A budget all-rounder like no other

Realme has successfully built a formidable portfolio of audio products over the past few years. While some of these products have failed to meet our lofty expectations, a majority of them meet and surpass our expectations. Naturally, we were excited to try out Realme’s latest Buds Air series of TWS earphones – the Realme Buds Air 3. Packed with a plethora of features that put even some mid-range and high-end earphones to shame, the Realme Buds Air 3 looks extremely promising on paper. Not only do you get Active Noise Cancellation without breaking the bank, but you also get features such as multipoint connectivity, app support and customisable controls; all at under 5K. The company also claims to have improved the ANC and sound quality over the Realme Buds Air 2, which we already loved. But do these claims materialise in real-life usage? Or is the grass greener elsewhere? Read on to find out.

Realme Buds Air 3: Build and Comfort

The Realme Buds Air 3 looks almost identical to its predecessor – the Buds Air 2. The case has the same cobble-shaped design with the exception of a shiny glass-like finish on the top with the Realme logo stamped on top. The front features an LED indicator, and the bottom houses a USB Type-C charging port. Realme was kind enough to inscribe the reviewer’s name on the back of the case, however, we don’t know if this feature is available to buyers.

The case is lightweight, pocketable and easy to open one-handed. The magnets that hold the earbuds inside the case are sufficiently strong, so if the case topples onto the ground by accident, the earbuds should stay protected inside. The case’s hinge feels robust enough for the price, but there’s no metallic reinforcement, which would have been ideal for long-term use and peace of mind. The earphones are available in a few colour options – Galaxy White, Starry Blue, and Nitro Blue. We got the white variant for review.

The Galaxy White variant of the earbuds look pretty eye-catching. All the colour variants have a long stem with a metallic look that is pretty different from the status quo. The earbuds will definitely stand out in the sea of basic white earbuds on the market. The stems also house touch sensors for call and music playback controls. Using these controls, you can pause/play music, seek tracks, change noise cancellation modes, activate voice assistant and more. The earbud controls work reliably, for the most part, with the occasional misreading from time to time; but the misreadings are a rarity.

As for fit and comfort, the company has provided three different sizes of silicone eartips that should provide most users with a snug fit. The earbuds slot into the ears with ease and stay put even during activities such as walking or jogging. They aren’t the lightest earbuds we’ve reviewed though, weighing in at 4.2g each. Nevertheless, we would be comfortable recommending these earbuds to those who like working out with earbuds, especially due to the IPX5 rating that protects them from splashes of water and sweat.

Realme Buds Air 3 Features

You’d be hard-pressed to find a pair of truly wireless earbuds more feature-rich than the Realme Buds Air 3 under 4K. The Realme Buds Air 3, while sporting the price tag of an entry-level to mid-range TWS, comes with a plethora of features usually found on high-end earbuds. The feature that will grab most eyeballs is, of course, Active Noise Cancellation. And this is an area where Realme has made massive improvements when compared to the last-gen Buds Air 2. The Buds Air 2 provided noise suppression up to 25dB but the Buds Air 3 has bumped this number up to 42dB, which was unheard of at this price range, until now. 

The updated Realme R3 chip does an excellent job at mitigating ambient noise and providing a cocoon of silence. Not only do the earbuds diminish low-end, constant sounds such as an AC’s hum or an airplane’s drone, but it also drowns out human voices and other high frequency sounds considerably. The Realme Buds Air 3 is astoundingly impressive when it comes to ANC performance at this price range. We were in a packed office with a lot of chatter around and the earbuds managed to suppress the sounds to an incredible degree, allowing the reviewer to easily write this review without too many distractions.

The earbuds also come with Transparency Mode support that amplifies surrounding sounds. The Transparency Mode does what it is supposed to, but it doesn’t sound as natural as one would hope for. 

The next best feature on the Realme Buds Air 3 is app support via the versatile Realme Link app. The app allows users to access a wide array of features and controls that enhance the overall user experience. We strongly recommend installing the app since you won’t get the most out of your earphones without it. The app allows you to check battery levels, change noise cancellation modes, activate wind noise reduction for calls, choose between preset EQ profiles, toggle Game Mode, activate multipoint connection or dual-device connection, perform earbud fit test, and customise controls. 

The app will let you choose between several earbud controls and apply them according to your preferences, however, volume controls are missing here. It is a shame since most users will surely use volume controls far more than controls that activate the voice assistant or game mode. Game Mode, which can be activated via the controls or within the app, drops the latency all the way down to 88ms allowing users to game or watch content without significant audio-video delay. Additionally, the earbud fit test allows users to test which ear tips provide them with the most secure fit.

