Realme Buds Wireless 2 Review: The best neckband under ₹3000 price band?

Main Image
  • Like
  • Comment
  • Share

Realme Buds Wireless 2 review summary:

Expert Rating: 3.7/5

Design

Connectivity

Usability

Audio

Battery

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Pros

  • Good Sound and Call quality
  • Fairly good build
  • USB-C charging
  • Decent battery life
  • IPX5 water resistance
  • Multiple configurable controls

Cons

  • One or two instances of audio delay during use
  • ANC lets in some amount of noise

I am often asked, among neckbands and true wireless buds, which one to go for? And my answer is always that it depends on the user’s preference. Each has its pros and cons, and based on your style and requirements you can make your pick. The good thing is that even on a strict budget, you can get some good options. Especially with the entry of smartphone brands into the scene, the choices have gotten better for the customer. Realme is one such name that has made its mark in this space for its affordable offerings. As of summer 2021, it has a decent range of audio products to its portfolio which includes earphones packing treats like active noise cancellation, water resistance, low latency game mode, etc within the sub-5000 INR slab. Take, for instance, its latest neckband tagged Realme Buds Wireless 2 which comes at ₹2,299 and even touts Hi-Res sound with Sony’s LDAC codec support. This is something usually found in upstate ear/head-phones only. Sounds too good to be true, right? Well, I am about to tell you if it is.

This is the Smartprix review of the Realme Buds Wireless 2.

First a glance at what all you get within the white and yellow box:

Realme Buds Wireless 2 Unboxing

The Realme Buds Wireless 2 comes in a small rectangle box, within which you get:

  • The neckband
  • A pair of Small, Medium, and Large Silicone Ear Tips
  • A USB-C cable
  • User Guide

Also Read:

Contents


Realme Buds Wireless 2 Specs and Price in India (RMA2009)

Bluetooth: 5.0; With multipoint; SBC, AAC, LDAC
Charging Interface: USB-C
Microphone: Yes
ANC: up to 25dB; Vocplus AI Noise Cancellation for Calls
Bluetooth Range: Up to 10m
Driver: 13.6mm
Frequency: 2.4GHz to 2.4835GHz
Game Mode: 88ms
Battery: 135mAh with Dart Charge
Water Resistance: IPX5
Weight: 29g
Price in India: ₹2,299


Let’s begin.

Realme Buds Wireless 2: Design

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Realme Buds Wireless 2 comes in two colors viz. Yellow and Gray. I got the latter and I like it better too. The build quality is assuring. They seem strong while being flexible, and are light on the collar. The finish of the polycarbonate and rubber feels smooth to touch.

They sit tight in the ears and don’t just fall sideways that easily. I like the weight balance and overall construct of these collar earphones. When not in use, you can snap in the magnetic heads of the buds together, which pauses the music.

Rest, rounding off the design segment is IPX5 protection (against sweat and splash), a USB-C port, control buttons, and a tiny LED indicator. Like the former two. I will get to the controls later on. But, the LEDs come to play in the coming section.

Realme Buds Wireless 2: Connectivity

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Pairing is easy thanks to Google Fast Pair. The earphones will start looking for connection as soon as you power them on. BTW, they turn on when you detach them. However, if you want to manually activate pairing mode, simply tap on the multi-functioning button (MFB; present between volume rockers) for at least 3 seconds until the LED lights up green. From the Bluetooth settings of the target device (phone, laptop, etc), select Realme Buds Wireless 2, and the connection takes place.

Upon tethering, it works over Bluetooth 5.0 within a 10m range. I didn’t face any drops or disconnects. The call quality was fine too. You also get to seamlessly switch to other devices connected to the target device with a single tap of a button.

Speaking of a button —

Realme Buds Wireless 2: Usability

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

Buds Wireless 2 features four buttons in total. There are volume keys, an MFB, and a noise cancellation button. You can configure each of them to do actions like invoking Voice Assistant, enable game mode, control music playback, switch between connected devices, etc with different tap combinations. These settings can be changed from within the Realme Link app.

The app also lets you choose the Noise control modes, Sound effects, enhance volume, and activate the Game mode or Auto-answer system. I wish there was an option to lower/increase the volume though.

Realme offers 88ms of super-low latency, which should come useful in games and while watching videos. Initially, I had faced some lag while watching YouTube videos but not lately.

Moving on…

Realme Buds Wireless 2: Audio

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Besides SBC and AAC, Realme Buds Wireless 2 also supports the LDAC codec. In supported devices (like the Realme X7 Max, I tested it on), LDAC can output high-res audio up to 32-bit/96kHz over Bluetooth at up to 990kbps. Sony also claims this “achieves the higher sound quality than conventional codecs, even in a bad connection environment”.

But since we aren’t talking of high-end equipment, let’s talk more realistically. LDAC definitely adds oomph and between SBC and LDAC, you will hear the difference in terms of instrument sound reproduction and vocal clarity. This has to be turned off for game mode to work.

