Redmi Earbuds 3 Pro review: good battery life, but…

Redmi has just announced a new pair of TWS earphones in the Indian market called the Earbuds 3 Pro, priced at Rs 2,999. Xiaomi of course, has several audio products under its portfolio, but when the focus specially moves to Redmi-branded devices, there are the Sonicbass Neckband earphones that launched last year and the Earbuds 2C. In this review let’s find out how the new Redmi Earbuds 3 Pro fare in terms of sound quality, build, design, and battery life. 

The lowdown

• The earbuds are housed in a slightly thicker than usual oval case with a solid plastic build. Now I wouldn’t call the lid on it flimsy, but the hinge seems a bit loose. Even so, there is rigidity to the case’s design giving it durability while the matte finish feels good in the hand. Inside, the buds are housed with magnetic locks which are strong enough to hold the buds in place but not so much that it’s difficult to pull them out. There’s a USB C port on the back for charging while between the earbud slots inside the case sits a power button which is also used for pairing. A single LED light on the front indicates battery levels. Overall the build quality of the case looks very decent but the hinge could have been sturdier.

• There are no physical controls on the buds, but capacitive sensors which act according to the number of taps. Double tapping on either side will play/pause the music, long pressing will change tracks and a single tap will answer/cancel calls. The earbuds are quite light at 4.6g per bud and carry IPX4 sweat resistance rating. There are no replaceable silicone tips in the box, but the ones pre-installed fit my ear quite well. Even after considerable shaking of the head, the buds stayed in place and formed a decent seal in my ear canal. There is also the ability to pause music by taking either earbud out of your ear. The initial pairing process is easy enough with the earbuds automatically entering pairing mode after you remove the sticker covering the magnetic locks. After that, you will need to press on the power button for 3 seconds to enter pairing mode again for connecting with other devices. Unfortunately, there is no ANC (active noise cancelling) available on the device and there is also no dedicated app for adjusting sound preferences.

• For a pair of Rs 2,999 TWC earbuds, the sound quality is quite decent. The thumping bass that I’ve come to expect from budget earphones is absent and is replaced with nuanced mids with a focus on vocals. A bit of noise creeping into the lower frequencies can ruin the R&B experience of Drake’s new Certified Lover Boy album but I’ve been quite happy with the separation of instruments on Nirvana’s Smells Like Teenage Spirit. Volume levels were acceptable and the treble didn’t distort. The dual drivers consist of the Dynamic bass-handling unit and the balanced armature for the mids and highs, both of which combine to give a wider soundstage while listening, and this is a rarity at this price point. Qualcomm’s AptX support on the Earbuds 3 Pro ensures a higher bitrate over Bluetooth. Basically, the listening experience remained in accordance with the price point but there’s nothing exceptional. The microphone managed to pick up my voice quite well but only in a relatively quiet environment.

• The battery-life on the earbuds is rated for 30 hours of usage including the case which has a backup of 600mAh. During my time with the earbuds, I was able to get through more than 5 days of continuous usage lasting about 4-5 hours each day. This included playing BGMI for a while and also listening to a few podcasts daily. The battery life does live up to the usual expectations which is definitely a big plus in my book.

Final verdict

I think the Redmi Earbuds 3 Pro would have been better served in a case with a sturdier hinge, but the overall design and fit of the earbuds are to my liking. Support for AptX alongside other popular codecs does lend credibility to the listening experience but even with the dual drivers, the sound quality did not particularly resonate with me. There is also no dedicated app for customising sound as you get with the Realme Buds Q2 nor is there ANC. As a whole, I’m inclined to recommend the Earbuds 3 Pro to users who are not music aficionados but want to bank on the large 30-hour battery life to get through their work.

Editor’s rating: 3.5 / 5

Pros

• Snug fit
• Good battery life
• In-ear detection works well

Cons

• Case lid could be sturdier
• Sound quality needs improvement
• Lacks ANC