Realme has launched a new series of TWS Devices yesterday. The Realme Air 5 Series Realme includes Buds Air 5 Pro and the Realme Buds Air 5. I was loaned the Buds Air 5 Pro model for review purposes which comes with ANC up to 50dB, Long battery life, LDAC support, and more for a price of under 5k. While the specs on paper sure look impressive do these make the Realme Buds Air 5 Pro the best in the segment? Let’s find out.
Realme Buds Air 5 Pro Review Snapshot
Editor’s rating: 3.8/5
Design
Connectivity, Control & Features
Sound and ANC
Battery
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Pros
- Long battery life
- Good ANC & LDAC support
- Dual device connection
- Wear detection
Cons
- The case is a smudge magnet
- No volume control option
- Audio quality muffles at high volume
Realme Buds Air 5 Pro Price
The Realme Buds Air 5 Pro will come in Sunrise Beige and Astral Black shades for Rs. 4999 from 29th August at 12 Noon via Realme.com, Flipkart, and Stores near you. Price for early bird consumers is Rs. 4499.
Realme Buds Air 5 Pro Review: Design
On the outside, the Realme Buds Pro 5 looks similar to its predecessors. The difference becomes noticeable when the case is popped open. Let us talk about the case first. The case retains most of the design elements of the Realme Buds Air 3 case as it is oval bean-shaped with a slight indent at the top.
The indent at the top features the Realme branding with a transparent layer. Realme has launched the Buds Air 5 Pro in 2 colors- Black and sunrise beige (inspired by the Realme 11 Pro series), out of which I received the latter for review purposes. The case has a glossy finish that picks up scratches and fingerprints easily (especially the beige one) so one has to be slightly careful with it to retain the looks.
The hinge is sturdy and the magnets hold the lid in place. The case houses a clicky silver button that stands out on the side. It helps buds enter into pairing mode. Having a button to enable pairing mode makes things easier when switching between devices. The capsule-shaped case has a USB Type-C charging port at the bottom. The charging is indicated at the front. The case is lightweight and compact easily sliding into your pocket.
Now, let us talk about the buds which are the most important part. The buds have an in-ear design and come with medium-sized ear tips pre-installed. You can change to small or large ear tips that come inside the box. The buds have a touch-sensitive area on the outer surface that helps perform various functions. The buds fit the ears perfectly and don’t fall off even while you are jogging or cycling. These have an IPX5 water resistance rating so I didn’t have to worry even if it was raining outside.
The buds have a monochromatic dual-tone design which helps them stand out from its predecessors. The TWS buds are lightweight so wearing them for longer durations wasn’t a problem. Considering that the buds retail at around Rs. 4500, the brand hasn’t really cut many corners with this one in the design and fit department.
Realme Buds Air 5 Pro Review: Connectivity, Controls & Features
The Realme Buds Air 5 Pro supports Bluetooth 5.3 with LDAC Hi-res audio codec that is not seen very often in this price segment. The pairing process is quick and simple as all you have to do is open the case, press the silver button on the case for 3 seconds until the light blinks white, and voila, buds enter pairing mode. Now, enable Bluetooth on your device and connect the buds with it as soon as it shows Buds Air 5 Pro. When the buds get connected, the blinking LED goes off. Take the buds out of the case and start using them.
The Realme Buds Air 5 Pro comes with Google pairing that automatically pairs the phone to the buds when buds are placed near the device with Bluetooth turned on. I have Xiaomi smartphones at home and never faced any pairing issues with them.
The Buds feature dual device connection so I could connect to two devices at the same time and the switch was seamless. The touch control functions are-
- Double tap to play/pause audio or answer/hang calls
- Long press for 2 seconds during calls to reject calls
- Long press one of the buds for 2 seconds to switch between normal, ANC, and Transparency mode
- Triple tap to the next or previous song in your playlist
The Realme Buds Air 5 Pro comes with smart wear detection which is a rarity at this price point. It means the buds can sense when they are inside your ears and when not. The music automatically stops when you take out the buds and resumes as soon as you wear them back.
The Buds support Realme Link App on Android as well as iOS devices. The app can be used to change actions for touch functions, check battery life, and more. However, there is no option for volume control.
Other features include a 40ms low latency mode, a 6-mic array for noise cancellation on calls, Google fast pair, and more.
Realme Buds Air 5 Pro Review: Sound & ANC
The Realme Buds Air 5 Pro comes with one of the most powerful ANCs in the segment. It comes with ANC up to 50dB which ensures that outside noises fade away in seconds after you double-tap on the stem with your fingertip. There is a transparent mode as well that ensures you stay in touch with the surroundings around you without removing the buds.
Personalized ANC scans your ear canal and offers suitable audio. There are options like Smart, Max, Moderate, and Mild modes. The Buds use beamforming noise reduction technology and 3 ENC microphones on each bud to minimize the external noise. Even in traffic or crowded areas, I could listen to the person at the other end of the call easily.
Now let us talk about one of the most important aspects of any TWS device- sound quality. The Buds Air 5 Pro packs an 11mm dynamic driver and 6mm planal diaphragm tweeter covering a frequency range of 20-40KHz. The high-quality tweeter ensured that the vocals of the singers were crystal clear while the LDAC HD transmission with Hi-res audio offered a 96KHz sampling rate. The audio quality is crisp with decent bass for the highs. The mid-range is average and when the volume is increased to high, the earbuds start sounding muffled. Whether it is a party number like Heart Throb from RRKPK or a light melodious song like Chaleya from Jawan, the audio quality is pleasing until the volume is set to 50%, above that the audio starts losing character.
You can choose different EQ Modes as well- Serenade, Original Sound, Pure Bass, and Deep Bass. Golden Sound allows you to customize the audio based on the ear canal. For the first time, Realme has given spatial audio in the TWS Buds. It works decently with multi-channel audio formats on various apps.
Realme Buds Air 5 Pro Review: Battery Life and Charging
The Realme Buds Pro 5 packs a 60mAh battery in each bud that gives about 10 hours of battery life on a single charge when ANC and LDAC are turned off. If you turn it on, then with ANC it lasts about 7 hours, and with both ANC+LDAC it lasts about 5 hours. The battery life of the buds on a single charge is decent.
With the case, the buds can last for up to 38 hours. The case packs a 460mAh battery that claims to last 40 hours on a single charge. In actual usage, it turned out to be 2 hours less than what was claimed but still, it is more than enough. 38 hours on a single charge means the case has to be charged after 1-2 days and not daily. The green light in the case indicates that the battery is full and when it turns red, the battery is low.
Moreover, 10 minutes of charging gives about 6.5 hours of battery life which is very good. The case doesn’t support wireless charging which is ok considering the price range.
Review Verdict: Should you buy Realme Buds Air 5 Pro?
Realme Buds Air 5 Pro is a decent value-for-money TWS device that comes with top-notch features like good ANC, dual device connection, wear detection, LDAC support, long battery life, and more for under Rs. 5000.
The buds are IPX4-rated and will be available in 2 stylish-looking color options as well. Although the case is a smudge magnet and there are no volume control options from the buds, but still if you are still looking for a sustainable TWS device that doesn’t burn a hole in your pocket, then Realme Buds Air 5 Pro can be considered.
Reasons to buy
- Long battery life
- Good ANC & LDAC support
- Dual device connection
- Wear detection
Reasons to not buy
- The case is a smudge magnet
- No volume control option
- Audio quality muffled at high volume
Thanks for the detailed review!