Redmi Buds 5A Review: Budget ANC Earbuds That Deliver on Convenience
The Redmi Buds 5A, launched alongside the Redmi Pad SE in April 2023, are Xiaomi’s most affordable true wireless earphones (TWS) with active noise cancellation (ANC) in India. Priced at just Rs. 1,499, they offer a compelling proposition for budget-conscious consumers seeking a convenient and practical listening experience. With a comfortable in-ear design, a companion app, and a long battery life, the Redmi Buds 5A make a strong case for themselves. But can they deliver on sound quality and performance, particularly when it comes to ANC, at this price point? Let’s delve into the review and see how these budget-friendly earbuds fare.
Redmi Buds 5A Review: Design and Features
The Redmi Buds 5A boast a traditional in-ear design, offering a comfortable fit with three ear tip size options – small, medium, and large. The earbuds come with medium-sized tips pre-installed, and the inclusion of two additional pairs ensures a snug fit for most users. The charging case, described by the company as a “polished pebble,” is compact and easily portable, weighing approximately 41.2g with the earphones. The case features a USB Type-C port for charging, with a static white light indicating charging status. The charging case also has two white indicator lights on top of the earbuds that appear during power-on.
Redmi Buds 5A Review: App and Specifications
While the Redmi Buds 5A support the Xiaomi Earbuds application, it offers limited control. Once connected to your smartphone, the app prompts you to download it. However, the app’s functionality is basic, displaying battery percentages for the left and right earbuds, along with the charging case’s battery life.
The app provides a few controls:
- ANC Modes: You can switch between transparency, noise cancellation, and ANC off.
- Additional Settings: This section offers options for renaming the earbuds, turning off the remove-earphone controls, and toggling low latency mode.
While the app provides some basic customization, most functions, including ANC mode and latency mode switching, can be accessed via simple touch controls on the earbuds themselves.
The Redmi Buds 5A feature:
- 12mm dynamic drivers for decent sound reproduction.
- Up to 25dB ANC for reducing ambient noise.
- IPX4 rating for protection against splashes, making them suitable for light exercise.
- AI-backed environmental noise cancellation (ENC) for clearer phone calls.
- Google Fast Pair support for quick and easy pairing with compatible devices.
- Bluetooth 5.4 connectivity for stable and reliable connections.
It’s important to note that the Redmi Buds 5A only support the SBC Bluetooth codec, which, while providing a stable connection, results in lossy sound processing. They lack support for the AAC codec preferred by many iOS devices.
Redmi Buds 5A Review: Performance and Battery Life
The Redmi Buds 5A excel in convenience, offering ANC at a budget-friendly price point. They are ideal for casual use, effectively drowning out mild ambient noise allowing you to fully immerse yourself in your favorite podcasts or music.
Touch Controls:
- Double tap: Play/pause music, answer calls.
- Triple tap: Reject/end calls, switch tracks.
- Press and hold for 2 seconds: Switch between ANC modes.
- Long press for 1.5 seconds on both earphones simultaneously: Switch between latency modes.
The absence of a single-tap control helps avoid accidental commands during fit adjustments or when dealing with long hair.
Sound Quality:
While you shouldn’t expect high-fidelity audio at this price point, the Redmi Buds 5A manage to deliver a decent listening experience. The sound signature is slightly bass-heavy, which works well for genres like pop, electronic, and hip-hop. However, at higher volumes (around 60-70 percent), the sound can become muffled, obscuring details in more complex musical arrangements.
The lack of support for codecs like AAC contributes to the sound quality limitations. This means that the audio signal is compressed, leading to some loss of fidelity.
Latency:
The Redmi Buds 5A offer 60ms latency, which is significant enough to cause lag in mobile gaming applications like Battlegrounds Mobile India. Despite a dedicated low latency mode, it doesn’t improve the situation considerably. However, the latency is hardly noticeable during video playback, making them suitable for watching movies or TV shows.
Battery Life:
The Redmi Buds 5A deliver impressive battery life. With ANC turned off, they offer approximately 5 hours of continuous playback, reaching up to 30 hours with the charging case. With ANC enabled, the battery life drops to around 3 hours. Fast charging allows for about an hour of playback after just 10 minutes of charging.
Call Quality:
The AI-backed ENC effectively handles quiet ambient noise, such as that found in residential areas. However, it struggles with loud environments like bustling streets. The microphones offer decent clarity for phone calls, though they are not ideal for making calls in noisy settings.
Redmi Buds 5A Review: Verdict
The Redmi Buds 5A are a compelling option for budget-conscious consumers looking for ANC-enabled TWS earbuds. They offer a convenient and practical listening experience with solid battery life and comfortable fit. While the sound quality may not match higher-end options, the bass-heavy sound signature is enjoyable for most casual listening scenarios.
However, it’s important to note the limitations:
- Sound quality: The SBC codec and the lack of AAC support affect audio fidelity, particularly at high volumes.
- Latency: The 60ms latency is noticeable in mobile gaming applications.
- Call quality: The ENC is less effective in very noisy environments.
Alternatives:
If your budget allows for a slight increase, you might consider alternatives like the Noise Buds Venus or the Honor Choice Earbuds X5. These options offer slightly better ANC performance, lower latency, and/or additional features, including equalizer controls and improved water resistance.
Conclusion:
Overall, the Redmi Buds 5A are a solid choice for budget-minded consumers seeking a practical and affordable pair of ANC-supported earbuds. They are a great option for casual listening and offer decent value for the price. However, if your priorities are high-fidelity audio, low latency for gaming, or clear call quality in noisy situations, you might consider exploring the alternatives mentioned.
