TWS true wireless earphones - $75 to $100
4.5 STARS - The Realme Buds Air 5 Pro and Redmi Buds 5 Pro are two great alternatives for the Apple AirPods Pro 2, costing under 100 dollars. A review and comparison on both - including a test against their best competitors.
Realme Buds Air 5 Pro specs and features:
Bluetooth 5.3 with AAC and LDAC codec
IPX5 waterproof (rain and sweat proof)
5,5 - 10 hours listening on a single charge (LDAC + ANC on/ off)
Charging case can charge earpieces fully 3 times
Multipoint connection (2 devices), ANC, Transparency mode, Spatial audio
Comes with 3 sets of ear tips, USB-C cable, English manual
$60 - $90 - See price on Amazon US, your Amazon country or AliExpress
Redmi Buds 5 Pro specs and features:
Bluetooth 5.3 with AAC and LDAC codec
IP54 waterproof (rain and dust proof)
5,5 - 10 hours listening on a single charge (LDAC + ANC on/ off)
Charging case can charge earpieces fully 3 times
Multipoint connection (2 devices), ANC, Transparency mode, Spatial audio
Comes with 3 sets of ear tips, USB-C cable, English manual
$60 - $90 - See price on Amazon US, your Amazon country or AliExpress
In and underneath this Redmi Buds 5 Pro vs Realme Buds Air 5 pro review, you will also find comparisons with the OnePlus Buds 3, Samsung Galaxy Buds FE, and Soundcore Liberty 4 NC.
Update August 9th, 2024: I now also have a review on the Realme Buds Air 6 Pro.
Update August 26th, 2024: Due to increased competition, the overall score for both models has been adjusted from 5 to 4.5 stars. Check out the best $100 wireless earbuds here.
All reviews on Scarbir.com are unsponsored and honest. Want to support my research? Please use the links on this site. You can also support me via PayPal. <3
Design, comfort and battery life
It's hard to guess the price of the Realme Buds Air 5 Pro and Redmi Buds 5 Pro by looking at their designs. That's because they both look and feel like serious AirPods Pro 2 contenders, even though they cost just one fifth of Apple's asking price.
The Redmi Buds 5 Pro almost feels like an AirPods clone. The case is a tad thicker, but has the same glossy white finish and a lid that closes with a click. The earbuds also seem very familiar, or at least uninspired. Like the Redmi Buds Pro 4, a pattern in the middle of the stems is their boldest design choice.
The Redmi Buds 5 Pro
The Realme Buds Air 5 Pro has a more distinctive design. Its case is just as smooth and sturdy as the Redmi's, but it's more oval and wears the color of stirred cappuccino foam. The same goes for the earbuds. The earpieces look familiair on the inside, but are attached to round stems with a shiny finish. It's a subtle and beautiful effect.
Realme Buds Air 5 Pro
Now, the similarities between these two earbuds from Chinese smartphone manufacturers are insane. Both pair of earphones have an IPX5-like waterproof rating so they withstand rain, and are comfortable and snug to wear for a long time thanks to their oval earpieces. That said, the ear tips make the Redmi even more comfortable than the Realme - it feels more natural in your ear.
Battery life is great too and… exactly the same on both models.
The Redmi Buds 5 Pro and Realme Buds Air 5 Pro offer around 5,5 hours of playtime with Active Noise Cancelling on, to around 10 hours with the function off. Both earbuds also offer the LDAC audio codec for Android phones, which lowers the playtime to less then their advertised 5,5 hours with ANC on.
Both earbuds also recharge rapidly in the cases. A 10 minute recharge in the charging case gives the buds already 3-4 hours of fresh playtime - whoah.
Redmi Buds 5 Pro (left) vs Realme Buds Air 5 Pro
Another similarity is that both cases don't offer wireless charging; you can only recharge them via USB-C. And both models share that it can be tricky to take out both earbuds in one motion. You may need some attempts to find the best way.
