Realme Buds Q Review

Realme has come a great distance in a really brief time with its audio merchandise. The vary, now six merchandise robust, contains wired earphones, wi-fi neckband earphones, and true wi-fi earbuds. All of those have been launched in nearly 18 months. Talking particularly about true wi-fi earphones, Realme has now launched its third such headset, the Realme Buds Q. At Rs. 1,999, that is probably the most inexpensive pair of true wi-fi earphones from Realme but, and in addition the primary from the corporate with an in-canal match.

Positioned to tackle the Redmi Earbuds S and even the neckband-style OnePlus Bullets Wireless Z, the Realme Buds Q is the smallest and lightest but from the corporate. With fashionable specs and design, and a promise of succesful efficiency for the worth, is the Realme Buds Q probably the most spectacular product in Realme’s true wi-fi vary but? Find out in our evaluation.

The earphones are compact, snug, and may barely be felt in your ears

The Realme Buds Q earphones weigh simply 3.6g every

I believed the 4.1g weight of every of the Redmi Earbuds S earpieces was spectacular, however extremely sufficient, Realme has managed to make the Buds Q even lighter. At simply 3.6g every, the Realme Buds Q might barely be felt in my ears, and was very snug because of this. The in-canal match and small dimension of the earphones helped as nicely, giving them acceptable passive noise isolation and a usually non-bothersome match.

The earphones have been designed in collaboration with famend designer Jose Levy. The earphones and charging case each resemble pebbles, and can be found in three color choices – black, white, and yellow. I fairly appreciated the understated magnificence of the black variant that was despatched for evaluation, and I used to be additionally happy with the trace of Realme’s trademark shade of yellow that is seen on the within of the included ear ideas. The case has a magnetic lid and there is a Micro-USB port for charging on the again. It’s fairly compact, and suits in my pocket simply.

Unlike different price range choices, the Realme Buds Q has touch-sensitive controls on every earphone. However, these did not work nicely in any respect for me. The contact zones are too small, and weren’t straightforward to find once I was carrying the earphones. Even once I firmly tapped both zone, it did not all the time reply. It usually obtained to the purpose the place I’d simply decide up my smartphone to regulate playback or to obtain calls, and this can be a main shortcoming for the Realme Buds Q.

The controls are customisable via the Realme Link app, and it’s also possible to invoke the voice assistant in your smartphone or toggle the low-latency gaming mode utilizing these gestures – once they work, after all. The app additionally helps you to see tough battery ranges for every of the earphones (in 10-percent increments).

The Realme Buds Q has gesture controls, however these did not work too nicely

While we normally see some type of standing and battery stage indicators on both the earphones or the charging case with most price range true wi-fi choices, the Realme Buds Q has none. The solely approach to know the earbuds are turned on is thru audio prompts, and you will have to depend on your smartphone to let you know how a lot energy you will have left. You’ll solely know that the case is out of energy when the earphones do not get absolutely charged. This is not terribly inconvenient, however it’s a disadvantage that comes with the worth.

The Realme Buds Q helps the SBC and AAC Bluetooth codecs, which is spectacular for the worth and type issue. The headset has 10mm dynamic drivers, and makes use of Bluetooth 5 for connectivity. The earphones are IPX4 rated for water resistance. There’s additionally a low-latency gaming mode, which is claimed to scale back latency to round 119ms.

I used to be in a position to get round 3.5 hours of use from the earphones at larger volumes and with combined utilization. The case added one other 4 costs for round 14 hours of whole use per cost cycle. This is not significantly good, nevertheless it’s solely acceptable given the Rs. 1,999 price ticket of the Realme Buds Q.

Improved sound high quality on the Realme Buds Q

The Realme Buds Air and Realme Buds Air Neo are feature-filled true wi-fi earphones that get rather a lot proper for the worth, however sound high quality hasn’t been a robust level for the corporate to this point. With the Realme Buds Q, issues are totally different. Sound high quality is a bit higher for my part, and the earphones lastly sound like they need to for the worth, helped alongside by AAC codec assist and the in-canal design.

