Realme Buds Air 2 Review: Value for Money
Realme Buds Air 2 offer ANC, an elegant design and more for a price of Rs. 3,299. Is it worth the asking price? Let's find out.
Realme has managed to establish itself as a lifestyle brand in India. The company decided to take a step forward in this league with their all-new Realme Buds Air 2. Their latest truly wireless earphones come with ANC (Active Noise Cancelling) as a cherry on the top. The Realme Buds Air 2 comes with an easy to use form factor and trendy design. However, at Rs 3,299 is it worth the bet? Let’s find out.
Realme Buds Air 2 Review: Design and Build Quality
Unlike the Realme Buds Air which was heavily inspired by the Apple Airpods in design, the Buds Air 2 have a Realme touch on it. The silver stem of the earphones and the oval design of the case give them a distinctive look from the Realme Buds Air. The case is made out of lightweight plastic which feels durable. It's certainly not the best of the materials, but for the price, it performs very well. The earbuds are made out of the same material with adjustable ear tips. The included Silicone ear tips may not fit everyone, hence the company included 3 different sizes in the box.
The lightweight plastic construction also helps when using these for a long time. However, I would recommend swapping out the Silicone ear tips for foam ear tips, if you plan on using the earbuds for an extended period of time.
While heading outside with the pair of truly wireless earphones, you will also need to carry the case around. The case is lightweight, but definitely not small. A smaller case would have been appreciated. The dual-tone design with the silver stem on our White colour review unit looks really nice. The material also doesn't get dusty easily, which is nice. There is a black colour variant also, but it is a single tone and it doesn't look appealing enough.
The earbuds run for around 5 hours on a single full charge and the case can charge them back up in less than 30 mins. The case can charge the earbuds completely for around 4 times before giving up. This is with ANC on, turning off the ANC can get you an additional hour of usage easily before they need to go back into the case. The case doesn't support wireless charging but does come with a fast-charging capable USB-C port to charge itself and the earphones.
The company surprisingly was able to pack in gesture support for play/pause, next/previous track, answer/reject calls. The controls are intuitive but in my case, they don’t work as expected many times. I really like the buttons but the touch controls always feel a bit finicky to me.
Realme Buds Air 2 Review: Sound and Performance
As for the sound quality, the Realme Buds Air 2 has an interesting profile. The mids were good, the highs are a bit grainy sometimes and the lows are fine. The bass is good, if you are fond of EDM, you will find these a good value for money. Even if you are into Bollywood or pop, these will be a great companion. If you are into heavy metal, these may not be the earphones for you.
The main highlight of the Realme Buds Air 2 is ANC. Although it does not block all the noises, for this price it works well. It blocks all the low pitch voices that one finds particularly in an office environment.
In my review period, I even made a couple of phone calls using the Buds Air 2. The call quality is fine. However, many times people complained that the voice was crackling. Overall, these are really good to be used for meetings and in office-type situations.
Realme Buds Air 2 Review: Verdict
The Buds Air 2 are available at Rs 3,299. At this price, especially for TWS earbuds, much wasn’t expected. If you consider the sound quality and inclusion of ANC, you get a decent looking pair of TWS for your price.
Overall, the Buds Air 2 offered good quality sound and unless you listen to heavy metal. For listening to podcasts, or for phone calls, these will surely do the trick. The inclusion of ANC makes them ideal for uses in shared indoor spaces. Overall, if you are looking for a budget pair of TWS earbuds, the Realme Buds Air 2 is one of the best deals you are gonna get right now.