Bottom line: Both are excellent in terms of usability and battery life for their price. The Realme looks more original, the Redmi is even more comfortable.
Rating for both earbuds:
Controls, connectivity and app
It's amazing which features 60-90 dollars earphones bring to the table these days. Both the Redmi Buds 5 Pro and Realme Buds Air 5 Pro offer a plethora of options from their free app support - just like competitors like the Samsung Galaxy Buds FE and OnePlus Buds 3.
Fantastic control options on the Redmi
The Redmi Buds 5 Pro offers multipoint connectivity for two devices, making you switch easily between two connected phones, or a laptop and a phone. The base connectivity of the Redmi is good too, although there can be very tiny drops in areas that are crammed full of wireless signals. Nothing severe, happily.
The controls are great; the touch panels respond well to your touch and you can customise the controls for the single, double and triple tap completely with the free Xiaomi Earbuds app on iPhone and Android. You decide how you control the play/pause, volume, and track selection. Very welcome.
The Xiaomi Earbuds apps gives the Redmi Buds 5 Pro countless of extra features.
Next to customising the controls, Noise Cancelling strength, and sound (more on that later), you can find your earbuds, update the firmware, and see the battery level of the earbuds - not the case sadly. You can also take a fit test and (de)activate auto play- and pause when you take the earbuds out and put them in, which works fluently on the Redmi.
The Realme Buds Air 5 Pro has fewer control options
The Realme Buds Air 5 Pro has almost the same wealth of features. It also comes with multipoint connection for two devices, but unfortunately, it uses the Google Fast Pair protocol.
This gets you a nice pop-up on Android phones, but also means you will have to re-establish the connection if you've switched your phone or its Bluetooth off in the meantime. The Nothing Ear (a) also has this problem.
Besides that annoyance, the Realme also has extensive app support from the Realme Link app on iPhone and Android phones. Once again, that includes in-ear detection, a fit test, (de)activation of the multipoint connection, a game mode, ANC settings, and sound equalisation options.
You can't setup controls for a single tap, so you'll have to sacrifice one of the control options, but it's still easy to change volume and skip a track from the earbuds. However, the touch panels respond even better than the Redmi's. It also has a better base Bluetooth connection, without the minor dips of the Redmi. That said, the Redmi picks up its multiple connections a bit faster than the Realme - and is more convenient to use with Android.
Bottom line: the Realme connection is slightly better, the Redmi has better control options. But both buds bathe you in features for their price - and have annoying Google Fast Pair issues.
Redmi Buds 5 Pro rating:
Realme Buds Air 5 Pro rating:
Phone and video calls
The phone call quality is where things start to differ.
Redmi Buds 5 Pro
The Redmi Buds 5 Pro has mediocre call performance. Your voice sounds full and loud enough, but it could be clearer. Background noise like door slams and people chatting are reduced greatly or even completely left out of the call.
Sadly, your voices clarity takes a hit when there are noises around you, and wind noise makes your voice too dark and can make it hard to hear what you're saying.
Realme Buds Air 5 Pro
The Realme Buds Air 5 Pro is fantastic for phone and video calls. It presents your voice loud and clear, and keeps it that way under challenging circumstances. Background noise is more audible than on the Redmi, but your own voice easily rises above it, without giving in on clarity. Wind noise also doesn't throw your voice overboard - it's doable to take a call while you're walking in a bit of a breeze here.
In fact, compared to its best competitors, the Realme Buds Air 5 Pro has even clearer outdoor calls than the OnePlus Buds 3 and can compete with the much more expensive Sony Linkbuds S, which sounds even clearer but also makes wind more audible. The Realme also beats the Samsung Galaxy Buds FE and Soundcore Liberty 4 NC in call clarity.
Bottom line: The Realme Buds Air 5 Pro handles phone calls much better than the Redmi Buds 5 Pro.
