Realme ‘s new Buds Air 5 Pro is the first TWS earbuds in its price range to feature a dual coaxial driver and feature professional-grade Active Noise Canceling far beyond the capabilities of the company’s existing models.
Design
Fresh realme headphones received, one might say, a classic droplet design on a thin leg. But for all its banality, it is this design that provides the most reliable fit for the gadget. The same leg additionally fixes the realme Buds Air 5 Pro in the ear, and as a result, the headphones stay in it like a glove and do not try to fall out with any careless movement.
At the same time, soft complete ear cushions reduce pressure on the ear canal, making them almost imperceptible. And you forget about their existence after a couple of minutes of use – the music seems to sound inside you.
Headphones and case can be made of white or black plastic. Our white test copy liked the fact that it does not get dirty at all – including fingerprints.
realme Buds Air 5 Pro review
Case, by the way, was quite convenient. Thanks to its small size and rounded shape, it will easily fit in your bag and in any pocket. In thickness, it is slightly larger than a conventional finger-type battery.
Its ascetic design is also attractive. Of the decorative elements, there is only the realme logo, complemented by an LED indicator, a USB Type-C port and an inconspicuous button for pairing or resetting the settings.
The case is easy to open with one hand, and the headphones themselves do not have to be hard to pick out of the sockets, as with some other TWS models. They hold securely, and if you take them correctly (cover with your fingers from right to left, if you look at the case), they can also be easily removed.
Separately, we note a good solution with a mesh integrated into the silicone ear cushion. Any headphones sooner or later have to be cleaned, and if the mesh is in the seal itself, and not in the housing with electronics, it can be washed even under running water.
Control
To control the headphones, touch panels on the top of the legs are used. A single touch of any of them will allow you to answer an incoming call. A double tap will pause the music, continue playing or hang up, a triple tap will switch to the next track.
A long press on either pad will switch from transparency mode to noise reduction or vice versa, and holding both pads at the same time will launch Game Mode.
For more fine-tuning and control of realme Buds Air 5 Pro, the realme Link application is provided. With it, you can change the way the headphones react to double and triple taps, for example, by adding the ability to skip to the previous song or activate the voice assistant.
The most important thing is that the application has a full-fledged equalizer, while many realme Buds Air 5 Pro competitors, and even more expensive headphones, are limited to adding only a few presets. Everything is different here, and you can easily customize the sound exactly the way you need it. Moreover, you can take into account the individual characteristics of each listener. Through the application, you can start the adaptation of the sound itself and select the optimal seals from the kit. No complications – just follow the actions that are offered on the screen.
Noise suppression
Realme Buds Air 5 Pro uses the most advanced active noise cancellation system in the company’s history. It handles external noise up to 50 dB without any problems, and its efficiency reaches a record-breaking 99.6% for this price range. This is made possible thanks to an improved main microphone responsible for voice transmission during calls, and a hybrid microphone design with front and rear sound pickup.
As we said, you can turn on active noise cancellation with a long press on the touch pad of any of the headphones. And the app has the ability to switch between three levels of noise reduction or turn on the automatic adjustment function when the ANC power is selected by smart algorithms depending on external conditions.
Sound
Two speakers are responsible for the sound quality in realme Buds Air 5 Pro : a 6mm microplanar tweeter for high frequencies and an 11mm driver for low frequencies. The diaphragm of the latter is made of soft and flexible PU + PEEK, and the tweeter uses a new PEI + PEN composite material with advanced flat diaphragm technology. As a result, the frequency range of the model has increased from the previous 20-20 kHz to 20-40 kHz.
All this is complemented by a high-quality LDAC codec with a bandwidth of 990 Kbps for even clearer and more detailed sound. But, of course, to unlock the full potential of LDAC, this codec must also be supported by a smartphone or other sound source.
Those who love bass will certainly appreciate the possibility of fine control over them. The realme Link app provides multi-stage bass boost or cut, and separate clean and deep bass modes. Definitely, the Buds Air 5 Pro has some of the best bass response in this price range.
As for the sound quality in general, the use of two speakers in the headphones, a high-quality LDAC audio codec and a sound personalization algorithm that adapts to the characteristics of your ear canal, adjusting the sound to its structure, make themselves felt. The headphones produce clear and detailed sound, revealing every instrument of the composition, coping well with dynamic music and classics. But, of course, they show themselves best in dance tracks with rich bass.
Battery
The built-in battery of realme Buds Air 5 Pro lasts approximately 11 hours of music without ANC and 7 hours with noise reduction turned on. Together with the case, the autonomy of the headphones increases to 40 hours. This is an excellent result – especially considering the small size of the case. Just 10 minutes of recharging with Dart Charge technology will give you another 7 hours of your favorite tracks.
Conclusion
For quite an adequate price, realme Buds Air 5 Pro offer well-balanced and detailed sound, excellent noise reduction and excellent autonomy. Ergonomics of the model turned out to be on top – the gadget is softly and at the same time securely fixed in the ear, not even trying to fall out during active movement. Plus, the case itself is very versatile: classic colors, small sizes that allow you to wear headphones even in the most compact women’s clutch or in the pockets of light summer clothes.
