With a dozen products available and clones under the Redmi coat of arms, it’s hard to know which path to take. We help you see more clearly with our selection of the 5 most relevant pairs of earbuds in our opinion.
The smartphone brand has been on the rise for a few years now. Now, it markets a whole catalog of products that revolve around it. Among them, we obviously find wireless earbuds. Like Samsung, Xiaomi is among the manufacturers that have followed in the footsteps of Apple and earphone brands.
Now, the firm offers about ten models. Which ones are really worthy of interest?
With its Xiaomi and Redmi labels, the firm has more than a dozen pairs of earbuds with different names. We suggest you shorten all this with the most interesting below.
XIAOMI REDMI AIR DOTS 2
Also sold under the name Xiaomi Mi TWS Basic 2, these headphones, which are already inexpensive at the start, often fall below 20€. Inevitably, at this price there is basic, but effective basic. The Air Dots 2 benefit from a small size which makes them discreet once in the ears. For the controls, they don’t have touch zones, but a pair of physical buttons that are pleasant to use.
The sound does not have any particularly notable flaws for this price range. We have the right to rather balanced restitution. On the voice pickup side, the single microphone of the headphones has difficulty in noisy environments but remains correct when the hubbub is silent. In addition, the additional autonomy offered by the box seems to us a little weak, even at this price.
We go to a notch slightly above. To begin with, these headphones have a less cheap aesthetic than the Air Dots 2. Then, they sport a small silicone fin which ensures good support in the ear flap. This element combined with the IP54 certification makes them ideal companions for sports. All the more reason to take them on a jog, their sound signature is rather rich in bass and delivers good energy.
Going back to the comparison with the Aird Dots 2, we appreciate the 6 hours of extra battery life provided by the case. On the other hand, nothing changes at the level of the microphone, it always suffers a lot from the surrounding noises.
Like many brands, Xiaomi has designed headphones resembling Apple’s AirPods in the hope of attracting customers who want to have them without spending too much. From afar, the illusion works pretty well. When we get closer, we realize that the stems of the Redmi Buds 3 are less svelte. We don’t like the poor man’s AirPods effect, but just remembering the starting price of the AirPods 2 will make it better.
In addition to costing less, it displays an IP54 certification while Apple’s version is limited to IPX2. Regarding the sound, we have the right to a clear rendering, but which deserves more extroverted bass. We do not find the highlighting of the voices that the AirPods benefit from. Also, the microphones do quite well even with a bit of extraneous noise in the surroundings.
In addition to their slightly sleeker design than other headphones, the Buds 3 provides a more advanced experience thanks to the Mi Buds M8 application. It is used in particular to check the correct placement of the headphones in the ears, to personalize the touch controls, and to make them ring in the event of a loss. The application also allows you to choose between three levels of active noise reduction.
This correctly eliminates the nuisances, but we expected a slightly more striking result. The sound reproduction is quite precise, but its emphasis on the mediums tires the ears in the long run. In addition, the Buds 3 Pro last just 4 hours with ANC activated. An hour more would not be refused. Despite the trio of microphones on each earpiece, voice capture in a noisy environment remains messy.
Xiaomi offers here its most complete headphones with features that we would rather expect to find at Sony or Apple. The Buds 3T Pro integrates spatial audio as well as the LHDC 4.0 high definition codec. On the other hand, you need a smartphone from the brand to enjoy it natively and have access to the settings of the headphones. If not, the Mi Buds M8 app luckily comes to the rescue.
With a total of six mics, the Buds 3 T Pro delivers voice pickup that’s quite intelligible, but not among the most pleasing to hear. In addition, they do very well in a noisy environment. We are pleasantly surprised to enjoy a faithful and balanced sound. We can nevertheless reproach him for the discretion of his bass.
Finally, the four active noise reduction modes are effective in erasing the noise frenzy of the street or the metro, but they encounter difficulties in discussions for example.
First of all, remember that for wired headphones, the brand only offers a low-cost model on its site. Except for the tight budget argument, they are pretty unattractive. As for the rest of the catalog, it is a bit confusing, since the pairs of headphones are numerous and the Xiaomi/Redmi distinction is not always obvious. In addition, Xiaomi puts the Redmi badge on some models to sell the same, but under another label.
This is the case, for example, with the Redmi Air Dots 2 and the Mi TWS Basic 2. If you are looking for wireless headphones for sports, the Redmi Buds 3 lite is a good solution. Otherwise, the Xiaomi Buds 3T Pro is not ridiculous with its IP55 certification.
The Best Experience at Xiaomi?
The Xiaomi Buds 3T Pro does not offer the best experience on all points. As for the total autonomy with the case, the Xiaomi Buds 3 have 8 hours more under the hood for 70€ less. They are a great alternative if you are not interested in surround sound and the LHDC codec. Note that we were unable to find French or English tests on it. Even Google seems to confuse them with the Redmi Buds 3. The Xiaomi Buds 3 have also sold very little here.
We also do not reach the level of incomprehension that the catalog of JBL headphones provides. Fortunately! It’s already complicated enough as it is.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between Xiaomi and Redmi products?
The Xiaomi firm has given birth to several additional brands like Redmi. The latter only offers products in affordable price brackets, whether at the level of smartphones or wireless headphones. Xiaomi, therefore, reserves what is accessible to Redmi and affixes its badge to what is more expensive.
What are the differences between the Redmi Airdots 2 and Mi TWS Basic 2 Earbuds Xiaomi?
It’s simple, there is none! Xiaomi is selling the same headphones under two different badges to take even more space in the market and provide a pair of headphones that goes with Redmi smartphones.
What alternative to the Xiaomi Buds 3T Pro headphones?
In the high-end part of the market, the Xiaomi Buds 3T Pro-face strong competitors that they have failed to match. Let us quote for example the inevitable AirPods Pro as well as the reference that constitutes the Sony WF-1000XM4.