Inexpensive TWS headphones are no longer two “plugs” that are capable of little. Today you can use them
Table of contents
- Appearance
- Connection
- Noise suppression
- Sound
- Autonomy
- Competitors
- Xiaomi Redmi Buds 3 Pro
- Huawei Freebuds 4i
- Total
Appearance
Realme Buds Air 3 is not somea reinvention of the TWS headphone format, but rather a slight refinement of the previous model. The design of the case remains the same, only its dimensions have changed. He became a little lower due to the reduced height of the legs of the headphones themselves. There are Realme Buds Air 3, by the way, only in two colors: blue and white.
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Realme Buds Air 2
The differences between these two versions, by the way, onThe colors don't end. They also have different types of coverage. In the white version, glossy plastic is used, in blue - matte. And I wish matte plastic was used in both versions. Glossy surfaces for a device that constantly travels from table to hand, from hand to pocket is a so-so choice, because barely noticeable scratches will be visible on such plastic after the first days of operation. And it's not even about the material. Ideally polished metal in similar conditions will behave in much the same way.
Realme Buds Air 3
But for a streamlined and slightly “flattened” shapespecial thanks. So the body of the case does not dig into the leg, being in a trouser pocket. And in the hand it lies comfortably, it is worth recognizing. Its weight is almost not felt
Realme Buds Air 3
The hinge for this price category turned out to be morethan worthy. He confidently keeps the position of the lid in the open state, preventing it from hanging out, even if the case is well shaken in your hands. Not all headphones can do this, which is a plus.
The “gags” themselves are externally from the previous generationlittle different. They have an identical appearance of the part of the case in which the emitter is located, almost the same “leg”. Only now it is much smaller, which makes the fit of the headphones more convenient in practice.
Realme Buds Air 3
Manage playback, modesnoise reduction and volume can be touched on these very “legs”. Through the local application, you can even configure the behavior for a triple tap. So there are plenty of customization options. You can easily feel all the convenience of variable control during physical activities, when there is simply no quick access to a smartphone.
Realme Buds Air 3
Are they comfortable in the ears? More than.Basically, due to the correctly distributed weight (which is almost non-existent, by the way). It is difficult to shake them out when jumping and actively shaking your head. At least I didn't succeed.
The only thing that seemed uncomfortable to me (although,rather, even impractical) - ear pads. Or rather, their form. They are made here in the manner of those in AirPods Pro. That is, they are not round in horizontal projection, like many other headphones, but oval. So it will not be so easy to find a quick replacement in home stocks.
Connection
Not every budget wireless headphonesboast fast and hassle-free connection to a smartphone. “Press one button, another button, hold them for another five seconds.” There is no such thing here. I opened the case - a plate from Google immediately popped up on the smartphone with the name and image of the headphones. It seems to be a trifle, but damn nice.
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Connecting through a standard Google utility
With about the same ease, headphones canconnect to two devices at once and switch between them as playback resumes – Thanks to the support of Bluetooth version 5.2 for this.
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Realme failed to adapt the offer to the 21:9 aspect ratio
Realme Air Buds 3 can work without brandedRealme Link app, but it only makes it more convenient to use. The only thing that upset him was the mandatory login through the Realme account, without which you can’t set up the headphones. If you don't have an account, you will need to create one. And they didn't even have options. Otherwise, you can just press the buttons in the virtual version of the headphones. What is it and why complicate things so much? Decidedly incomprehensible.
Otherwise, the application raises no objections.It does not try to fill up with advertising, there are a huge number of settings for the behavior of the headphones themselves and the ability to search for them if they could get lost somewhere in the room.
Noise suppression
Until someone points the finger at Huaweimanages to use active noise cancellation in headphones without a hint of passive noise protection, Realme goes more thoughtful, combining both passive and active “noise canceling”. This alone will be enough to remove the general background noise in the office, and to organize, if not complete, then almost complete silence at home. But Realme managed to go much further. And here's the thing.
Realme Buds Air 3 is the lightestheadphones. Their weight and fit take almost any pressure off the auricle, resulting in headphones that are not felt in the ears. And the noise reduction system itself does not allow parasitic noise and sound processing artifacts to break through. As a result, the work of the noise reduction ceases to be felt as something foreign and is often perceived by the brain precisely as a feature of hearing, in isolation from the experience of using headphones. An amazing feeling that can be found very, very rarely.
Yes, local noise cancellation doesn't have a hugenumber of modes to eliminate a certain spectrum of frequencies (there are only two: “strong” and “moderate”), but they seem to be not needed here. Exactly what is needed is cut out. But there is a transparency mode, which, using the same microphones, transmits sound from outside directly into the ear canal. The best thing is to sometimes listen to the names of stations in the subway, for example.
