The Realme Buds Air 2 were unveiled in India today as the brand’s new affordable true wireless earphones with the aim is to democratize ANC and bring it to a lower price point.
Successor to the Realme Buds Air from late 2019, these offer significant upgrades across the board while being cheaper. In fact, these are much closer to the Realme Buds Air Pro from last October, and have been a popular choice in the budget TWS space. Here’s everything you need to know about the Realme Buds Air 2.
Specs and features
The biggest talking point is the presence of active noise cancellation, making these the cheapest mainstream earbuds to offer that. Using a feedforward microphone, the Buds Air 2 can cancel out up to 25 dB of low-frequency noise. Further, choosing the best-fitting pair of ear tips will improve passive noise cancellation. Features such as transparency mode and ENC for calls are also supported.
These have been achieved by the new Realme R2 processor, allowing for real-time ANC. It also improves efficiency, reduces latency by 35% and supports the Bluetooth 5.2 standard. Notably, the AptX codec is not supported.
We also get a new “Colour Splicing” design where the buds and the stem have a disjointed finish in slightly different colours to stand out. The stem protrudes a bit from the top for easier access while they are in a case. Each bud weighs only about 4.1 grams. They are also IPX5-rated for water-resistance.
As for sound, the Realme Buds Air 2 are fitted with 10mm Diamond-class Hi-fi drivers and are tuned be more responsive to equalizer tweaks. Using the Realme Link app, users will be able to change modes between Dynamic, Bright and a new Bass Boost+ mode that was tuned by The Chainsmokers.
Other features include an improved Gaming mode that has a latency of just 88ms, which is amongst the best in its segment. Unlike competitor solutions, this Realme’s implementation does not impact power consumption but reduces the transmission range – so you should be able to use it for extended periods of time. It’s a master-master connection with dual-channel transmission. Other features include Google Fast Pair, smart wear-detection, touch controls, etc.
The battery life is rated for about 5 hours on a single charge, and up to 25 hours including the case. Fast charging is also supported, giving 2 hours of playback with a 10-minute charge. A full charge will take about an hour, via the USB Type-C port. Wireless charging has been dropped.
Pricing and availability
In India, the Realme Buds Air 2 are priced at Rs 3,299. Colour options include Closer White and Closer Black. The first sale is scheduled for 2 on Flipkart.
Realme tells us that there is no Master Edition in the works for now.