It is 1:00 a.m and I am at the Chennai International Airport. Having reached uncharacteristically early for my flight that departs at 4:00 a.m, I’m already at the boarding gate. Losing sleep to catch a long-haul red-eye flight is bad enough. But EDM blaring at 1:00 a.m from the duty-free store next to my gate is the kind of fresh hell I’m not prepared for. So, I decided to fight fire with fire and plug in the new Redmi Buds 5 that I’m carrying on this trip. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that when I play something calmer on, it’ll drown out the ill-timed and misplaced rave fest. 

Design

The Fusion White variant I’ve received for review is simple and classy. The matte finish case feels smooth to the touch, and the buds themselves sport a shiny stripe along the stem that helps them stand out. I like the two-toned Fusion Purple variant better, which matches the aesthetics of the Redmi Note 13 Pro I recently reviewed. There’s a physical reset button tucked away on the right side of the case. Apart from this, all controls are on the earbuds. 

Connectivity

There’s Google Fast Pair which makes the first connection with my Android smartphone easy. With its ability to drown out up to 46dB of ambient noise, I turn on ANC and stream my go-to playlist on Spotify. The EDM is drowned out immediately, and what a relief that brings. There are three levels of intensity - Light, Balanced, Deep - and I chose the last. 

Audio Quality

The Redmi Buds 5 are equipped with a 1.6m dynamic coil, neodymium magnet, and 12.4mm dynamic titanium-coated drivers to facilitate good bass response and clear audio across a wide range of frequencies.

The app is easy enough to navigate and offers ample customisation options. I’m playing around with presets that include modes such as standard, enhance treble, enhance bass, and enhance vocals. The ‘Enhance Bass’ option delivers the best results when I’m listening to most music. I have S-Class on by Stray Kids where the bass thumps are pleasant without being overpowering. I continue to Blank Space by Taylor Swift, and you around with the ‘Enhance Voice’ option, and soon realise it’s doing her vocals no favours. Enhance Treble too mutes the bass notes out too much for my liking.

Through the app, I could change up the gesture control for both buds. On each earbud, a gentle tap did the trick. In-ear detection was accurate, except it took about two seconds for the music to stop once I pulled an earbud out.  There’s an in-app in-ear tip fit test and a feature to locate your earphones in case you’ve misplaced them. 

At work, I tweaked the Transparency mode to enhance my voice so I wouldn’t come across as too rude if a colleague walked over for a chat. You can also prioritise letting through only ambient sound or choose the standard transparency mode.  

Call quality

I took the buds along on multiple evening walks, and I was never told that there was distortion on my end. This was despite sometimes walking through noisy traffic-ridden areas. The earbuds feature two microphones that work together to filter out wind noise. I was also able to have the device connected to my smartphone and my MacBook. The switching was effortless. 

Battery

According to Redmi, the Buds 5 provides up to 10 hours of playtime on a single charge. This was close to the playback time delivered on real-life usage as well. With charging within the case, they deliver up to 38 hours of playback time with ANC off. A quick charge of five minutes also gives a couple of hours of extra playtime. 

Verdict

It’s great news for consumers when a device delivers great value for money, without burning a hole in their pockets. The Redmi Buds 5 is one of those TWS earbuds that deliver decent audio and call experience without a hefty price tag, and a design that’s pleasant on the eyes. The only grumble I have with these buds is that the touch along the stem sometimes registers a second too late, so I’m left waiting to check if it registered or not. Apart from that, it’s been smooth sailing. 

Cost: ₹2,999

Pros - Lightweight, decent audio quality, clarity in voice calls, great value for money, multi-point connectivity

Cons - Occasional lag in registering swipes on the earbud

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