Realme is a Chinese smartphone manufacturer which also recently jumped into the wearables market and started manufacturing a lot of gadgets like earphones, watches, weighing scales and lot. In their earbuds lineup the buds air 2 is recently launched with mind blowing features for a lesser price than the competitors providing in this segment.
With features like active noise cancellation and transparency mode this buds is loaded with features which are really mind blowing for the price they quote. Let’s see if the buds air 2 really lives upto the hype created in the market.
| Specifications | Details |
|---|---|
| Driver Size | 10mm Diamond-like Carbon Coated Dynamic Drivers |
| Features | Active Noise Cancellation, Transparency Mode |
| Total Playback | 25 hours |
| Latency | 88ms Super Low Latency |
| Quick Charge | 10 mins charge for 120 mins playback |
| Build and Design | Yellow square-shaped box, pebble-shaped case, USB-C port |
| Color Variant | White with silver-colored stems |
| Case Features | Snappy plastic hinge, lightweight, single-hand operation |
| Earbud Design | Similar to Apple Air Pods, silicone ear tips |
| Isolation | 60% outside noise isolation |
| Noise Cancellation Activation | Touch both earbuds for 3 seconds |
| Transparency Mode Activation | Same as noise cancellation, adjustable via app |
| Sound Quality | Balanced, excellent without static hiss |
| Bass | Adequate with thump, adjustable via app |
| Mids | Forward vocals, good body, no sibilance |
| Highs | Decent treble for the price, rolled off treble |
| Soundstage | Impressive height, depth, width |
| Imaging | Good instrument separation and presentation |
| Call Quality | Clear indoors, slight difficulty outdoors |
| Realme Link App Features | Active noise cancellation adjustment, sound profiles |
| Unique App Features | Volume booster, bass booster |
| Price (INR RS.) | 3300 |
| Verdict | Excellent value for the price, features comparable to higher-priced options |
Table of Contents
SPECIFICATIONS:
- 10mm Diamond like carbon coated dynamic drivers
- Active noise cancellation
- Transparency Mode
- 25hrs Total Playback
- 88ms Super low latency
- 10 mins charge for 120 mins playback
BUILD AND DESIGN:
The box is usually yellow colored which the realme provides with all of their tech gadgets. It’s square shaped and by opening the lid the earbuds with the case are straight up front and underneath it the charging cable along with 2 pairs of ear tips and some documentation are provided.
I bought the white colored variant since it looked classy with silver colored stems which are really attractive. It is designed more or less the same as the original apple air pods except the stem being different and the earbuds have silicone ear tips.
The case is pebble shaped and its quite sleek and can be easily placed inside the jean pockets. The lid has no metal hinge but the plastic one feels really snappy and quite reliable. I dropped the case a lot of time but the lid didn’t get any damage and the snap is really satisfying as same as the apple ear pods. There is a single light indicator for indicating the charging levels. At the bottom there is an usb c charging port which is a welcome package since most of the brands still uses the micro usb port which is pain in the ass. There is a realme branding in the front which is grey colored and not very flashy. The lid can be opened with a single hand and fingers and you don’t need the other hand to balance. It’s lightweight and small enough to carry around wherever you go.
The earbuds are quite attractive and that silver touch in the stem is unique and looks attractive. The only thing I don’t like in the design is that the ear tips are oval shaped hence the seal in the ear is not up to the mark which makes the active noise cancellation to be a slightly odd acting. I would have loved if the ear tips are round shaped which would have made the isolation a top notch.
The fit is quite good where there are no wingtips provided and it’s not a big deal. It isolates up to 60 percent of the outside noise but it could have been better if they have provided the round ear tips.
NOISE CANCELLATION:
Initially I thought that the active noise cancellation for this price is going to be a gimmick since the earbuds which have this feature are costing twice this product now. But to my surprise the noise cancellation is done well. Even though it’s not up to the mark of what the costlier one provides it does the job for the price. It blocks the low pitched sounds but can’t eliminate the high pitched sounds. They block out AC noises but can’t eliminate if someone speaks to you or the sound of the television. This feature in this can be a handy one for this price.
