Xiaomi, known for its affordable smartphones, recently launched a low-budget wired earphone called the ‘Redmi Earphones,’ available in India at Rs. 399. While it promises to have exciting specs like Hi-Res Audio, HD dynamic bass, anti-wax earplugs, lightweight design, and aluminum alloy sound chamber, should it live up to its promise and be a contender for the best-wired earphone under 500 rupees? We put it to the test, and this is our Redmi Earphones review.
Design
Redmi earphones come with an aluminum alloy metal design with tangle-free cables and a 90-degree audio jack. With a solid single-color design, the redmi earphones are premium-looking, and the aluminum alloy housing gives them a high-quality feel. Redmi earphones come in three different colors: black, blue, and red. We’ve got the black one.
The cable is 1.2m long and seems to be very durable. Even though the wires aren’t braided, they possess a high-quality feel and justify their branding as tangle-free. On the right, there is a capsule that houses a microphone and a button.
Redmi has included various sizes of ear tips and small, medium, and large ones. They also come with an anti-earwax mesh panel that prevents earwax from damaging the product.
Fit and Comfort
I have generally been unimpressed with the level of fit that it provides. It’s due to its straight-earbud design. If we set it at a certain angle, it will stay well in my ear canal. However, it still doesn’t create a proper seal. But redmi earphones are super comfortable and lightweight (13 grams)
Controls
The Redmi earbuds come with a single multi-function button. Single tap to play/pause, double-tap to next track, triple tap to the previous track, and long press to trigger voice assistant. So we’re missing volume control here, but it will not be a problem for most folks.
Call Quality
Redmi earphones have great call quality. The sound is crisp and clear, rivaling that of more expensive options. The microphones are located very close to the mouth, so there’s no need to speak loudly. The microphone also received minimal background noise in the recording.
Sound Quality
I have a tough time judging this. I haven’t used budget earphones in a long time, and comparing Redmi earphones with my primary wired earphone choice (which is 20 times more expensive) wouldn’t be fair. I will share my audio listening experience, though, and won’t provide any comparisons.
Redmi Earphones come with a 10mm dynamic driver, and according to Xiaomi, it is tuned to deliver strong bass, full vocals, and good treble performance. Redmi earphones are Hi-Res audio certified. This means not only will you be able to listen to higher bit rate music samples (FLAC or WAV), but you can also expect the sound quality to be more authentic when connected to hi-res certified equipment.
The Redmi earphones’ sound signature is in between balanced and powerful bass. Many earphones in this price range are bass-heavy, but the Redmi earphones manage to offer just as much bass without becoming overpowered. The bass is powerful and will satisfy most listeners. They don’t have an overpowering, boomy, or thumpy bass that you’d experience with most other earphones in this price range. But it has some severe bass bleed into other frequencies, which affects its vocal and treble quality. This is a common thing we can see in the budget segment
I have not enjoyed the vocals on the redmi earphones. One possible reason is that I am used to more expensive options. However, the bass bleed annoyed me a lot, especially while watching YouTube videos or streaming services.
The trebles of these in-earphones are decent for the price. The redmi earphones offer decent instrument separation. While it’s Hi-Res certified, I haven’t seen any benefit from it (I’m using this earphone with a Hi-Res-certified Type-C to 3.5mm Jack). This might be because of heavy bass bleed/leak.
LIKE
- Decent Build
- Light Weight
- Anti-earwax mesh
- Good Quality Microphone
- Tangle Free Cable
DON’T LIKE
- Bass Bleed
- Fit
Verdict
The Redmi Earphones deliver a solid bass performance, but the bass tends to bleed a bit, which affects the quality of vocals and treble. While watching videos on YouTube or streaming services, the audio performance feels bassy and doesn’t offer a good audio experience. The fit is not great due to the non-angular design, but the cable quality is very good, and it is tangle-free. Additionally, The redmi earphones are very lightweight, which makes them comfortable to wear for long periods.
If you plan to buy the best budget wired earphones with a mic under 400 rupees, then Redmi earphones is the ideal choice. If you can stretch your budget to 500 rupees, consider Realme’s Bud 2 and Infinity’s Zip 100 as well. They offer better sound quality and extra features.
Price and Availability
Redmi Earphones are available at Rs. 399 in India on Amazon.in, Mi.com, Mi Home, and all other authorized Mi partner showrooms.
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