Realme has efficiently constructed a formidable portfolio of audio merchandise over the previous few years. Whereas a few of these merchandise have failed to satisfy our lofty expectations, a majority of them meet and surpass our expectations. Naturally, we have been excited to check out Realme’s newest Buds Air collection of TWS earphones – the Realme Buds Air 3. Full of a plethora of options that put even some mid-range and high-end earphones to disgrace, the Realme Buds Air 3 seems extraordinarily promising on paper. Not solely do you get Lively Noise Cancellation with out breaking the financial institution, however you additionally get options equivalent to multipoint connectivity, app help and customisable controls; all at underneath 5K. The corporate additionally claims to have improved the ANC and sound high quality over the Realme Buds Air 2, which we already cherished. However do these claims materialise in real-life utilization? Or is the grass greener elsewhere? Learn on to seek out out.

Realme Buds Air 3: Construct and Consolation

The Realme Buds Air 3 seems nearly similar to its predecessor – the Buds Air 2. The case has the identical cobble-shaped design excluding a shiny glass-like end on the highest with the Realme emblem stamped on high. The entrance options an LED indicator, and the underside homes a USB Kind-C charging port. Realme was variety sufficient to inscribe the reviewer’s title on the again of the case, nevertheless, we don’t know if this function is out there to consumers.

The case is light-weight, pocketable and straightforward to open one-handed. The magnets that maintain the earbuds contained in the case are sufficiently robust, so if the case topples onto the bottom by chance, the earbuds ought to keep protected inside. The case’s hinge feels sturdy sufficient for the worth, however there’s no metallic reinforcement, which might have been best for long-term use and peace of thoughts. The earphones can be found in a couple of color choices – Galaxy White, Starry Blue, and Nitro Blue. We obtained the white variant for evaluation.

The Galaxy White variant of the earbuds look fairly eye-catching. All the color variants have a protracted stem with a metallic look that’s fairly completely different from the established order. The earbuds will certainly stand out within the sea of primary white earbuds in the marketplace. The stems additionally home contact sensors for name and music playback controls. Utilizing these controls, you possibly can pause/play music, search tracks, change noise cancellation modes, activate voice assistant and extra. The earbud controls work reliably, for essentially the most half, with the occasional misreading infrequently; however the misreadings are a rarity.

As for match and luxury, the corporate has offered three completely different sizes of silicone eartips that ought to present most customers with a comfortable match. The earbuds slot into the ears with ease and keep put even throughout actions equivalent to strolling or jogging. They aren’t the lightest earbuds we’ve reviewed although, weighing in at 4.2g every. Nonetheless, we might be snug recommending these earbuds to those that like figuring out with earbuds, particularly because of the IPX5 ranking that protects them from splashes of water and sweat.

Realme Buds Air 3 Options

You’d be hard-pressed to discover a pair of actually wi-fi earbuds extra feature-rich than the Realme Buds Air 3 underneath 4K. The Realme Buds Air 3, whereas sporting the worth tag of an entry-level to mid-range TWS, comes with a plethora of options often discovered on high-end earbuds. The function that can seize most eyeballs is, in fact, Lively Noise Cancellation. And that is an space the place Realme has made large enhancements when in comparison with the last-gen Buds Air 2. The Buds Air 2 offered noise suppression as much as 25dB however the Buds Air 3 has bumped this quantity as much as 42dB, which was unparalleled at this worth vary, till now. 

The up to date Realme R3 chip does a superb job at mitigating ambient noise and offering a cocoon of silence. Not solely do the earbuds diminish low-end, fixed sounds equivalent to an AC’s hum or an airplane’s drone, but it surely additionally drowns out human voices and different excessive frequency sounds significantly. The Realme Buds Air 3 is astoundingly spectacular with regards to ANC efficiency at this worth vary. We have been in a packed workplace with a variety of chatter round and the earbuds managed to suppress the sounds to an unimaginable diploma, permitting the reviewer to simply write this evaluation with out too many distractions.

The earbuds additionally include Transparency Mode help that amplifies surrounding sounds. The Transparency Mode does what it’s presupposed to, but it surely doesn’t sound as pure as one would hope for. 

The following greatest function on the Realme Buds Air 3 is app help through the versatile Realme Hyperlink app. The app permits customers to entry a big selection of options and controls that improve the general person expertise. We strongly advocate putting in the app because you received’t get essentially the most out of your earphones with out it. The app permits you to test battery ranges, change noise cancellation modes, activate wind noise discount for calls, select between preset EQ profiles, toggle Sport Mode, activate multipoint connection or dual-device connection, carry out earbud match take a look at, and customise controls. 

