Redmi Buds 6 Review: Balanced soundstage served with impressive ANC

15 hours ago 7

The new instalment in the Redmi Buds series is finally here. Launched alongside the Redmi Note 14 Series, the Redmi Buds 6 are Xiaomi’s newest entry-level wireless earbuds in India. Priced at Rs 2,799, these earbuds deliver a big bang for the buck, packing features like Active Noise Cancellation, Dual Connection, In-ear Detection, and more. While Redmi’s smartphones enjoy a lot of popularity in India, its TWS offerings face tough competition from the likes of OnePlus, Realme, boAt, and other audio tech outfits. Interested to see if the Buds 6 can wrestle with the heavyweights, we used them as our primary earbuds for a week. Here is our in-depth review of the Redmi Buds 6.

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Redmi Buds 6 Review: Design

Here’s what you get inside Redmi Bud 6’s retail box:

Charging case with earbuds inside
USB Type-A to Type-C cable
Extra ear tips
User manual
QR code card for the companion app

The mint box-shaped charging case of the Buds 6 is made entirely out of plastic. The quality of the material used in its construction is very good, as the case does not flex upon being pressed. The rounded corners and edges lend it a nice in-hand feel. The top and bottom panels of the case have a matte texture and the sides have a contrasting glossy finish. The Redmi branding is engraved on the lid.

Design

The deep notch under the lid makes it easy to flip open the case with one hand. The breathing LED notification strip is positioned inside this notch. Right under the notch lies the USB Type-C charging port. The LED strip acts as an indicator of the battery level when the case is plugged in to charge. We would’ve preferred the USB port to be positioned at the back of the case (or on the side) so as to not obstruct the view of the LED indicator when the device is charging. The right side of the case houses the pairing button.

design

The traditional in-ear design of the earbuds offers a comfortable fit. We were able to wear the earbuds for multiple hours without feeling any ear fatigue. There are two pairs of extra ear tips (S & L) inside the box for different ear sizes. The stems are integrated with vertical touch bars for media and call controls. These bars are tuned well and respond flawlessly to the most subtle touches. Since a single tap is programmed to not carry out any function, accidental touches are a very rare occurrence.

design

Redmi Buds 6 are rated IP54 for dust and water resistance. We wore the earbuds while working out and were pleased to see that they remained unfazed by excessive sweat. However, since the earbuds have a glossy finish, they needed to be adjusted periodically when things got sweaty.

Redmi Buds 6 Review: Performance

The Redmi Buds 6 are one of the few wireless earbuds in its price segment to use a dual-driver to deliver the audio output. Each earbud is equipped with a 12.4mm dynamic titanium driver and a 5.5mm micro piezoelectric driver. The TWS supports Bluetooth 5.4 and Google Fast Pair. There are 2 audio codecs on offer – SBC and AAC.

Performance

The soundstage produced by the Redmi Buds 6 is lush and balanced. You get the bassy thumps and the warm tonality of a strong low-end, but it doesn’t shroud over the mid and high-range frequencies. This is largely due to the 5.5mm piezoelectric driver which ensures that the clarity of vocals, crunchiness of the guitars, and the subtle crispness of hi-hats are maintained in the soundstage. The overall output is slightly warm but it has that ‘pop’ to it which makes it very enjoyable.

If you’re not a fan of the standard soundstage, you can use the Xiaomi Earbuds companion app to choose from 3 other audio profiles – Enhanced treble, Enhanced bass, and Enhanced voice. Unfortunately, the app does not let you set up a custom equaliser profile. On the bright side, there is an ‘Immersive sound’ option which enables spatial audio to focus the sound on you.

app

The Xiaomi Earbuds app also lets you customise the touch controls. The single-tap control is programmed to do nothing by default (to reduce accidental triggers), but you can change that using the companion app. On top of that, features like in-ear detection, dual connection, and automatic call answering can also be enabled through this app.

Active Noise Cancellation is one of the features that adds a lot of value to Redmi Buds 6’s price tag. These earbuds are capable of cancelling up to 49dB of surrounding noise. In an indoor setting, the earbuds were able to suppress the noise emanating from ceiling fans and air conditioners. The distant humdrum was nullified to a large extent as well. However, higher frequencies from distant horns, machinery, and even the clanking from a keyboard managed to seep through. In outdoor environments, the earbuds did a good job of curbing the sounds from the traffic and engines to an acceptable level.

Performance

The Xiaomi Earbuds app lets you switch the level of ANC on the earbuds. There are 3 levels you can choose from – Light, Balanced, and Deep. The Transparency Mode also has 3 tuning levels – Regular, Enhance voice, and Enhance ambient sound.

During the review period, we used the Redmi Buds 6 to jump on online meetings and audio calls. In indoor settings, the earbuds were able to efficiently extract the voice of the speaker and relay it perfectly to the listener without any ambient sounds degrading its quality. In outdoor conditions, Quad-mic AI Environmental Noise Cancellation tech does a good job of cancelling the noise from the wind, but the general noise manages to pass through with ease.

Performance

One of the interesting things about the Redmi Buds 6 is that they do not sacrifice battery life for a compact form factor. The charging case packs a 475mAh battery which offers a playtime of 42 hours with ANC turned off and 26 hours with ANC turned on. Meanwhile, the earbuds carry a 54mAh battery pack which lasts 10 hours with ANC off and 6.5 hours with ANC enabled. It takes 2.5 hours to fully charge the case. Meanwhile, the earbuds take up to an hour to charge to 100%.

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Verdict

The Redmi Buds 6 is one of the most well-rounded TWS we’ve used in its price segment. Its balanced soundstage is its biggest highlight. While most entry-level wireless earbuds have a reputation for amping up the bass, the Redmi Buds 6 gives ample representation to the mid and high frequencies in its output. The credit goes to the dual drivers producing the output.

Apart from the audio delivery, the Redmi Buds 6 do a great job of nullifying the surrounding sounds in indoor and outdoor conditions. The companion app makes it easy to toggle between different ANC levels. The calling experience is on par with the rest of the segment. What ties the bow on the overall experience is the versatile 10-hour battery life of the earbuds.