Sound
But in terms of codecs used by headphones,there are no openings. Everything is as usual here: native SBCs along with AAC and no support for LDAC and aptX. Forgivable, of course, if you keep in mind the price of the Buds Air 3. However, the headphones sound good even without them and the Hi-Fi logo on the package.
The first thing that surprises is well-read lowfrequencies, which are sometimes so lacking in modern heavy music. Bristol trip hop with deep penetrating bass lines sounds great too. As, however, and any modern popular music, built around the beating eardrum "eighty-eight".
Realme Buds Air 3
Another test for inexpensive budgetheadphones - shoegaze and related genres that appeared in the nineties. Alas, not all headphones can produce something worthwhile when playing noise-rock guitars and entire sound walls. Here, of course, it is never an audiophile level, but the sound quality definitely does not cause discomfort. Still, membranes with a diameter of 10 mm in such compact headphones are great.
During testing, I did not even resort toeveryday environment to additional equalizer settings. It would be possible to add more low frequencies, but even without the bassboosted effect, the sound completely suited me.
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The function of adapting the sound to the characteristics of the sound
In addition, the headphones can adapt theirsettings depending on the characteristics of your perception. Realme Link allows you to conduct a hearing test, in which the headphones make certain sounds, and the user has to give short answers on the smartphone that he heard the sound. Well, or not heard. I can't say it helped me in any way. Who knows, what if my peculiarities of perception of sounds do not allow me to fully experience the benefits of this function?
Autonomy
Despite the compact dimensions of the body, engineersRealme managed to fit a 43 mAh battery into each earbud. And I want to say that this is a decent result. For comparison, the closest competitor in the face of Xiaomi Redmi Buds 3 Pro (with approximately the same headphone housing volume) can only offer 35 mAh per ear. And although the difference seems small, in percentage terms it is noticeable. In practice, this battery capacity gives about five hours of operation without the included noise reduction mode. With it, you can subtract an hour and a half from this result.
Realme Buds Air 3
A fully charged case will give the headphonesfive more cycles of battery life. Well, if the case is discharged, then you can simply lean it against the back of a smartphone with reverse charging support and wait for the energy to transfer from your device to the headphones. By the way, the headphones charge quickly. 10 minutes in a case here are converted into a whole hour of playback.
Competitors
Realme Buds Air 3Xiaomi Redmi Buds 3 ProHuawei Freebuds 4iBluetooth5.2 + AAC, SBC5.2 + AAC, SBC5.2 + AAC, SBCHeadphone frequency range20-20000Hz20-20000Hz20-20000Hzimpendance32 Ohm32 Ohm-Emitter diameter10 mm9 mm10 mmWater and dust protectionIPX5IP54IP54Support for voice assistantsYesYesNoBatteryOne earphone – 43 mAh, case – 460 mAh One earphone – 35 mAh, case – 470 mAhOne earphone – 55 mAh, case – 215 mAhWireless chargerYesYesNoWeightOne earphone – 4.2 g, case – 37.2 yearsOne earphone – 4.9 g, case – 55 yearsOne earphone – 5.5 g, case – 36.5 gColourWhite, blueWhite, blackWhite, red, grey, blackPrice6000 rubles5000 rubles5000 rubles
Xiaomi Redmi Buds 3 Pro
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Xiaomi Redmi Buds 3 Pro
Top candidate to buy if Buds Air 3 byfor some reason didn't like it. In terms of the number of functions, they are not much inferior to the heroes of the review, while they cost a little less. In my opinion, they have a slightly less practical shape of the headphones themselves, but they look better. Basically, due to the original front surface. And the case is a little more practical due to the use of matte plastic.
Huawei Freebuds 4i
Read also
Huawei Freebuds 4i
Minimum differences in technical equipment:the same version of “bluetooth”, there is active noise reduction. But the appearance lags behind current trends and trends for a couple of generations. If you like the good old-fashioned look of TWS headphones, you can safely take it. They cost about the same, only the autonomy of the case is slightly less than that of comrades on the shelf.
But against this there is no longer a reception, guys
Total
Realme Buds Air 3 is an example of how to release updates to their product lines. A minimum of unnecessary additions, while you can observe the replenishment of the really necessary improvements.
The quality of the active system has become betternoise reduction, dimensions have decreased, but at the same time an adequate price has been preserved. If you're looking for headphones with maximum features at a minimum price, then the Buds Air 3 is a good option. That's really serious.
You can still get to the Russian price, but SUCH quality at SUCH a price that in the official retail in Russia, and even more so on Aliexpress, you will not find competitors in headphones