts or audio-based e-books.
For music, enhanced treble and enhanced bass work out pretty well.
Redmi Buds 5 series.
Credit: DH Photo/KVN Rohit
Even during phone calls, the Redmi Buds 5 excells in picking the owner's voice to deliver it clearly for the user on the other side of the call. It should be noted that each of the Redmi Buds 5 earphones houses a 12.4mm dynamic titanium driver and comes with a dual-mic AI voice enhancement feature that promises clear audio during calls, voice commands (supports Siri and Google Assistant), and everyday use even with windy condition.
Also, on Xiaomi Earbuds app, users can control the noise cancellation in three modes--light, balanced and deep. The first two, will allow some percentage of the outside sound to creep into the ears. The light modes come in handy while speaking to a person in the front and the user need not have to remove the earbuds.
Xiaomi Earbuds app can help user set different noise cancellation modes.
Credit: DH Photo/KVN Rohit
With the balanced mode, one can use it while crossing the road. And, the deep noise cancellation mode is best used during long journeys on buses or trains or flights.
With deep mode on, it can reduce the outside noise by up to 46dB decibels.
The new Redmi Buds 5 also supports dual-device pairing. This will allow smooth inter switching between a laptop/tablet with a smartphone when the latter gets a call.
With Bluetooth 5.3, the new Redmi Buds 5 series maintains a stable and strong wireless connection with the companion devices for up to 10 metres (close to 30 feet).
As far as the battery life is concerned, it can easily last more than a week under normal usage (close to 35 hours).
Redmi Buds 5 series.
Credit: DH Photo/KVN Rohit
I usually listen to music while travelling and on average, I spend close to two and a half hours every day. Also, I spend close to half an hour on calls per day.
Each earbud comes with a 54mAh battery and the case has a 480mAh cell capacity.
I have charged only once and so far, the Redmi Buds 5 case still has more than 30 per cent juice left. It also supports fast charging. Just five minutes of charging can deliver up to two hours of listening time.
Redmi Buds 5 series.
Credit: DH Photo/KVN Rohit
Final thoughts
Besides delivering good in terms of audio output aspect, it excells in long-lasting battery life.
Also, the hybrid ANC feature works to a good extent in controlling the outside noise, but for obvious reasons, can't match the premium TWS buds in the market. The new Redmi Buds 5 is a value-for-money budget earbuds.