TWS true wireless earphones - under $50
4.5 STARS - With good call quality and sound, and a useful Transparency mode, the Realme Buds Air 2 are versatile ANC noise cancelling earbuds on a budget.
Realme Buds Air 2 specs:
Bluetooth 5.2 with AAC codec
IPX5 waterproof (rain and sweat proof)
4 - 5 hours listening on a full charge (ANC on/off)
Charging case can charge earpieces fully 4 times
Comes with 3 sizes ear tips and USB-C cable
$35 - Buy on AliExpress, Amazon Germany or from other Amazon countries
Below this Realme Buds Air 2 review, you will find comparisons of the Realme Air Buds 2 vs Edifier TWS330NB, Realme Buds Air 2 Neo, SoundPEATS T2, and 1more ComfoBuds Pro.
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Design, comfort and battery life
Available in dark-blue or white with silver stems, the Realme Buds Air 2 are beautiful - as far as stem-design wireless earbuds go. The material has a subtle metallic-effect that makes them look more expensive than they are. As the part that goes into your ears is small and round, they're comfortable too, further helped by the oval rubber ear tips that lift a bit of pressure off your ears.
The earbuds are IPX5 waterproof, meaning it's safe to work out and run with them in the rain, and they also offer a secure enough fit to do so. Battery life? They reach up to 4 hours of playtime with ANC on and around 5 hours with ANC turned off. Those are far from groundbreaking scores, but it will be plenty of juice for everyday activities and commuting. The case can recharge the earpieces four times fully before needing new power via USB-C itself.
The case deserves praise. It feels robust, has a subtle LED light on the front to indicate the remaining battery, and it's lovely thin. You can just slide it into any pocket, making these very portable.
Controls and connectivity
Connectivity on the Realme Buds Air 2 is excellent. The earphones connect fast when you take them out of the case, and you can always switch between listening to one or two earbuds without problems.
Music automatically pauses when you take an earphone out of your ears, but if you'd rather not have it, you can turn the function off via the app.
The control scheme is adjustable via the app as well. It's convenient out of the box:
Double-tap L or R to play/ pause music
Triple-tap R to skip to the next song
Triple-tap L to return to the previous song
Hold both L and R to switch between ANC on/ Transparency mode/ ANC off
Unfortunately, even via the app it's not possible to add volume controls to the earbuds. The touch panels on the top of the stems don't always respond accurately as well: your double-tap may sometimes be registered as a triple-tap. Happily, it works flawless most of the time.
Calling and watching movies
Taking a phone call with the Realme Buds Air 2 is pleasant. Your voice has a brightish, telephone-like clarity and has plenty of volume. Surrounding noises like traffic and chatter do come through in the call, but it's easily identifiable as background noise: the microphone focuses on your voice, which sounds louder. Unfortunately, wind noise can threaten the call clarity.
The Realme Buds Air 2 is great for video calls, like in Microsoft Teams or Zoom meetings. Your voice is picked up easily with plenty of volume and comes through clearer than sounds around you.
Watching videos on the Buds Air 2 is easy on Android and iPhone, with good synchronization between audio and video. You can activate a low-latency mode for games from the app, making the sound effects in games almost entirely in line with the action on screen. The Buds Air 2 performs great on this aspect.
App support for Realme Buds Air 2
Like the Realme Buds Air 2 Neo, the Realme Buds Air 2 has way better app support than you may expect from a 35 dollars wireless earphone. The RealmeLink app is free for Android and iPhone.
The app requires you to set up a Realme account but doesn't ask for too many privacy-invading permissions. Once you're in, the app likely serves you in your language or English and shows many functions on a single screen. App functions:
Update the firmware
Check the battery life of the individual earbuds and case
Switch between ANC on, ANC off, and Transparency mode
Choose which functions the ANC switch cycles between
Select Dynamic, Bass Boost or Bright sound equalizer
Select Volume boost to increase the maximum volume
Activate low-latency gaming mode
Activate auto-answering incoming calls
Change controls on the earbuds
The home screen of the app is simple and complete
You can change the controls, but can't add volume controls
Decide which ANC functions are available on the earbuds
With the control options, you can select functions for the double-tap, triple-tap, long-press of either of the buds, and long-pressing both buds. It isn't an option to add volume controls to the earbuds, but you can add 'return a song', 'activate Gaming mode' and 'Activate voice-assistant to the controls.
As previously stated in the Buds Air 2 Neo review: to have this functionality on a low-budget earbud - it's insane.
ANC Noise cancelling test of Realme Buds Air 2
The Realme Buds Air 2 has decent Active Noise Cancelling (ANC) strength, but it doesn't quite match the Realme Buds Air 2 Neo, which seals off your ears better.
ANC noise cancelling quality: The Buds Air 2 reduces the volume of brighter and darker sounds around you, but it doesn't rule any noise out entirely. Somehow, the Buds Air 2 seems to suck some sounds into its ANC, like distant chatter, traffic or construction site sounds. You can hear a bit of 'air flow' when you activate the function, and within it, those noises are still audible. The ANC successfully reduces the volume of especially brighter noises, but thanks to this effect, the noise-canceling doesn't really bring rest to your head when you're not playing any music.