Redmi Buds 5 Pro rating:
Realme Buds Air 5 Pro rating:
Video and games playback
Playing videos on all major video services, like YouTube and Netfix, is a flawless experience on the Redmi Buds 5 Pro. There's perfect synchronization between audio and video on iPhone and Android.
Surprisingly, the audio-video synchronization seems to be a little off sometimes on the Realme Buds Air 5 Pro, on Android phones that is. That's prevented with the low-latency gaming mode, happily.
The Redmi Buds 5 Pro doesn't have a dedicated gaming mode, and that shows in a challenging game like Call of Duty mobile: the action on your screen noticeably comes before the sound effects. The Realme has better synchronization with the game mode, but there's still a delay in the sound. The CMF Buds by Nothing leaves both of these earbuds in the dust.
Both earbuds come with a Spatial Audio setting to immerse you more in the video. The function doesn't add much on the Redmi: it makes the sound echo-y and artificial. However, the Spatial Audio on the Realme makes the sound more expansive and fuller, which is a nice addition for videos and movies.
Bottom line: the Redmi handles video synchronization better, the Realme performs better in games and sounds more fun in Spatial Audio mode.
Score for both earbuds:
ANC quality test: Redmi Buds 5 Pro vs Realme Buds 5 Air Pro
The Active Noise Cancelling is where the Redmi gets an edge.
Because in addition to its comfortable fit, the Active Noise Cancelling on the Redmi Buds 5 Pro is among the strongest offerings under $100.
ANC options in the Xiaomi Earbuds app
The ANC does a great job of reducing volume of all frequencies around you, from the lows to the highs. Dark electronic humming can become inaudible, but also the highest bird chirping sounds much softer with the function on. The noise reduction of the midrange is especially welcome; it can filter out background radio's and keyboard typing in a wonderful way. It's these frequencies that make a difference in an office.
To achieve this, the Redmi does have some audible white noise, but it doesn't put too much pressure on your ears. If you want to feel even less pressure, you can switch from the strongest ANC to adaptive noise cancellation, which turns down the function it doesn't need to compete with louder sounds.
The Transparency mode doesn't add much. Meant to emphasize conversations of traffic around you when you want it, it fails to do so if you're playing music on anything louder than background levels. What's great though, is that the musical presentation rarely changes between ANC on/ off and Transparency.
ANC options for the Realme Buds Air 5 Pro
The Realme Buds Air 5 Pro doesn't offer the same level of Active Noise Cancelling as the Redmi, but mind you: these earbuds also boast solid ANC.
The Realme reduces the volume of low to high frequencies in an even and consistent way. Darker electronic humming and higher laughter - they're all reduced. It's less effective in the mid-tones, so the radio and keyboard typing are a bit more audible.
On the plus side, the Realme has a tiny bit less white noise in its ANC. Switching between ANC and Transparency is more convenient too, as the functions are introduced by voice prompts instead of beeps.
The Transparency mode on the Realme is better, allowing you to hear more sound effects and traffic around you. You won't follow a conversation if you're also playing music, however.
Where the two earbuds meet each other, is in their great handling of wind noise. Both earbuds catch wind early and automatically lower the ANC a bit to leave the noise out. That's why it's not really a problem that both earbuds don't have an ANC-off function in the control cycle.
Bottom line: while the Realme Buds Air 5 Pro's ANC is solid and outperforms a competitor like the OnePlus Buds 3 easily, the Redmi Buds 5 Pro has some of the strongest Noise Cancellation on earbuds under 100 dollars, actually surpassing that of the Soundcore Liberty 4 NC and Edifier TWS1 Pro 2!
Redmi Buds 5 Pro rating:
Realme Buds Air 5 Pro rating:
Also read: The best wireless earbuds under $100
Sound quality of Realme Buds Air 5 Pro and Redmi Buds Pro 5
As if the earbuds weren't already interesting enough, both the Redmi Buds 5 Pro and the Realme Buds Air 5 Pro punch above their price when it comes to sound quality.