Starting with Mere Gully Mein from the Gully Boy soundtrack with the quantity turned up, the sound was clear and far gentler on the senses than what we skilled with the Buds Air and Buds Air Neo. The sonic signature and tuning see some enhancements, and the sound is much more balanced and uniform because of this. There’s nonetheless a noticeable bass bump and a particular drop-off within the mid-range, however the sound got here throughout as extra calculated and tight than aggressive.

The charging case is small, and fairly straightforward to slot in your pocket

There’s additionally a good quantity of element to be heard, significantly in a few of the extra distinctive Indian folks devices used in the beginning of this hip-hop observe. When the bass hook kicked in, it did take over the observe as anticipated, however there was all the time a good stage of element to be heard within the softer components of the observe. The rap segments by Ranveer Singh undoubtedly sounded a bit softer than we would have appreciated on condition that they’re essential elements of the observe, however the drop-off wasn’t substantial sufficient to take something away from the character of the observe.

Although the earphones do sound good for the worth, the Realme Buds Q is not a stand-out performer within the class. Sound is not fairly as pushed and to-the-point as on the equally priced OnePlus Bullets Wireless Z, so consumers searching for sound high quality needs to be contemplating neckband type earphones for his or her higher sonic talents.

The Realme Buds Q sound their greatest at across the 90 p.c quantity stage. Going to full quantity makes the sound a bit shrill, whereas lowering the quantity takes away from every thing besides the lows. Listening to All Of The Lights by Brasstracks, the saxophone riffs sounded sharp and unsightly on the most quantity, and too boring at something under the 80 p.c stage.

This rigidity by way of deciding on the best quantity is perhaps bothersome for a lot of, significantly if you happen to’re used to listening at decrease volumes or must have some capacity to listen to your environment. That stated, even on the 90 p.c quantity stage, the Realme Buds Q wasn’t as loud as would have been the case on most different inexpensive true wi-fi earphones.

The Realme Buds Q was fairly good as a hands-free headset, barring the difficulty with the contact sensor that meant that I normally needed to reply the decision utilizing my smartphone. I might hear and be heard clearly, and was in a position to have lengthy conversations utilizing the Buds Q with out many cases of bother. The low-latency mode for gaming labored precisely because it did on the Realme Buds Air Neo; there was a slight discount in sound high quality, with an equal enchancment in latency. However, that also left an audible delay. If you are a cell gamer, do not go throwing away your wired earphones simply but.

The black variant seems the most effective for my part, however you even have white and yellow as color choices

Verdict

Interestingly sufficient, Realme’s most inexpensive true wi-fi headset additionally delivers the most effective sound, and I do not imply ‘for the worth’. At Rs. 1,999, the Realme Buds Q is a greater choice than the Realme Buds Air and Buds Air Neo relating to sound high quality. The low weight and no-nonsense design additionally work nicely for this pair of earphones. Decent efficiency on calls is an added bonus.

There are undoubtedly some points with the gesture controls, and sound high quality is not fairly as spectacular as on the equally priced OnePlus Bullets Wireless Z. However, you do nonetheless must pay a slight premium for true wi-fi earphones, and the Realme Buds Q provides as a lot as is feasible contemplating that. It’s an in depth name between the Realme Buds Q and the Redmi Earbuds S, however the Buds Q nearly edges previous by way of sound high quality. It’s undoubtedly price contemplating if you happen to’re trying to purchase a pair of true wi-fi earphones proper now however wish to spend as little as attainable.

Price: Rs. 1,999

Pros

• Very mild, seems good
• AAC codec assist
• App for operate customisation, battery ranges
• Gentle, calculated sound
• Decent name high quality

Cons

• Gesture controls do not work nicely
• Doesn’t sound too good at low volumes
• No indicator lights on the earphones or case
• Average battery life

Ratings (out of 5)

• Design/ consolation: 4
• Audio high quality: 3
• Battery life: 3
• Value for cash: 4.5
• Overall: 3.5

Is Realme TV the most effective TV underneath Rs. 15,000 in India? We mentioned this on Orbital, our weekly know-how podcast, which you’ll be able to subscribe to by way of Apple Podcasts or RSS, download the episode, or simply hit the play button under.