Transparency mode quality: Thankfully, the Transparency mode is fantastic. Even when listening to music on moderate volume, it's very doable to hear the traffic and chatter around you on moments when you need it. The sounds even appear natural, rather than metallic-like on the first generation of Transparency/ Ambient modes on wireless earbuds.
Wind noise reduction: The ANC and Transparency mode let in an insane amount of wind noise when you're walking or cycling, even when you're walking inside the house. That's why it's convenient you can also switch to Normal mode, which deactivates both modes and leaves out wind noise just fine. It's the recommended mode when you're on the move.
What's more, is that the Realme Buds Air 2 remembers which setting you used last time - and that's the setting you'll get when you pick the earbuds the next time. Neat - although it won't often be the ANC mode...
Also read: The best wireless ANC earbuds
Sound quality of Realme Buds Air 2: Exception
While many cheaper noise-canceling earphones struggle to offer a balanced sound, the Realme Buds Air 2 is a wonderful exception.
Bass on the Realme isn't the tightest or quickest, but it offers a nice thump for electronic basses and drums. The sub-bass (the darkest basses you can feel as much as hear) reaches deep and provides a nice rumble. The mid-bass delivers enough pumping to empower modern genres like dance, pop, and hip-hop, yet it doesn't overpower other aspects of the music. It's also not too heavy in genres where you wouldn't expect it, like singer-songwriter ballads. This seems logical, but this is a point where many affordable ANC earbuds fail. Here, there's enough bass when it's needed, but it's not all over the place.
The Realme Buds Air 2 pushes female and higher-pitched male vocals forward, making them stand out a bit. Vocals sound clear and detailed, and just like center-mid (guitar, piano) and upper-mid (violins, trumpets) instruments, they appear rather natural. There's plenty of room for singers to hit the higher notes, yet highs aren't terribly extended, which means that music doesn't become too bright or harsh quickly. Cymbals and claps, too, are controlled. The highs do have a grainy lining under them, however - the sound could have been a tad cleaner.
While center-mids are slightly recessed compared to the upper-mids and lower-mids (like lower electronic tones, darker piano play, and dark male vocals), the Buds Air 2 has a solid midrange, with tonality that's right in the middle between warm and cold. Detail level is also above average: vocals are nicely centered, and there's good separation between instruments and layers, with sound effects coming from your left and right - albeit close around you.
Lastly, the Buds Air 2 has plenty of volume and its sound character and quality are consistent between the ANC on, ANC off, and Transparency mode. Apart from a little distortion on the most bass-heavy tracks and graininess in the highs, Realme proves it's possible to capture a nicely balanced sound in a cheap wireless ANC earphone.
Realme Buds Air 2 comparisons
Realme Buds Air 2 vs 1more ComfoBuds Pro
The 1more ComfoBuds Pro is Scarbir's top recommendation for ANC earbuds under $100. The Realme Buds Air 2 comes close, though. 1more's active noise cancelling is a step up and silences more noise around you, the buds have longer battery life, and (video) call quality is even clearer - although both are sensitive to wind noise. Both deliver in the sound department, with engaging mid-bass and balanced-oud frequencies. The Buds Air 2 sounds slightly colder, while its bass is a tad fuller. The ComfoBuds Pro has more open upper-mids with clearer vocals, tighter mid-bass, and shows more texture from claps and brighter instruments.
Realme Buds Air 2 vs Realme Buds Air 2 Neo
The Realme Buds Air 2 Neo doesn't have a stem design, making them more suitable to wear in bed. Its earbuds are bigger and rounder and block more noise out of themselves. It makes the ANC on the Neo a step up. However, the Buds Air 2 has better call quality, especially in video calls and outdoor phone calls (without too much wind). The sound quality on the regular Buds Air 2 is better, too: the sound is fuller and has more naturality and details in the mids - including better separation and placement of instruments.
Realme Buds Air 2 vs Edifier TWS330NB
The Edifier TWS330NB is the most logical model to compete with the Buds Air 2. The Edifier has an hour shorter battery life thanks to much shorter stems, but it may make you sound even clearer in phone and video calls - it fares better with the wind. Sound quality-wise, the Edifier extends bass and upper-mids more. Its mid-bass is thumpier, thicker than Realme's, and higher vocals and instruments sound more nuanced and brighter than on the Realme. The Buds Air 2 has a more balanced approach with a more natural midrange. While it may sound less uplifting, it holds its dynamics better in crowded musical pieces, in which the Edifier rapidly sounds too full, harsh, and uncontrolled.
Realme Buds Air 2 vs SoundPEATS T2
The SoundPEATS T2 is not without faults, as its ANC displays a nasty distortion when you're not playing music on some models. Despite this, it's still one of the most popular ANC earbuds for under 50 dollars. The SoundPEATS has a stronger, more engaging mid-bass and extends upper-mids and highs further, offering a sound that's more geared towards the ends of the music than the midrange, like the Realme. The T2 has a bigger soundstage, but within a cave - it strikes as a bit echo-y with ANC on. The Buds Air 2 sounds flatter and more natural, less engaging really, but more pleasantly middle-of-the-road.
Verdict
With good call quality and sound, and a convincing Transparency mode, the Realme Buds Air 2 are versatile ANC noise cancelling earbuds on a budget.
4.5 stars - Great
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