At 50%, it is plenty loud, but for the purposes of testings, I had the volume slider swiped up about 70/80%.

Within the Realme Link app and pressing the lowermost button toggles between Noise Cancellation, Normal, and Transparency mode. ANC (up to 25dB) is good enough to mostly tamp down the surrounding noise. I could still hear indoor noises from Washing machines, utensils, TV, and tile cutter (in the neighborhood). But, if I play music along with ANC, the experience was pretty isolating.

The app also lets you choose between three sound profiles viz. Bass Boost+, Dynamic, and Bright. I mostly used Dynamic, which I feel is the sweet spot. But, occasionally I move to Bright to listen to the instruments and sounds in the higher frequencies. I didn’t use Bass Boost+ as the result was boomier than I like. I want my bassy music to create thumps instead. This I got from Acid Rain by Lorn and Mirza by Nucleya. I also got my dose of bass from the F9: Fast Saga Album.

Realme states the Buds Wireless 2 can present sounds within the range of 2.4GHz and 2.4KHz. I enjoyed listening to songs such as Hunter by Björk (for an atmospheric feel), Feels Like Going Home by Muddy Waters (for vocal range), Duality by Slipknot (for rock riff-raff), Dawn of the Iconoclast (for treble).

And this enjoyment lasted long too —

Realme Buds Wireless 2: Battery

Rating: 4 out of 5.

I could easily listen to it all day and get to the next. Granted, I was testing the Buds Q2 alongside, still, the runtime was long. If it’s charged full, you can go out and about without worrying about it quickly dying on you. The presence of a USB Type-C socket means you can use almost any smartphone adapter to fill it up within an hour. A quick Dart Charge of 10 minutes could eke out enough juice for a workday.

At last, it’s time for —

Review Verdict: Should You Buy Realme Buds Wireless 2?

Editor’s rating

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

This is a decent upgrade over the original Realme Buds Wireless as it brings over some of the features found on the Pro model. You get essentials like good sound, acceptable call quality, USB-C charging, decent battery life, IPX5 water resistance, and multiple configurable controls. It is easily wearable too. Add to that, niceties like ANC and Bluetooth Multipoint, you have a fair value for the money. At ₹2,299, the specs it offers are fine. Just don’t expect sound or noise cancellation as good as AirPods Pro that costs around 10x this one.

If neckband is what you want, you can grab a pair of the Realme Buds Wireless 2 at Flipkart or the official site. Now parallelly, I have been listening to the Realme Buds Q2 (review) as well. And if true wireless freedom entices you, you may check that out instead.

Reasons to buy

  • Good Sound and Call quality
  • Fairly good build
  • USB-C charging
  • Decent battery life
  • IPX5 water resistance
  • Multiple configurable controls

Reasons to not buy

  • One or two instances of audio delay during use
  • ANC lets in some amount of noise
Vasan G.S.Vasan G.S.
An inquisitive mind who spends a big chunk of the day keenly tracking every emerging detail and is responsible for quickly passing on important developments to Smartprix followers. He loves to stay in his bubble scripting his destiny involving amazing technology and people with good character, passion, and brilliance.

Related Articles

ImageApple announces event for World Wide Developers Conference 2024

California-based Tech giant Apple has confirmed a grand event for the World Wide Developers Conference 2024. The WWDC will take place from June 10 to June 14 this time and just like last year it will be an online event that will be open to all developers at no cost. The WWDC 2024 will include …

ImageRealme Buds Wireless review – Heavy on Bass, but light in weight and on wallet

It’s a tricky thing to pick a good pair of budget earbuds from the bevy of options out there. For one, the sound signature must be soothing, and it has to be a comfortable wear. If not, it may very well throw you off and there goes the money down the drain. (Realme Buds Wireless …

ImageRealme Buds Wireless Pro ANC Review

Realme launched two affordable ANC earphones at its recent Mega IoT launch – Buds Air Pro and Buds Wireless Pro. The Realme Buds Air Pro that we recently reviewed offer TWS style & convenience and the Buds Air Wireless Pro that we will be talking about today are neckband style earphones that are more affordable …

Image[Exclusive] Realme Buds Wireless 3: Get a Sneak Peek at the Realme Buds Wireless 3 Price and Design

Realme has been launching some of the best smartphones in different price segments in the market this year. Not only this, but the brand is also focusing on wearables and hearables. Keeping that in mind, the Realme Buds Wireless 3 has been popping up in the headlines recently. Now, we at Smartprix are here to …

ImageBest OnePlus Watch 2 Alternatives You Can Buy In India Right Now

At MWC 2024, OnePlus, the Chinese tech giant, unveiled its second-generation smartwatch and first-ever wearOS-based watch. The initial release of OnePlus Watch in 2021 received mixed reviews due to some noticeable flaws. However, after a span of three years, OnePlus has returned with the OnePlus Watch 2, claiming significant improvements across all aspects. Priced below …

Discuss

Be the first to leave a comment.