JOIN USRedmi Buds 3 Lite review: Decent earbuds
Redmi is synonymous with the value-for-money smartphones in India and it ensured the parent company Xiaomi reach the pinnacle of India's handset business within a very short time of arriving in the subcontinent and never once, has slipped its position to rival brands.
Besides phones, Redmi has introduced several products including affordable smart TV, smart bands & watches, and earphones. They too are doing well.
Recently, the company unveiled the Redmi K50i 5G along with the Redmi Buds 3 Lite for Rs 1,990. I have been using the latter for a little over a week and here're thoughts.
Design and build quality
The Redmi Buds 3 Lite comes with a visually appealing pebble-inspired compact case. It is smooth, but on the downside, it can't repel fingerprint smudges. And, it also picked up scratches when kept in my office backpack. However, the earbuds are well protected and the magnetic lid does a fine job keeping them intact at all times.
Also, the earbuds come with IP54 dust and water resistant rating, meaning they can sustain accidental water splashes and sweat too.
Redmi Buds 3 Lite comes with double-tiered silicone earbuds, a first from the company. The material used for the earbuds is soft and sturdy. They snugly fit into the ears and stay put.
Whenever I use wireless earbuds, there is always an anxiety about losing them on the bus during the rush hour commute between home and the office. But, I have to write, that the earbuds remained intact in my ears. The earbuds came pre-applied with medium size tips and they were perfect for me. It should be noted that the company offers the tips in two other sizes small and large separately from the retail box.
However, I am a bit disappointed that the company is not offering the Type-C charging cord with the box. You just have to rely on the power bank or the phone's charging cable.
User-interface and performance
Setting up the earbuds is quite easy. You just have to open the lid and the name 'Redmi Buds 3 Lite' on the devices list on Bluetooth and initiate the pairing process. After this, users never have to repeat this process.
Once opened, the earbuds instantly connect with the companion phone. It supports advanced Bluetooth 5.2, which ensures a good wireless connection for up to 10 meters away from the device. I was able to leave the phone on the upper floor and walk around on the ground floor without facing any connectivity issues.
It also features sensitive input-touch points. Double tap to go to the next track or answer calls. With triple taps on the right/left earpiece, it will reject the incoming phone calls or end the call, or else, it will invoke voice assistant.
With press and hold either one of the earbuds, it will play music or pause. If you press and hold both the earbuds, it will enter or exit the gaming mode.
As far as the audio quality is concerned, it is surprisingly good, better than most of the earbuds in the sub-Rs 5,000 price range. Each earbud comes with a 6mm driver tuned by the proprietary Xiaomi Sound Lab to offer the best-in-class audio quality. Does it deliver?
Yes, it does to an extent. The sound output while listening to the music is pretty good. I was able to hear the songs clearly, be it the background acoustic or the artist's voice. Also, the silicone tips do a decent job of cutting off the noise of the outside. But, if you are stuck in traffic, the horn sounds do creep in.
Though the device supports environmental noise cancellation (ENC), I faced noise issues while speaking on a phone call in rush hour traffic. The mic used to pick up more sounds of the roadway and vehicles horning than my voice. I had to repeat the conversation with the person on the other side of the call. But, in an office space, I had no issue at all.
When fully charged, Redmi Buds 3 Lite can deliver up to five hours of listening time, and with the case, can serve up to 18 hours of audio.
I did not have the anxiety of the battery dying in the middle of a call or video conference meeting, as the LED indicators show the battery capacity status. It also supports fast charging; just ten minutes can yield up to 100 minutes of music playback.
Final thoughts
The Redmi Buds 3 Lite is a decent product. Actually, the design and particularly, the sound quality while listening to music, is surprisingly good for its asking price.
However, as noted above, during the phone call, the mic's capability to pick the user's voice when outdoors and in traffic, is not that great.
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