Realme Buds Air 2 review: our full review – Headphones and earphones – Frandroid

Few smartphone manufacturers offer True Wireless headphones that stand out, let alone match hi-fi specialists. And yet, Realme achieves a little heist with its Buds Air 2 with amazing sound performance, capable of effective noise reduction and offered at an unbeatable price. There is something to be seduced …

On paper, nothing very special. Neither revolutionary technology, nor partnership with a big name in hi-fi, nor enticing specifications. Headphones Realme Buds Air 2 are true wireless in-ear models in the classic livery, accompanied by a PVC charging case free of any frills. Their only attraction lies in the ridiculous price, for TWS headphones with active noise reduction. Truth be told, we might even be worried aboutheadphones so inexpensive which do not ignore any functionality. We would be wrong: the smartphone manufacturer swings a stone in the pan with the Realme Buds Air 2, which we did not expect such overall performance, and audio in particular.

Realme Buds Air 2Technical sheet

This test was carried out with headphones loaned by Realme.

Realme Buds Air 2Design

The Realme Buds Air 2 headphones feature rather conventional lines for in-ear True Wireless headphones. Their small shell is molded to fit the hollow of the pinna of the ear and extended by a rod with a tactile zone. The material used is PVC, mat for the shell and shiny for the rod. The assembly quality is excellent for this level of range and in absolute terms: the only visible join is that of the hemispheres forming each shell. The headphones each have a perforation at the top of the shell, and a second in the upper third of the shaft, where the microphones for conversation and for measuring surrounding noise are located.

Impeccable stability and wearing comfort

Good surprise, the Realme Buds Air 2 easily fit in the ears and are very comfortable to wear, once the right set of tips chosen from the three provided. They never move, whether we chew, talk, walk or trot, for example. Thus, we can wear these headphones of 4 g each for hours, without pain. Furthermore, the tonal balance does not vary depending on whether they are inserted more or less into the ear canal. Clearly, they tick all the boxes of comfort. At the most, we can blame them for some air flow noises when the wind picks up sharply and we walk against it.

A conventional housing

The housing of the Realme Buds Air 2 earphones could not be more basic. Its main quality is that it is compact and light. It opens from the top and the headphones find their place there by engaging their rod.

A set of magnets hold them firmly in place and there is no risk of the headphones falling off if mishandled. The case charges through a USB-C port and does not have Qi wireless charging. A USB-C to USB-A cable is provided.

Realme Buds Air 2Usage and application

The Realme Buds Air 2 are really practical and pleasant to use. They are switched on very quickly and the previously started playback resumes very quickly. The touch controls aren’t fickle and, once the pressure combinations were known, I never had to piss off at any random behavior. The controls are classic: play, pause, change track (previous / next), activation of active noise reduction, transparency mode or even invocation of the smartphone’s voice assistant (Google Assistant, Siri, Alexa). The headphones have a presence sensor and playback is automatically paused when one or both are removed. Listening with one earpiece is possible.

An app that offers the essentials

The Realme Link app is available for Android and iOS. It requires registration with Realme to work. Its interface is clear and pleasant. There is a menu for customizing touch controls, adjustable for each earpiece. A function can even be assigned to a simultaneous long press on both headphones. By default, this is the activation of noise reduction and transparency mode. Three equalization profiles are available, the “Dynamic” which is the default, the “Vocal” which amplifies the midrange frequencies and the “Bass Boost +” which inflates the lower end of the spectrum.

Realme offers to reduce audio latency (88 ms) with a “Game mode”, in order to improve the synchronization between image and sound in video games. Remember that latency has no impact on video applications which automatically compensate for the delay linked to the encoding, transmission and decoding of sound. This mode works fine on Android, but not on iOS, where the option should only work with an upcoming app update.

Single-point bluetooth connection

Realme Buds Air 2 headphones are automatically placed in detection mode when they are removed from their case and have not been paired beforehand. If so, they search for the last paired Bluetooth device, then the previous one, and so on. Multipoint Bluetooth connection is not supported, which makes it necessary to manually disconnect the headphones from a first source in order to use a second. As for the stability of the connection, it is exemplary with our various smartphones and up to 10 meters, through a wooden floor.