The earbuds also come with a feature dubbed ‘Customised audio tuning’ that personalises the sound based on your own hearing abilities. This feature could be invaluable to the hearing impaired. You also have in-ear detection which automatically pauses or plays music based on whether the earbuds are in your ear or not. The feature worked pretty reliably in our tests as well. 

Our favourite feature is multipoint connection or dual-device connection, which has to be activated via the app. Turn this on, and you can connect the earbuds to two source devices simultaneously and transition seamlessly between them. This is a feature that usually doesn’t even make it to some high-end TWS earbuds, so imagine our surprise and absolute delight when we found out that this coveted feature is present on the Buds Air 3. We tried out dual-device connection and it worked fairly well with the earbuds shifting between devices as needed without too many hitches. The feature can glitch out at times though, and we hope some software updates can make it more seamless.

The earbuds also come equipped with other features such as Google Fast Pair, IPX5 sweat and splash resistance, and Bluetooth 5.2 connectivity.

Realme Buds Air 3 Performance

Equipped with a 10mm LCP dynamic driver, the Realme Buds Air 3 provides a pleasant, V-shaped sound signature that works well with most popular genres of music. The sound signature differs from its predecessor in some ways; the mids and highs are more boosted in comparison to the Realme Buds Air 2. Now, while the boosted mids inject some much-needed detail and clarity to vocals and mid-range instruments, the boosted highs tend to sound slightly tinny and shrill, in some cases.

The bass response is well-defined and punchy, so instruments such as drums and bass guitars sound full-bodied in the mix. Bass notes have the requisite heft without sounding muddy or bloated, which is rare at this price range. You will get more detail in the bass notes if you go higher in price range from the likes of the Nothing Ear 1. 

The earphones are also Dolby Atmos compatible and work with any device with Dolby Atmos support. With Dolby Atmos active, the soundstage gets a slight boost, although it still remains pretty narrow, which is a common problem with true wireless earphones. Nevertheless, they are one of the most immersive sounding earphones under 4K. The highs are slightly tinny and there’s some sibilance as well which can sound unpleasant. But we’re nitpicking here and the sound quality is fantastic for the price.

The app also allows users to tune the audio according to their hearing. We enabled this and tested the audio but didn’t feel that there was a tangible difference. However, for individuals with hearing disabilities, the feature could be highly useful.

Moving on to the microphone quality, the earphones come equipped with dual AI noise-cancelling microphones that work together to reduce environmental sound during calls, according to Realme. In our testing, we found that the microphone quality was pretty good for calls, both indoors and outdoors. The mics suppress ambient sound to a decent degree as well, allowing users to take calls on the go as well. The long stems mean that the microphones are closer to your mouth, allowing the earbuds to catch your voice better. 

Realme Buds Air 3 Battery life

The Realme Buds Air 3 impresses when it comes to battery life. Not only do you get 30 hours of total playback time (earbuds + charging case), but you can also charge the earphones for merely 10 minutes to get 100 minutes of wireless playback time. The earbuds alone can last for 7 hours with noise cancellation turned off. With ANC turned on, you will get 5.5 hours of playback, which is consistent or slightly better than its competitors’ battery life.

In our tests, the earbuds lasted for 5 hours with ANC turned on and the volume set to 70 per cent. The charging case topped up the earphones 4 times and still had some juice left over, which is excellent. Overall, with the Realme Buds Air 3, you can forget about charging the device for 4-5 days, according to your usage. 

Realme Buds Air 3: Verdict

While we preferred the more balanced sound quality of the Realme Buds Air 2 compared to the Buds Air 3, the earphones still have a pleasant sound signature that works well with most popular genres of music. That aside, what makes the Realme Buds Air 3 stand out is its colossal feature set. The Realme Buds Air 3’s feature set can rival not just mid-range TWS but also high-end ones. Equipped with IPX5 water resistance, customisable controls, multipoint connectivity, Dolby Atmos support, and 30 hours of playback time, the Realme Buds Air 3 is easy to recommend to those who want top-of-the-line features without breaking the bank. If you can spend Rs 1,000 more, another option with a wide array of features is the OnePlus Buds Z2. However, under Rs 4,000, the Realme Buds Air 3 is the most feature-laden pair of TWS earphones with decent sound quality and good ANC performance.