Redmi Buds 5C Review: Budget-Friendly TWS Earbuds with a Punchy Bass
Redmi’s latest entry into the budget-friendly TWS market, the Redmi Buds 5C, promises to deliver a compelling audio experience at an attractive price point. With features like hybrid ANC up to 40dB, 12.4mm dynamic titanium drivers, and five different sound profiles, the Buds 5C aim to compete with established players like Boat and Noise in this fiercely contested segment. But do they truly live up to the hype? Let’s delve into this in-depth review and discover whether the Redmi Buds 5C are worthy of a spot in your ears.
Redmi Buds 5C Design and Features: Compact and Comfortable
The Redmi Buds 5C boasts a compact and comfortable design, starting with the charging case itself. The square-shaped case with rounded edges fits effortlessly in your hand, offering a secure grip. The lid feels sturdy, providing a satisfying click when closed. While available in various colors, the Symphony Blue option, in our opinion, exudes a premium aesthetic. The case features a discreet LED indicator at the base, illuminating when connected. On the bottom, you’ll find a USB Type-C port and a pairing button for easy connectivity.
The earbuds themselves are inspired by the AirPods Pro (2nd gen) design, featuring a lightweight stem that sits comfortably in the ear. The package includes two additional pairs of ear tips (small and large), catering to different ear sizes. The medium ear tips provided a secure fit during walks, though they felt slightly loose during more intense physical activity.
While the case doesn’t have an IP rating, the earbuds themselves boast an IP54 rating, making them resistant to light splashes and dust. The buds also feature touch controls on each earbud for seamless playback, pause, volume adjustments, and more with intuitive tap functions.
Redmi Buds 5C App and Specifications: Easy-to-Use Interface
The Redmi Buds 5C comes equipped with a companion app called Xiaomi Earbuds, accessible on both Android and iOS platforms for a wide user base. The app interface is user-friendly, showcasing key information like battery percentage and noise cancellation options directly on the home screen.
The app offers customization options for the gesture controls on both earbuds, allowing you to tailor single, double, and triple taps for different actions such as controlling volume, playing/pausing music, and more. Pressing and holding the touch controls activates/deactivates the noise cancellation mode.
Beyond customizing gestures, the app also allows you to select your preferred equalizer (EQ) settings, check for firmware updates, or locate your earbuds if lost. However, these features require you to sign in with a Xiaomi account or create one.
Under the hood, the Redmi Buds 5C boast impressive specifications:
- 12.4mm driver for detailed sound reproduction
- Hybrid active noise cancellation up to 40dB for a quieter listening experience
- Support for SBC and AAC codecs for high-quality audio streaming
- Google Fast Pair compatibility for seamless pairing with Android devices
- Dual device smart connection for effortless switching between devices
- Bluetooth 5.3 for stable and energy-efficient connectivity
- Custom EQ modes to tailor the audio to your preferences
- Dual microphones with AI noise reduction for clearer calls
Redmi Buds 5C Performance and Battery Life: High on Bass, Dependable Battery
The Redmi Buds 5C deliver a decent performance for their price point, offering a balance of features and sound quality. The active noise cancellation (ANC) is particularly impressive, with three modes: Noise Cancellation, Transparency, and Off. The noise cancellation effectively reduces ambient noise in indoor environments, though it may not completely eliminate all background sounds. In outdoor settings, the ANC performed well, successfully mitigating traffic sounds and other environmental disturbances.
The Redmi Buds 5C also offer various EQ modes, easily controlled through the Xiaomi Earbuds app. You can choose between Standard, Enhance Treble, Enhance Bass, Enhance Voice, and Custom modes. While all modes have their merits, the Enhance Bass mode stands out as the most appealing, delivering a satisfyingly punchy audio experience. The Custom mode grants even greater control, allowing you to adjust frequencies to your liking.
The sound performance of the Redmi Buds 5C exhibits a pronounced emphasis on bass, making it a delight for bass-heavy tracks like "Big Dawg" by Hanumankind. However, this emphasis on bass occasionally overpowers the mids and highs, resulting in a somewhat muted sound for tracks like "I’m Yours" by Jason Mraz, where the instruments and vocals are overshadowed. At higher volumes, a slight distortion and uneven sound separation crept in, a minor disappointment considering the overall sound quality.
The Redmi Buds 5C deliver solid battery life. The company claims up to 36 hours of playback time with the case and up to 7 hours of continuous playback on a single charge. In our testing, we achieved close to 4 hours of battery life with ANC enabled and around 6 hours with ANC disabled.
The charging case offers an impressive 30 hours of playback time, considering the budget-friendly price point. The earbuds charge quickly, reaching a full charge within 50 minutes from the case. However, the case itself took slightly longer to charge, requiring over two hours for a full charge.
Call quality is another area where the Redmi Buds 5C excel. The dual microphones with AI-based ENC effectively isolate ambient noise, though they may struggle in extremely noisy environments like bustling streets. The earbuds deliver clear audio on both ends, making them a reliable choice for hands-free calls.
Redmi Buds 5C Verdict
In conclusion, the Redmi Buds 5C presents a compelling package in the affordable TWS segment. At a price point of Rs. 1,799, these earbuds offer effective noise cancellation, decent sound quality with a noticeable bass emphasis, and impressive battery life. While it faces stiff competition from other players in the segment, like Noise Buds Venus and Honor Choice Earbuds X5, the Redmi Buds 5C stand out for their balance of features and value. If you’re seeking a bass-heavy audio experience without breaking the bank, the Redmi Buds 5C are a solid contender worth considering.