The Redmi Buds 5 Pro makes a step up from the Redmi Buds Pro 4 and it's the first Xiaomi tested on Scarbir.com that really wows.
Clarity is the name of the game of the Redmi. Female and higher male vocals sound exceptionally clear. Vocals are upfront and crisp, and they get room to reach higher outbursts without piercing your ears. They also have enough body to be ‘grounded’: clear vocals doesn't mean light vocals here.
Aside from the vocals, higher instruments also sound vibrant on the Buds 5 Pro. Violins and trumpets have texture, while cymbals are still controlled well. There's air in the top end of the Redmi, while the clear center mid-tones like guitars and piano play are happy to play more of a background role.
Treble is handled better than on previous Xiaomi earbuds that were often too bright, but the bass makes the biggest jump. The Redmi Buds Pro 5 has a wonderfuly tight mid-bass that provides a good punch without laying a claim on the music. Bass tones never last too long and never overflow into the barely boosted, natural, lower mid-tones. The bass shows depth instead of thickness. If you want to increase the bass fullness, the Enhance Bass-setting works wonders. Strikes are punchier, the sub-bass deepens, and the lows offer more counterweight to the clarity. It could be more textured, but otherwise, the bass still behaves - great work.
The single downside in the Redmi's musical presentation, is that its treble emphasis and clarity can sound a bit colder than usual. The Redmi compensates this nicely on lower volumes, however, when the frequencies are brought closer together for comfortable background listening.
Redmi Buds Pro 5 rating:
But wait! The Realme Buds Air 5 Pro also sounds great. It has a warmer, richer presentation than the Redmi, although it needs a little bit of tweaking.
There's a bit of white-noise like splashiness in the sound, on both the Air 6 and Air 6 Pro. Medium to higher vocals can have a bit of sibilance (sputtering sss-tones), and cymbals as well as claps (like in Michael Jackson's ideal test track Stranger in Moscow) can feel artificial.
The sub-bass is capable, rumbling fiercely and deep - moderately textured in James Blake's Limit to Your Love. The mid-bass fires deep thumps that last too long to be called ‘tight’, but they do entertain with their fullness. On lower volumes, the bass can overflow into the equally lifted lower mid-tones a bit - it can become a little dense in the lows. Turning the volume up to moderate or higher levels, helps clearing things up.
By doing so, you'll find there's both warmth and clarity in the sound. Center mid-tones like guitars and piano play have a warm undertone but still sound natural. Vocals over the entire range are forward and have no trouble touching lower tones or the absolute highest. Björk's stabs you in It's Oh So Quiet, but she doesn't kill your with sharpness. The Realme keeps the highest highs in tone.
You can create a custom equalizer in the Realme app and town down the 4, 8 and 16k frequencies a little, but the sound keeps having a somewhat artificial, hissy vibe to it - unless you turn the volume nearly all the way up, which clears up the sound in a good way.
Other sound options are more geared toward the amount of bass. Compared to the default ‘Original sound’ EQ preset, the presets Clear Bass and Deep Bass add bass strength in either the mid- or sub-bass, and then there's an independent Dynamic bass slider that lets you tone down or swing the bass further up.
The Air 5 Pro also adds an impressive Spatial Audio setting that actually makes music more expansive, without oversteering certain effects or instruments. There's a ‘Golden sound’ feature as well, that creates a preset for your own hearing - but ultimately sounds less balanced than the standard EQ's.
While treble could be more refined on moderate volume, the Realme Buds Air 5 entertains with a clear sound and a bass you can tweak greatly to your liking.
Realme Buds Air 5 Pro rating:
Bottom line: the Redmi Buds 5 Pro sounds tighter, has more clarity and separation; the Realme Buds Air 5 Pro has a fuller bass, better placement, and a warmer tone. Both sound great.
Overall score and comparison under the comparisons!