The app will allow you to select between a number of earbud controls and apply them in response to your preferences, nevertheless, quantity controls are lacking right here. It’s a disgrace since most customers will certainly use quantity controls way over controls that activate the voice assistant or recreation mode. Sport Mode, which could be activated through the controls or inside the app, drops the latency all the way in which all the way down to 88ms permitting customers to recreation or watch content material with out vital audio-video delay. Moreover, the earbud match take a look at permits customers to check which ear suggestions present them with essentially the most safe match.

The earbuds additionally include a function dubbed ‘Customised audio tuning’ that personalises the sound based mostly by yourself listening to skills. This function might be invaluable to the listening to impaired. You even have in-ear detection which routinely pauses or performs music based mostly on whether or not the earbuds are in your ear or not. The function labored fairly reliably in our assessments as effectively. 

Our favorite function is multipoint connection or dual-device connection, which must be activated through the app. Flip this on, and you may join the earbuds to 2 supply gadgets concurrently and transition seamlessly between them. It is a function that often doesn’t even make it to some high-end TWS earbuds, so think about our shock and absolute delight after we came upon that this coveted function is current on the Buds Air 3. We tried out dual-device connection and it labored pretty effectively with the earbuds shifting between gadgets as wanted with out too many hitches. The function can glitch out at instances although, and we hope some software program updates could make it extra seamless.

The earbuds additionally come outfitted with different options equivalent to Google Quick Pair, IPX5 sweat and splash resistance, and Bluetooth 5.2 connectivity.

Realme Buds Air 3 Efficiency

Geared up with a 10mm LCP dynamic driver, the Realme Buds Air 3 offers a pleasing, V-shaped sound signature that works effectively with hottest genres of music. The sound signature differs from its predecessor in some methods; the mids and highs are extra boosted compared to the Realme Buds Air 2. Now, whereas the boosted mids inject some much-needed element and readability to vocals and mid-range devices, the boosted highs are likely to sound barely tinny and shrill, in some instances.

The bass response is well-defined and punchy, so devices equivalent to drums and bass guitars sound full-bodied within the combine. Bass notes have the requisite heft with out sounding muddy or bloated, which is uncommon at this worth vary. You’re going to get extra element within the bass notes when you go increased in worth vary from the likes of the Nothing Ear 1. 

The earphones are additionally Dolby Atmos suitable and work with any gadget with Dolby Atmos help. With Dolby Atmos lively, the soundstage will get a slight increase, though it nonetheless stays fairly slender, which is a standard drawback with true wi-fi earphones. Nonetheless, they’re probably the most immersive sounding earphones underneath 4K. The highs are barely tinny and there’s some sibilance as effectively which may sound disagreeable. However we’re nitpicking right here and the sound high quality is improbable for the worth.

The app additionally permits customers to tune the audio in response to their listening to. We enabled this and examined the audio however didn’t really feel that there was a tangible distinction. Nevertheless, for people with listening to disabilities, the function might be extremely helpful.

Transferring on to the microphone high quality, the earphones come outfitted with twin AI noise-cancelling microphones that work collectively to cut back environmental sound throughout calls, in response to Realme. In our testing, we discovered that the microphone high quality was fairly good for calls, each indoors and open air. The mics suppress ambient sound to a good diploma as effectively, permitting customers to take calls on the go as effectively. The lengthy stems imply that the microphones are nearer to your mouth, permitting the earbuds to catch your voice higher. 

Realme Buds Air 3 Battery life

The Realme Buds Air 3 impresses with regards to battery life. Not solely do you get 30 hours of complete playback time (earbuds + charging case), however you can even cost the earphones for merely 10 minutes to get 100 minutes of wi-fi playback time. The earbuds alone can final for 7 hours with noise cancellation turned off. With ANC turned on, you’re going to get 5.5 hours of playback, which is constant or barely higher than its opponents’ battery life.

In our assessments, the earbuds lasted for five hours with ANC turned on and the quantity set to 70 per cent. The charging case topped up the earphones 4 instances and nonetheless had some juice left over, which is superb. General, with the Realme Buds Air 3, you possibly can neglect about charging the gadget for 4-5 days, in response to your utilization. 

Realme Buds Air 3: Verdict

Whereas we most well-liked the extra balanced sound high quality of the Realme Buds Air 2 in comparison with the Buds Air 3, the earphones nonetheless have a pleasing sound signature that works effectively with hottest genres of music. That apart, what makes the Realme Buds Air 3 stand out is its colossal function set. The Realme Buds Air 3’s function set can rival not simply mid-range TWS but in addition high-end ones. Geared up with IPX5 water resistance, customisable controls, multipoint connectivity, Dolby Atmos help, and 30 hours of playback time, the Realme Buds Air 3 is simple to advocate to those that need top-of-the-line options with out breaking the financial institution. When you can spend Rs 1,000 extra, another choice with a big selection of options is the OnePlus Buds Z2. Nevertheless, underneath Rs 4,000, the Realme Buds Air 3 is essentially the most feature-laden pair of TWS earphones with respectable sound high quality and good ANC efficiency.