The realme Buds Air 5 are light TWS earbuds with bass-heavy audio, impressive active noise cancellation for this segment, and quick pairing via Google Fast Pair.
Here’s my review examining its design, sound quality, noise cancelling feature, battery life, and more.
What’s in the box?
realme Buds Air 5 unboxing
The realme Buds Air 5 comes in a basic yellow box. Upon unboxing, you’ll immediately see the pebble-shaped case housing the earbuds.
Underneath that is a small compartment with a user guide pamphlet, short USB type-C charging cable, and two pairs of silicone ear tips in small and large size. The medium ear tips are already installed on the earbuds.
Design and Comfort
Right earbud
I like the black interior of the realme Buds Air 5 case. I have the white and it makes it look unique despite the minimalist exterior design.
Wearing the earbuds for the first time immediately made me appreciate its lightness. These are stem type earbuds with durable plastic body and soft silicone ear tips. I can comfortably wear them continuously for about 2 hours.
It’s IPX5 water resistant so it can be used during workouts or even under a light drizzle.
Sound Quality
Listening to Spotify with the realme Buds Air 5
The realme Buds Air 5 is definitely for bass lovers. Its large 12.4mm audio driver produces deep and powerful bass making Save Your Tears and Blinding Lights by The Weekend or the Majestic remix of Rasputin sound extra punchy.
Its bass level can even be customized with two modes – clear or boost, using the realme Link app. There’s also a more granular bass level when Dynamic Bass is enabled.
Mids and highs also sound good although it can be easily overpowered by the bass when Dynamic Bass is set to the highest level.
Dolby ATMOS is supported when the connected device already has it. This has a noticeable effect on the sound quality and improves both mids and highs giving justice to the familiarity of Ava Max’s Kings & Queens.
I also like to change the sound mode to Clear Vocals in the app when watching my favorite series on Netflix or Disney+.
Noise Cancellation and Call Quality
The realme Buds Air 5 connected to the realme Link app.
The Noise Cancellation technology of the realme Buds Air 5 is impressive in its price segment.
Its snug fit already provides some isolation from environmental noise but the Active Noise Cancellation feature dramatically reduces noise from an AC unit, crowds, or traffic.
For voice calls, it uses a total of six microphones (3 on each earbud) to reduce background noise. Some sounds still pass through but the volume is reduced to a comfortable level.
Controls, Pairing and App Features
Google Fast Pair with the realme Buds Air 5
The earbuds can be paired easily using Google Fast Pair. Simply open the case and a pop-up notification will appear on your Google-certified Android smartphone. Otherwise, you’ll have to connect using the usual Bluetooth settings.
It can be controlled using gentle taps. These can be customized in the realme Link app but by default, a double tap pauses music while a triple tap plays the next song.
It doesn’t have a way of controlling volume level but the different ANC modes can be switched by a triple tap.
The realme Link also contains other features like the aforementioned Dynamic Bass, sound profiles, camera shutter function, and even a Find my phone feature! To activate the last one, simply tap an earbud four times and it will ring.
Battery Life and Charging
Each earbud of the realme Buds Air 5 can last up to an impressive 7 hours of music listening at 50% volume! If the ANC or transparency feature is turned on, that drops to 4 and a half hours which is still quite a long time for earbuds.
At 50% volume, it already sounds loud to my ears. Smartphones with Dolby ATMOS tend to sound louder through the earbuds though.
Meanwhile, the charging case carries a little about four full charge cycles for the earbuds. Recharging the whole system takes 2 hours but you might only have to do it once or twice a week.
Conclusion
The realme Buds Air 5 and its box.
The realme Buds Air 5 are light TWS earbuds with bass-heavy audio, impressive active noise cancellation for this segment, and quick pairing via Google Fast Pair.
It also has long battery life, feature-packed app companion, some water resistance, and low latency for gaming.
However, it doesn’t have Hi-Fi audio so audiophiles and purists might be better off with its Pro version.
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The realme Buds Air 5 is now available in the Philippines with an official price of ₱3,499. As of this writing, it’s on sale on the realme Shopee store for ₱2,999.
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