Earbuds are my ultimate weapons for staying focused on tasks. When wireless earbuds grew in popularity, they became my top choice for audio accessories. Sure, you still need to charge them, but the convenience of being untethered to wires always appealed to me. And if they looked good, that won extra points for me. So, when realme sent over the realme Buds Air 5, I was instantly drawn to it.
There are two color options available: Arctic White and Deep Sea Blue. I’m happy to say we’re featuring the latter here. The finish on the case is matte with a hint of gloss. When it’s hit by light, it kind of looks like a deep purple.
That color scheme extends to the earbuds. But their plastic build means they’re glossier.
The buds themselves are pretty lightweight. They come in at only 4.4g. So, for your daily listening sessions, the realme Buds Air 5 should fit comfortably. I felt a bit of a pinch after hours of use, but then I’ve been battery-testing these buds. I wouldn’t recommend doing that.
It was possible to reach the advertised seven hours of use in normal mode from these buds and their 43mAh batteries. So, I expect it’s possible to achieve that respectable 38 hours of use out of the buds and their case. I noticed it could charge the earbuds faster than the advertised one hour. But it also stays true to the two hours for charging both the 460mAh case and buds through its USB-C port.
Expect to eat more into the battery when you use them with noise cancellation or transparency mode enabled. And you’d want to use the realme Buds Air 5 in the former. realme brings a noteworthy 50dB active noise cancellation on these earbuds. I noticed the difference instantly when I put them on.
The noise cancellation was comfortable enough while also ensuring I maintain that focus I am for when I put a pair of earbuds on. It’s able to tune out mid-to-high frequency noise quite easily so that I can thoroughly enjoy the music I’m listening to, while also ensuring distracting sounds are kept out.
There are levels for noise cancellation that you can tweak on the realme Link app. But I love that the realme Buds Air 5 supports a “Smart” option that will select the appropriate level for your environment.
The realme Buds Air 5’s earbuds come with 12.4mm drivers, which offer a good amount of bass. I noticed there are a lot more sound options available on the app than with previous versions of these buds. So, you can tweak the amount of bass, the sound effects you prefer, or even the equalizer settings. If you’re quite particular about those, you’ll appreciate this. And if you have a realme phone with Dolby Atmos support, these earbuds can give you that cinematic experience right from your mobile device.
There are six built-in microphones in the realme Buds Air 5 that should ensure clear calls. Unfortunately, it’s not my favorite pair of buds for these. While I can hear the people on the other end of the call, the sound quality sounds a bit tinny.
Another thing I’m missing on this pair is multi-device support. While it’s easy to connect to different devices, it would be nice to have the realme Buds Air 5 connected to two devices at once for easy switching.
I don’t game as much, but I’m happy to see a game mode on these buds. You get 45ms ultra-low latency to ensure high-quality audio and video synchronization so you don’t miss out on the action.
The realme Buds Air 5 ticks the basics off my list. That capable noise cancellation on this pair appeals to my desire to remain undisturbed while working. And it helps that it has one of the prettiest color options I’ve seen on earbuds lately. It’s not perfect, of course. But for what you pay for it, you get many more features compared to its predecessor. Now, if it just had multi-device connectivity and better mics for calls…
You can get the realme Buds Air 5 for PHP 3,499 (around USD 62).
Is this the pair of buds for you? Let us know!