Realme Buds Air 3 Pro / Redmi Buds Air 5 comparisons
Realme Buds Air 5 Pro vs OnePlus Buds 3
The reign of the OnePlus Buds 3 as most versatile earbuds under $100 didn't last long. The Realme Buds Air 5 Pro takes the same excellent features as the OnePlus - extensive app support, multipoint and a comfortable fit - and does other things even better. An hour longer battery life, even clearer phone calls outside, and the Active Noise Cancelling is stronger too - especially in the lower frequencies.
The OnePlus Buds 3 has more air in the treble area, but its bass is looser than Realme's offering. The Realme also accentuates lower- and center-mids a tad better, and it controls easier without OnePlus’ volume stem slides. The Buds Air 5 Pro is even more versatile.
The other test model then? Redmi Buds Pro 5 sounds tighter than the OnePlus Buds 3, and has noticeably stronger Active Noise Cancelling, while the OnePlus handles calls better.
Around $100 on Amazon US or other Amazon countries
Realme Buds Air 5 Pro vs Samsung Galaxy Buds FE
How does the Realme Buds Air 5 Pro fare against the best mids under $100? The main difference is that the Realme sounds fuller than the Samsung Galaxy Buds FE, thanks to a slightly warmer tonality and more crossover between the bass and lower mid-tones. In comparison with the Samsung, the Realme also sounds a bit splashier in the cymbals area - the 9K tweak described in the sound part can't prevent that. The Samsungs overall presentation is cleaner, with more center-mid detail. Mids feel a bit more natural as well, while the Realme has a bit more air.
Other than sound, the Realme offers 2 hours longer playtime per charge, a higher waterproof rating, comparable ANC performance, and better handling of wind noise in calls.
The other test model then? Well, the Samsung Galaxy Buds FE sounds a bit fuller-bodied than the Redmi Buds 5 Pro, with again more center-mid detail. The Redmi's are more comfortable.
Around $80 on Amazon US, Amazon UK or other Amazon countries
Redmi Buds 5 Pro vs Soundcore Liberty 4 NC
The Redmi Buds Pro 5 is out to take the Soundcore Liberty 4 NC as the earphone with strongest ANC under $100 - and it succeeds. The Redmi shows a bit more white noise, but does block more noise than the Soundcore, especially in the lower frequencies. The Liberty 4 NC still has an edge when it comes to (indoor) phone calls, and its battery lasts even longer.
The Soundcore has a stronger V-shape sound than the Redmi, meaning that both the bass and the treble are boosted further. The 4 NC bass hits harder and deeper, while higher vocals and brighter instruments are even more in the front. While more energetic, the treble also sounds more metallic than on the Redmi. The Buds Pro 5 is more balanced and cleaner.
The other model then? The Soundcore Liberty 4 NC has stronger ANC than the Realme Buds Air 5 Pro, has a tighter, harder-hitting bass, and longer battery life, while the Realme handles mid-tones, treble and calls better.
Around $80 on Amazon US, Amazon UK or other Amazon countries
CONCLUSION: Realme Buds Air 5 Pro vs Redmi Buds 5 Pro - which is better?
The Redmi Buds Pro 5 and Realme Buds Air Pro 5 are both great AirPods Pro 2-alternatives under 100 dollars. The comfort, usable 5,5 hours of battery life, extensive app support, and multipoint connection are great for the price - although it comes with issues on the Realme.
They also sound great: the Redmi clearer, the Realme richer.
There's no easy answer to the question which is better. If you value strong Active Noise Cancelling, go for the Redmi Buds 5 Pro. If you prefer clearer calls, go for the Realme Buds Air 5 Pro.
As of August 2024, there are even better alternatives, like the Realme Buds Air 6 Pro. Therefore, the earbuds now get 4.5 stars instead of 5 overall.
Overall score for both models:
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I bought the Redmi Buds 5 Pro and Realme Buds Air 5 Pro for myself to test and review. My reviews are 100% independent and non-commercial - read about it here.
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