Redmi Buds 6 true wireless stereo (TWS) earphones were launched earlier this month and are currently available in India. They were unveiled in India alongside the Redmi Note 14 5G series phones. With up to 42 hours of claimed total battery life, they support 360-degree spatial audio and up to 49dB hybrid active noise cancellation (ANC). The earbuds offer dual device connectivity and they have an IP54-rated build for dust and splash resistance. The headsets are priced in the country at Rs. 2,999. Let us explore if they are worth your consideration.
Redmi Buds 6 Design and Features: Chic and Lightweight
Size – 31.13 x 21.34 x 23.5mm (Buds); 61.01 x 51.71 x 24.80mm (Case)
Weight – 5g (Each bud); 43.2g (Case)
Water and dust resistance – IP54 (Earphones only)
Colours – Ivy Green, Spectre Black, Titan White
The Redmi Buds 6 earphones have a traditional in-ear design, and ear tips come in three sizes. The earphones come with medium-sized tips pre-installed on the earbuds, along with two additional pairs of silicone tips—one small and one large—in the box. Of these three, the medium one offered me the most secure fit. They are not the most comfortable earphones I have tried, but they are far from the worst. I could use them for a few hours at a stretch without any discomfort.
The in-ear design of the Redmi Buds 6 allows a decent fit
The touch controls on the Redmi Buds 6 earphones are smooth and intuitive. The sensors are placed towards the top of the stem. Like most competing machines, you could customise different tap actions with different functions through the companion app, which we will discuss in the next section. The earphones lie on their sides in the case, with the charging connectors placed on the inner side closest to your face when you have them on.
The compact, magnetic charging case has a USB Type-C port and a flow design LED on the front. The pairing button is placed on the right side, while the “Redmi” branding is seen on the top of the case. The flow LED adds a cool visual aesthetic, yes, but it also has a functional purpose. It displays the battery level when the case is closed, or the pairing button is pressed. This way, you know when to top the charge in the case without fumbling to check it on the app each time.
The Redmi Buds 6 earphones have an IP54 rating for dust and splash resistance, but the case has no such ingress ratings. This might have been more prominent owing to my white review unit, but the case does attract a fair amount of dust and marks.
The Xiaomi Earbuds app has a simple, accessible layout
Redmi Buds 6 App and Specifications: Adequate
Driver – 12.4mm + 5.5mm
Companion App – Xiaomi Earbuds
Gesture controls – Yes
The Redmi Buds 6 is compatible with the Xiaomi Earbuds application, which has a simple, accessible layout. The battery percentage of the earphones and the charging case (when open) are visible on the home screen, followed by the noise cancellation modes. There are the noise cancellation modes – Noise Cancellation, Off and Transparency. With the transparency mode, you can choose between two intensities of noise cancellation and environmental interference mixes. We will talk about these in detail in the following section.
Aside from these, the app allows you to customise different gestures for different functions. You can personalise single, double, and triple taps, as well as press and hold actions, for each earbud. You can use these to moderate a variety of music/ANC control functionalities. You can also use the press-and-hold action to click photos.
You can use the Redmi Buds 6 earphones as a remote shutter control. However, this feature cannot be accessed when dual device connectivity is enabled. When your headsets are only connected to your smartphone, you can press and hold either earbud to capture an image almost hands-free. That is neat and handy even in times you would otherwise have to resort to a timer.
The flow LED design on the charging case shows its battery level
The Redmi Buds 6 have 12.4mm titanium diaphragms and 5.5mm micro-piezoelectric ceramic drivers. They offer up to 49dB of ANC and are said to provide a total battery life of up to 42 hours. The charging case carries a 475mAh battery, while each earbud has a 54mAh cell. The earbuds also come with an IP55 rating for dust and splash resistance. The earphones support Bluetooth 5.4 and dual-device connectivity.
Redmi Buds 6 Performance and Battery Life: Not Quite Impressive
ANC – 49dB
Battery – 54mAh (Bud), 475mAh (Case)
Fast Charging – Yes (claimed 10 minutes for up to four hours)
Bluetooth – Bluetooth 5.4
With the dual-driver units, the Redmi Buds 6 TWS headsets allow you to experience pretty well-tuned audio, acceptable enough in a range of under Rs. 3,000. The bass performance is good, although above 50 percent of volume, some sounds, particularly the higher frequency ones, can often distort. Tracks like Good Times Bad Times by Led Zeppelin or Hush by Deep Purple are largely clear but can get muddied at the higher guitar or vocal riffs.
The customisable equaliser at our disposition through the Xiaomi Earbuds app allows for moderation that eases the deficiencies to an extent. The app has preset EQ settings that allow you to enhance the bass, treble or voice in a certain track. The earphones will enable you to opt for 360-degree spatial audio as well. With this mode, you get a good, immersive experience. But this mode also takes a toll on your battery life.
The charging connectors of the earbuds are placed on the inside
The app allows you to moderate and toggle between the varying degrees of ANC. With ANC enabled, the Redmi Buds 6 manages to get rid of most usual environmental disturbances. Even the whirring of the fan in an already quiet room is considerably subdued. In public places, if need be, they can drown out most undesirable disturbances. However, when you are outdoors, you may want to keep all your faculties alert and be more aware of your surroundings. The transparency mode allows you to do that. There are two sub-presets this mode offers, one that enhances voice and another that enhances ambient noises.
The dual-microphone setup of the Redmi Buds 6 is passable for the occasional, short-duration calls. The main problem with these earphones, however, lies with the connectivity. They come with support for Bluetooth 5.4 and can be paired with two electronic devices simultaneously. If you are watching something on your laptop and you attend a phone call in between, often the video playback after the call throws up no audio until you have refreshed it a couple of times at least. This is not just with calls; if you play any audio or audio-visual medium on the second device, you may face this issue quite frequently. After the first couple of days, my patience ran thin. I preferred using these earphones connected to just one device at a time.
The company claims that with ANC on, the Redmi Buds 6 can last for a total of up to 26 hours, with 6.5 hours on just the earphones at a single charge. During the review period, with ANC on, at 50 percent volume throughout, the earphones ran out of charge between five hours and 20 to 30 minutes. Without the ANC, the claim is up to 10 hours of playback time on just the earphones and up to 42 hours on the case. In all my time with these earphones without ANC at 50 percent volume, they ran between eight hours and 56 minutes and nine hours and 23 minutes. These numbers, although doesn’t match the claims, are not bad overall. With casual use, a single charge of the case can last you for up to four working days (although it does truly depend on your definition of casual use).
The dual driver units offer a moderately satisfactory tuning
Redmi Buds 6: Verdict
Are you on a budget but need ANC headsets for casual use? Look no further than the Redmi Buds 6. At Rs. 2,999, they offer an amicable tuning, passable fit and decent ANC. The battery life, as discussed, is not bad — it just fails to live up to the advertised mark. You have to overlook the not-so-infrequent connectivity issues and try to avoid a pout if you get a smudge on the case by chance.
However, if Father Christmas has smiled upon you, to allow you to relax your stringent budget slightly by Rs. 300 precisely, you can consider the OnePlus Nord Buds 3 Pro (Review), which retails in the country at Rs. 3,299. For a few hundred bucks more, you will get a better build, an impressive battery, and more stable dual-device connectivity. These earphones come with an IP55 rating, whereas the Redmi Buds 6 have an IP54-rated build. Although, this will hardly make a functional difference for your casual use. What should help you decide is that you can squeeze out up to 44 hours of total playback time from the Nord Buds 3 on a single charge.
