Redmi Earbuds S review: You get what you pay for — clear audio and low latency mode

The Redmi Earbuds S weigh just 4.1 grams each and soon you forget they are plugged in. (Express Photo: Karanveer Singh Arora)
Xiaomi’s Redmi brand is famous for bringing devices with a good specification sheet at an affordable price. This was the same motto we expected the company to follow when it was teasing the launch of the Redmi Earbuds S, which are the rebranded Redmi AirDots. The India price is Rs 1,799 which seems to be a bit more than the price of the same in some other markets. Still, it is a decent price for a pair for truly wireless earphones. But there is a lot of competition at this price point. Also, you have to remember that there is no microUSB cable lying in the box and you might have to spend on that also, which could be an additional Rs 200.

The Redmi Earbuds S weigh just 4.1 grams each and soon you forget they are plugged in. The earpods manage to offer a good seal in the ears and do not fall out easily. Due to this, the noise isolation is pretty good. There is the IPX4 rating which means it won’t conk off if you are caught in the rain for a few minutes.
The earpods are controlled by a button. At this price, it is very difficult to find a pair of truly wireless earbuds with touch controls. (Express Photo: Karanveer Singh Arora)
The earbuds come nested inside a pill-shaped charging box. It is a bit of a struggle to take the earphones out of this case. I personally like the design of the earpods, as it does not protrude out of your ear like the Apple AirPods.

The earpods are controlled by a button. At this price, it is very difficult to find a pair of truly wireless earbuds with touch controls. You can press one time to play, pause or answer calls, tap twice to activate your smartphone’s voice assistant and triple tap to toggle between the low-latency mode.

Lypertek Tevi review: Good audio profile at a reasonable price

Keep in mind that the audio quality usually goes up with the amount of money one spends. This is because higher priced devices come with better drivers. If you are paying Rs 1,799 then, you should not expect them to sound similar to a pair of Sennheiser, Sony or Bose which cost more than Rs 10,000.

In terms of specifications, the earbuds have 7.2mm drivers which offer clear sound when the vocalist is singing, however, when the band starts playing in the background, the voice gets a bit muddled. The earphones are tuned a bit towards providing users with more bass. However, the drivers are not powerful enough and seem to lack the punch that a user would need while listening to Punjabi music.
The earbuds come nested inside a pill-shaped charging box. It is a bit of a struggle to take the earphones out of this case. (Express Photo: Karanveer Singh Arora)
While listening to Hi-Fi music like a fool, you feel the Redmi Earbuds S is not really up there with the best. However, for the price the other options you get sound similar. In some songs like Hotel California or Here I Am, I was surprised a bit with how clear the voice sounded, however, playing Castle of Glass or Summer of 69, I just wanted to get back to my Sony’s.

You should only activate the low-latency mode when gaming, as this causes a noticeable sound quality drop. This might help while trying to get the last kill in a PUBG Mobile match, but makes songs sound shrill.

Mivi DuoPods M40 review: Affordable option partial to bass

Remember the old Nokia days, when it was a big deal to own a Bluetooth earpiece to take calls on? If you want to relive those days and take calls in a similar fashion, just with a smaller protrusion out of your ear, these are a perfect fit as they can be used independently, without a master-slave configuration. However, keep in mind, the mic is not that powerful and the people on the other end of the call complain about the voice quality, saying as if you are talking from far away. Also due to the noise isolation, you might end up talking in a louder pitch than usual.
There is no microUSB cable lying in the box and you might have to spend on that also, which could be an additional Rs 200. (Express Photo: Karanveer Singh Arora)
The earphones last around four hours before needing a recharge. The box can charge up the earpods between two to three times before draining out depending on your use.

The Redmi Earbuds S do have some tough competition in the Rs 2,000 price range from brands like boAt, Boult Audio, Realme and more. For the price, they are decent, but do not stand out of the bunch. These truly wireless earphones are not bad for most who like to casually listen to a few songs to get their minds off of work.

Sony WF-XB700 review: Bass blast for Bollywood lovers

I would not recommend them to a person who is getting into listening to music as a hobby and is a budding audiophile. They can save up some money and go for a higher priced pair of truly wireless earphones with bigger and better audio drivers.

📣 The Indian Express is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@indianexpress) and stay updated with the latest headlines

For all the latest Technology News, download Indian Express App.

© IE Online Media Services Pvt Ltd