Rating: 7.5/10
While Xiaomi managed to leave a mark in the wired earphone segment by introducing dual-driver technology at an affordable price, it didn’t manage to crack the market when it comes to Bluetooth earbuds or TWS earbuds. However, with the new Redmi Buds 6, things are looking promising. Not because, the company has launched it at an affordable price – Rs 2,999 – but due to all the features that are packed inside it at this price point.
First of all, the Redmi Buds 6 features a dual driver and offers features like 50dB Active Noise Cancellation, a companion app, and most importantly customisability in the form of equaliser, noise cancellation and even there are options to customise the touch controls on the earbuds.
I have been using the Redmi Buds 6 for weeks now and here’s what I think about it.
Xiaomi Redmi Buds 6: Design
Redmi Buds 6’s comes with iterative improvements over its predecessor. The charging case is rectangular and opens completely like a compact box. The size is small and can fit easily in tight jeans pocket. Quality-wise, it feels solid despite having an all-plastic build. The matte finish and smooth texture add to the premium feel. The finish also ensures that the case catches no
fingerprint and also less prone to scratches. I kept it pretty roughly – in the bag and even in my jeans pocket with house keys and coins and the case does not have a single scratch till date.
Xiaomi has done a good job positioning the charging indicator and Type-C port at the front of the case. The LED charging indicator displays the remaining charge, charging status, and charge level. The Type-C charging port is conveniently located just below the indicator.
While the placement of the charging indicator is appreciated, the charging port could have been moved towards the back or sides for a much cleaner look of the case.
Talking about the earbuds, it’s a glossy back that makes it premium to the touch, but they are more prone to scratches. So, make sure you keep it back in the case after using it or get ready to witness lots of scuffs and scratches.
The comfort level is good with the stem design that the company has been leveraging for several generations. Moving on the Buds 6 comes with three ear tips which can be easily replaced with a single pull. I used the earbuds with medium-sized ear tips. The buds are lightweight and do not feel uncomfortable even during longer sessions. Although the fit is good, at times, especially during workout sessions, I felt that the earbuds might fall off. However, that never happened.
Xiaomi Redmi Buds 6: Audio quality
Xiaomi has packed a 12.4mm Dynamic Titanium driver and a 5.5mm Micro Piezoelectric Drivers in the Redmi Buds 6. Now, this makes it the only earbuds in this price range to offer a dual-driver setup. But let’s not get carried away with the claims. I used this as my daily driver and listened to a wide range of songs, watched movies, and TV shows and even played games on my phone.
Let’s start with the music quality. The Redmi Buds 6 does a good job at it. The vocals are clear with bass and treble being well pronounced. We played a couple of tracks like Zariya, Moh Moh ke Dhage, Maula Mere and some Dual Lipa and Taylor Swift songs on it. In my perspective, the earbuds sound pretty good for the price. The bass is on point and the vocals are clear in all genres. However, at times, especially at higher volume levels, the treble become a little too pronounced and start getting on your nerves, even in Standard mode
Thankfully, Xiaomi is offering the companion app and four different EQ modes – Standard, Enhanced treble, bass and voice. All four modes work as expected. However, the treble mode makes things worse, while voice and bass modes work well. For me, the Standard mode works the best for the Buds 6.
There’s the Dimensional Audio toggle as well that enables the Spatial sound effect. While listening to music, enabling it widens the soundstage, but it takes things a little too far and the sounds start sounding a little hollow. However, things are very different when it comes to watching movies or even playing games with the feature enabled. The soundstage adds to the watching experience and even playing BGMI with it gives a clear idea of the footstep movements.
Xiaomi Redmi Buds 6: ANC performance
Redmi Buds 6 is rated at 50dB when it comes with Active Noise Cancellation. Now, 50dB is more than enough for most conditions. I felt that the earbuds do a decent job at it and it can suppress background noise, traffic sound, etc. It is effective and works as expected, but there’s room for improvement. For instance, you can still crush paper or plastic, even it the ANC is set to “Deep”
Talking about ANC modes, you can choose between Light, Balanced and Deep. All three modes have some differences and for me, the Deep mode is the best if you are planning to use Buds 6 in the office or outdoors.
Apart from this, you can enable or disable the ANC using the app, as well as using the touch controls. There’s a Transparency mode with three levels and it gets the job done.
Redmi Buds 6 comes with gesture controls and you can customise it for single press, double press and triple press.
Xiaomi Redmi Buds 6: Battery
Xiaomi Redmi Buds 6 is rated to deliver 6.5 hours of battery life on a single charge with ANC and up to 26 hours including the case. The case has a 475mAh battery and the earbuds have 54mAh. For me, the earbuds delivered around 5 hours with ANC turned on and around 8.5 hours of listening time without the ANC.
The earbuds also support fast charging where 10 minutes of charge give 4 hours of playtime. A full charge however takes around 2 hours and 15 minutes, which is decent for the price.
Xiaomi Redmi Buds 6: Verdict
Xiaomi Redmi Buds 6 is priced at Rs 2,999 and for the price, there’s a lot it has going for it. The Buds 6 Pro has a good sound signature, provided you are fine with slightly boosted treble at times. The bass is on point and the vocals are clear too. The battery life is impressive and the Xiaomi Earbuds app support makes the deal even sweeter. If you add good ANC performance with Transparency mode and customisability to the mix, the Redmi Buds 6 is one good earbud you can buy in this price bracket.
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