Realme Buds Air 2Active noise reduction

For less than 50 euros, what to expect from the noise reduction of TWS headphones? Much obviously according to Realme, which has taken particular care in its noise cancellation system. It is rare enough to be underlined, the activation of noise reduction has very little impact on the sound signature of the headphones. I will come back to this later, but hats off to Realme. Especially since the noise reduction works really well, better than many more expensive headphones. At home, we are immersed in a bubble of silence, while in the street, the roaring of traffic is almost erased. In transport, engine and rolling noise are very strongly reduced. The midrange and treble frequencies, which are not targeted by active noise reduction, it should be remembered, are very suitably reduced by the passive reduction of the headphones. In short, the experience is very positive.

As for the transparency mode, it mixes the surrounding noises appropriately and it is easy to follow a conversation without removing the headphones, even at the checkout of a supermarket.

Realme Buds Air 2Audio

The Realme Buds Air 2 headphones come with transducers 10 mm, as well as a Bluetooth 5.2 controller compatible with SBC and AAC codecs uniquely. Realme communicates on carbon and… diamond transducer membranes. Well, this information is certainly not to be taken at face value, because the diamond is obviously very expensive and the prerogative of a few ultra high-end speaker tweeters. For carbon coating this is common and it helps reduce audio distortion. In any case, the Realme Buds Air 2 deliver a balanced sound, with a nice opening, and this, from the lowest volume.

I listened to the Realme Buds Air 2 with several Bluetooth (AAC) sources: Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 5G, iPhone 12 and MacBook Air M1, from Apple Music in quality lossless, as well as Netflix.

Sound signature

The low register is thick and articulate, with enough weight to properly embody bass drum and percussion in music, impacts and muffled layers of sounds in movies. It goes low, cleanly, with mastery and you don’t have the impression of always hearing the same bass from one song to another. The midrange register is well integrated, brings the required presence to the voices, the necessary cut in the strings, for example. Its good balance benefits the audio tracks of films and series, where we hear a lot of micro-information. The high register does not disappoint, well placed and fast, even if a bit of extra shine would not have displeased me. However, the signing of the Realme Buds Air 2 is not frustrating. Never during several weeks of listening have I found the tonal balance unsuitable. Best of all, the sound signature does not change when activating active noise reduction.

Dynamic behavior

The Realme Buds Air 2 have a very good dynamic behavior from low to high. The margin is pleasant at low and high volume, which is unexpected at this price point – and rare in absolute terms. Whether you listen in a whisper or in a club style, everything fits together and is coherent. And I write this after venturing to Led Zeppelin, Beastie Boys or System of a Down, to name only the most eruptive of the artists I listened to. At high volume, say 80%, we do not avoid projections in the midrange, but nothing really bad and the dynamic differences are properly maintained: the integrated amps keep pace.

Sound stage

A beautiful tonal balance, a respect for the dynamic margin at low as well as at high volume, almost automatically, that rhymes with an airy soundstage. This is the case of the Realme Buds Air 2. The dimensions of the stage are attractive, with a good width and a comfortable depth at low volume. So there is space between the sound planes. At high volume, it all settles down, but in largely acceptable proportions.

Realme Buds Air 2Microphone

Call quality is very good with Realme Buds Air 2. On the edge of a busy boulevard, outside a school, the headphones do a good job of suppressing surrounding noise. Obviously your voice is a bit distorted when the noise suppression system is working at full capacity, sometimes making the listener feel like you are in a hallway, but you are still completely intelligible. Conversely, we can hear our interlocutor perfectly in the middle of the street, thanks to the active noise reduction.

Realme Buds Air 2Autonomy

The Realme Buds Air 2 headphones are advertised with a battery life of 4 hours active noise reduction, and 5 hours without. We measured 4:15 at 50% of the listening volume, noise reduction in function. Mission accomplished therefore. The charging case is supposed to offer 4 additional charges. Finally, a 10-minute charge provides, according to Realme, 2 hours of battery life.

Realme Buds Air 2Price and release date

The Realme Buds Air 2 headphones are available in black or white, priced at € 49.99.