The noise cancellation can be enabled by touching both the earbuds for 3 seconds where the earbuds will prompt that the mode is activated.
TRANSPARENCY MODE:
This is a unique feature which a lot of brands recently started to adopt in their products. I personally prefer this mode over the active noise cancellation because it’s more practical than the other. This mode works great in this earphone and has different levels which can be adjusted via the realme link app which we will discuss later. The mics in this picks up the sounds from the surroundings and amplifies it to you which is quite useful in some situations especially while taking phone calls. This mode is also activated in the same way as how we activate the noise cancellation mode and also can be activated via the app.
SOUND:
A one good thing I appreciate in this earphone is that there is no static hiss noise when the audio stops or while begins playing which I experienced in other costlier brands. There is also no driver flex present in it.
This sounds really excellent. It’s a lot better than the earphones available for this price point like the Oneplus buds Z. It’s a pretty balanced earphone which makes all the frequencies sound good without compromising each other.
BASS:
The bass is enough and has thump wherever it’s needed. It’s slightly boomy inside but can be tweaked via the sound profiles present in the app. The diamond coated drivers do the job well by providing some good and tighter bass impact. I would have liked it if the bass bleed was reduced a bit which made the bass a little muddy in bass heavy tracks.
Overall the presentation is neatly laid out and done well with tighter bass.
MIDS:
I thank realme for not making this a V Shaped earphone which would have completely ruined this earphone. The vocals are forward and not recessed. The vocals have a good body. The mid bass gives that body to the vocals which also gave the warmth to the vocals. I didn’t experience any sibilance during my listening.
HIGHS:
The treble extension is not as good as any high end tws like galaxy buds plus but it’s good for the price. It’s decent enough and for casual listening they are good enough. The guitar strings sound quite flat due to its rolled off treble but hey! This is not an audiophile grade earphone!.
SOUNDSTAGE:
This is really impressive in this earphone. They have good enough height, depth and width. The instruments are spreaded out and can be easily pinpointed.
The imaging is impressive too where the tracks from yosi horikawa is presented well and it sweeps from right to left.
CALL QUALITY:
Call quality is nothing to complain about where the person at the other end can clearly hear me indoors. In outdoors the mics find a little bit difficulty in isolating the surrounding noises which makes the person on the other end difficult to listen but it’s nothing to be majorly worried since most of the truly wireless earbuds aren’t able to do this job with perfection with some exceptions.
REALME LINK APP:
The app is very straightforward where it directly welcomes the user with the compatible gadgets list. Unfortunately the audio gears are not supported in the apple ecosystem’s realme link app hence you cannot change the touch gestures or control the audio profiles. The android version app has a lot of features like adjusting the active noise cancellation levels and changing the sound profiles which really helps in bringing out the best sound out of the earphone.
Has a unique feature like volume booster which really increases the volume output. The bass booster option really brings the extra bass out of the tracks.
VERDICT:
For the price there is nothing to complain about. It has all the features like active noise cancellation and transparency mode which is only available in the earphones which are twice the cost. I won’t say the features work the same as the costlier ones but it does the job. The sound coming out of it is also great and even if you find the sound is not up to your taste you can change the sound profiles via the realme link app.
For the retail price of INR RS.3300 it’s a steal deal and it’s a major go from my side.
This Review is Written By KATHIRAVAN.C
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I’m Kathiravan from Tamilnadu. A budding audiophile here with high love towards music and audio equipment. My first experience of enjoying the hifi audio came when I started to use budget chi-fi gears and now it came all along the way of reviewing the gears with high end stuffs. I love reviewing audio products.
This content is collaboratively crafted and vetted by Shubham, a Mechanical Engineering specialist. His passion for unraveling the intricacies of machinery and consumer electronics mirrors his avid interest in gaming. With his wealth of expertise, Shubham adeptly navigates readers through the complexities of audio, home appliances, and everyday products, guaranteeing a smooth and enjoyable shopping journey. For every product you read about on this site we do rigorous research and testing behind the scenes to bring you the best value for money options. For any query directly reach out to me at my personal Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/shubhamgarg8024/
