realme has launched the latest iteration of their flagship TWS earbuds, the realme Buds Air6 Pro. Packed with features and dual drivers, these earbuds bring in a lot of promise, especially considering their price. They are priced at ₹4,999 and will go up against the likes of the Sony WF-C500 and the Audio Technica ATH-SQ1TW, to name a few. All these earbuds bring great performance to the table in their own right. The fight in the midrange segment of TWS earbuds in India is tough, and these earbuds will have to do something special to stand out in this space.
I got a chance to experience these earbuds before they hit the digital shelves upon launch, and I formulated my initial impressions of these earbuds. Have a look –
[Note: This is not the final review of the in-ear earphones, and the author has shared their initial impressions only. The final review is subject to include varied observations based on the results of the full tests.]
Build and design of the realme Buds Air6 Pro is almost perfect
realme Buds Air6 Pro comes in all guns blazing when it comes to build and design. They deliver on the expectations set by their predecessors, the realme Buds Air5 Pro, which also had a great build. The case of these earbuds has a nice heft to it, the earbuds fit well in my ears, and due to the minimal change in design from the Buds Air5 Pro, which have been passed around the Digit Test Centre quite a bit, you can expect these earbuds to fit well for the most part.
My only gripe about the design of these earbuds is the finish that they have on the case. It is extremely glossy, which makes it prone to scratching and makes it a fingerprint magnet (as you can see below). The case, with the glossy finish and the shimmery accent pill at the top with the branding looks more like a fashion accessory than a pair of functional TWS earbuds. This design characteristic is also seen on the buds themselves. While some may appreciate it, the design might not be everyone’s cup of tea.
Also Read: realme Buds Air 5 Pro Review : A bass lover’s dream with a well-rounded feature set
Features aplenty!
These earbuds come packed with features. The realme Buds Air6 Pro comes packed with features, most of which are implemented by the realme Link app, which has now gained a soft corner in my heart, again, with one complaint. I will get to that later. Let’s talk about the good things for now. The UI of the app is clean, polished, and intuitive. One of the standout things is the Golden Sound Test, which is the name given by realme, to their personalised tuning feature. When I did the test, it made the sound brighter for me, with better imaging of instruments. Definitely a win there.
Then, there is the Mindflow feature, which can play a selection of downloadable sounds which can help you mediate, sleep better, and take better overall care of your mental wellbeing. You also get custom touch controls on the buds which is awesome! There is also a customisable EQ, and a very useful bass customisation feature as well. There are a ton of more features, such as 360-degree spatial audio, which I will talk about in detail in my full review.
Now, coming to my biggest gripe with the app. Unlike most other apps in the market, the realme Link app requires you to sign in, just so you can access the basic features within it. Now, this is not a first where a TWS companion app is asking me to sign in. But, in other cases, it is to protect my presets and to enable better syncing of settings across devices. However, all the apps let you use basic features within the app before asking you to sign in. For example, the Sony Headphones Connect app. Most of the features are available from the get-go, with certain ones like personalised tuning being available after signing in. Not having that irked me.
Performance looks promising
With the realme Buds Air6 Pro, you get a bass-boosted sound signature. While I am yet to test using our test rig to confirm my findings, during my initial run with the buds, when I played our test tracks, the bass boost was very apparent. To get the bass to normalise, I went with the presets, and the Nature Balance preset worked the best for me. It tames the bass by quite a bit and ensures that it is not as bloated as it is out of the box. If you are a purist, then I don’t think you will have any issues working with the EQ and tuning these earbuds to your liking. The staging of the sound is very intimate. And, the separation is what you’d expect from a pair of earbuds at this price.
As for the ANC, it is decent for the price. When I turned it on on its own in the office, the background chatter was audible, and the low-end humming of the ACs and other devices working in my vicinity was tuned out. The keystrokes from my keyboard seeped through as well. However, as soon as you turn on the music, the isolation, coupled with the ANC and track, cancelles out a lot of audio in the background and puts you into your own auditory cocoon.
The battery life on these earbuds, as claimed by the brand, is up top 40 hours. I am yet to test that, so stay tuned for my full review of these earbuds.
Should you buy the realme Buds Air6 Pro at launch?
Short answer: yes. There is enough promise in the realme Buds Air6 Pro, from what I experienced, that I would say you can definitely get these earbuds at launch. My opinion might change after I am done thoroughly testing these earbuds. But, for now, I can safely say that you can go for these earbuds if you are willing to take the plunge right away. I would especially recommend these earbuds to the bass heads, and given that there are ample customisation options available as well via the realme Link app, the purists might also hit the sweet spot with some tinkering.
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Satvik Pandey
Satvik Pandey, is a self-professed Steve Jobs (not Apple) fanboy, a science & tech writer, and a sports addict. At Digit, he works as a Deputy Features Editor, and manages the daily functioning of the magazine. He also reviews audio-products (speakers, headphones, soundbars, etc.), smartwatches, projectors, and everything else that he can get his hands on. A media and communications graduate, Satvik is also an avid shutterbug, and when he's not working or gaming, he can be found fiddling with any camera he can get his hands on and helping produce videos – which means he spends an awful amount of time in our studio. His game of choice is Counter-Strike, and he's still attempting to turn pro. He can talk your ear off about the game, and we'd strongly advise you to steer clear of the topic unless you too are a CS junkie. View Full Profile
