Realme Buds Q2 Review: True Wireless, But is it Flawless?

Of late there are many TWS options in the budget segment. And you may want them for their truly wireless design. But while considering them, you may also want to ensure they offer good sound, call experience, controls, connectivity, battery life, and durability. Besides these basics, brands like Realme are also boasting active noise cancellation and super low latency in the list of perks. Some of these things come printed on the box of the product itself. But claims are one thing, the actual experience might differ. Is it the case with the buds in review? Let’s find out.

This is the Smartprix review of the Realme Buds Q2.

And before checking the claims on the box, here’s a quick scan of everything you get in the box —

Realme Buds Q2 Unboxing

The Buds Q2 comes in a small yellow rectangle box, within which you get:

• Earbuds ×2 (left ×1 and right ×1)
• Charging case ×1
• USB-C charging cable ×1
• User guide and warranty card ×1
• Silicone earbud tips: 3 pairs (L/M/S)
• Info card ×1

Also Read:

• Realme Buds Air 2 Review
• OPPO Enco X TWS Earphones Review – Excellent Value!
• Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 2 Review

Contents

• Realme Buds Q2: Case
• Realme Buds Q2: Buds
• Realme Buds Q2: Usability
• Realme Buds Q2: Audio
• Realme Buds Q2: Verdict

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Realme Buds Q2 Specs and Price in India (RMA2008)

Bluetooth: 5.2; SBC, AAC
Charging Interface: USB-C
Microphone: Yes
Driver: 10mm
Bluetooth Range: Up to 10m
Frequency: 2.4GHz to 2.48GHz
ANC: up to 25dB
Game Mode: 88ms
Water Resistance: IPX5 (earbuds only)
Price in India: ₹2,499

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On with the review then.

Realme Buds Q2 Review: Case

Realme Buds Q2 comes in a cobble-shaped case. I like the new grey color used by Realme in its audio products. Both the box and buds look similar to the Dizo GoPod D (review) that had debuted recently. On the surface, there is a Realme logo on top, an LED indicator on the front, and a USB Type-C socket on the back.

The case is compact and easy to slide into the jean’s coin pocket. Good. And, the build quality is also fine. You might not be able to open it one-handedly but the closing clasp is firm. Still, if you accidentally drop it, the buds would fall out. When they are slid in normally and you aren’t clumsy, they would also sleep tight in the inner cradles.

Let’s take them out now.

Realme Buds Q2 Review: Buds

There are three sizes of silicone ear tips offered, with one of them applied to the buds. Even after swapping each one of them, I couldn’t get one that would sit snug. And I found them jumping out of my ears quite a few times. But, when they stay in the ears, their ergonomics made them suitable for long-term use.

You can choose them in two colors viz. Black and Grey, with a metal-esque gloss and a prismatic shade. Flashy? You decide. I didn’t mind it. I just feel it looks rather jutted out.

Anyway, on the other side beneath the ear tip, there is the charging contact, mic, and back tone hole. Buds Q2 features both Dual Mic Noise Cancellation (ENC) for Calls (more on this later), as well as ANC up to 25db. This isn’t perfect but I am not complaining considering the price at which it is offered. It lets in some ambient noises, but having it on lets you focus better. So that counts for something.

Before we move to the next section, know that these buds are IPX5 rated for sweat and splash resistance.

Realme Buds Q2 Review: Usability

Now, whence they are out they will look for a connection. In supported devices, you will see a Google Fast Pair notification. It is a nifty feature to have. But the problem here was that even after connecting to a device, the pairing pop-up was showing up on the same as well as other devices. A bit irritating.

But that minor annoyance aside, I like the flexibility offered by a bud. I use singular ’cause you can use them solo while the other charges in the case. I also appreciate the various available controls. You can make the selection within the Realme Link app. You can control things like music playback, activate voice assistant, and set game mode.

The app worked fine on both Android and iOS. It displays the current battery level of buds, lets you initiate a connection, pick the preferred sound effects, Noise control settings, enable game mode, and decide the required function of each button.

The MFB (multi-functioning button) is responsive to touches and taps. And while mentioning responsiveness, note that there is “super-low latency of 88ms”. If you are a gamer, you may want to turn it on.

While we are talking about usability, know that it works over Bluetooth 5.0 within a radius of 10 meters.

Each of these buds work for about 5 hours standalone and a total of 20 hours (with ANC on) with the juice offered by the case. When the indicator blinks red, it means its feeding time. Plug it in for around 2 hours to power up both the Case and the Buds within. It is par for the course, I’d say.

Moving on…

Realme Buds Q2 Review: Audio

The earbuds are plenty loud and around 50-percent is enough for indoor usage. Unless you like to listen at high volumes to discern every little sound coming out of the 10mm ‘Dynamic Bass-Boost’ driver. As they are named, the signature is skewed towards a warmer sound. Hence, with the Dynamic profile, you should get ample thump. I hardly ever touched the Boost+ mode, as that was boomier than my taste.

You may try it though, if bass is what you prefer. Likewise, those who want clarity at the higher frequencies, choose Bright mode.

Overall, Buds Q2 work in between 2.4GHz and 2.4KHz frequency range. Realme says these work within the range of 2.4GHz and 2.4KHz. I enjoyed listening to songs such as Sohneya by Nucleya (for bass drops), Hideaway by Jacob Collier (for an atmospheric feel), Solid Ground by Michael Kiwanuka (for vocal range), Hotel California by Eagles (for rock riff-raff), November by Max Richter (for treble).

If we move beyond music and move to call quality, the experience dulls. I could hear the other party alright but I wasn’t clear to them. This could be a defect with my unit but is something you should know.

This brings us to the conclusion.

Review Verdict: Should You Buy Realme Buds Q2?

TWS might be all the rage, but they have their quirks. Take the case of Realme Buds Q2, it is portable, sounds good, has fairly perceivable noise cancellation, and runs for a decent period of time backed by the supply of power in the box. The low latency Game mode and IPX5 water resistance are also good to have. On top of all these, there’s the style quotient of course. But since I was using these parallelly with the Buds Wireless 2 (review), I noticed some things that a neckband does better — Battery life, the convenience of carrying them behind the neck without worrying of them falling and losing. Oh, and in this particular comparison, the collar neckband has an advantage in terms of its high-res LDAC sound quality support. I didn’t face any call quality issues either.

Now, the ball’s in your court. If you like the true wireless form factor, go with the Buds Q2. It is available via Amazon and Realme.com. However, if the neckband piques your interest, check it out instead.