Convenient use logic and more stable connectivity make true wireless headsets more popular. And probably because in the past year or two, more and more TWS headphones that support active noise reduction have been introduced to the market. Manufacturers seem to generally favor in-ear designs, and there are relatively few new semi-open headphones.
However, the relatively more comfortable wearing experience of semi-open earphones has won the favor of quite a few people. This article will introduce you to the Redmi Buds 3 that was just released by crowdfunding. It is also one of the few TWS headsets I have come into contact with recently that uses a semi-open design.
My first impression of the Redmi Buds 3 charging bay is similar to that of the OnePlus Buds Pro released not long ago. Both products have a more angular design, but Redmi has made it more square and square, and this kind of surface The method with obvious curvature is more convenient whether it is held in the hand or put in the trouser pocket.
For the surface details of the charging compartment, Redmi uses a bright surface solution, which has the advantage of great visual perception. However, referring to other similarly designed products, scratches will inevitably occur after long-term use. Fortunately, due to its overall white color, even if the surface is slightly scratched, it will not be so obvious. Don’t worry too much about this.
The total weight of the headset is 45 grams, and the paper data is slightly lighter than the Redmi AirDots 3 released at the front end. From my personal experience, it is quite convenient to go out and put it in the trouser pocket, it will not look so bulging, and there is no obvious feeling of falling.
According to the official, Redmi Buds 3 supports 5 hours of continuous music playback. With the charging box, it can last up to 20 hours of use. Normal use can be charged once a week. Of course, the actual endurance performance has a lot to do with everyone’s usage habits, so it’s good for everyone to use it as a reference. By the way, it also supports fast charging, charging for 10 minutes can support up to one and a half hours of music playback.
Back to the headset body. The style of Redmi Buds 3 earphones is the same as that of the charging bay. It also uses obvious ridgeline processing. The outer surface of the earstalk on the side looks closer to a flat surface, instead of the cylindrical earstalk of AirPods.
Before getting started, I thought that this approach was to increase the contact area between the fingers and the ear stalk, thereby facilitating “blind operation”, but this is not the case. It may not be easy to find in the picture. In fact, the upper positions of the rear handles of the left and right earphones of Redmi Buds 3 are provided with a circular recessed area, and only this part of the area is the effective touch area.
This headset is equipped with three touch gestures: double tap, triple tap, and long press. The left and right headsets allow different functions to be set for the same gesture. Regrettably, because its effective touch area is relatively small, the volume cannot be adjusted through headphones when listening to music, but it can be controlled by changing gestures.
Some other functional experiences that we think current true wireless headsets should have can be seen on Redmi Buds 3. For example, it supports connecting when the cover is opened, and the battery status of each earphone and charging compartment can be clearly seen through the mobile phone interface. If you are a Xiaomi mobile phone user, it will be much more convenient to use.
In addition, with the help of the built-in sensor, the headset can also be taken off and paused, and the replay function can be put on.
In terms of sound quality, Redmi Buds 3 uses the Qualcomm QCC3040 chip released last year. Compared with the previous QCC3020 chip, the more obvious update is the addition of support for aptX Adaptive decoding. In addition, this headset also has a 12mm dynamic sound unit and supports Bluetooth 5.2 connection.
In terms of actual sound quality performance, Redmi’s strategy is the same as that of many manufacturers. The mid-and low-frequency performance of the headset is more prominent, which is in line with the preferences of the general public. Of course, for a TWS headset product that only costs less than 200 yuan, you don’t have to expect too much. It sounds good enough.
Redmi Buds 3 has also made special treatments for the call scenes that are frequently used daily. It uses CVC (Clear Voice Capture) noise reduction technology, with the dual microphones built-in the headset, which can greatly reduce the surrounding environment noise, so as to achieve the purpose of improving the clarity of the call.
However, what I like most about this headset is actually the wearing comfort. Its single earphone weighs only 4.5 grams, which makes it easy to wear on the ear. More importantly, I actually had serious otitis media due to wearing headphones for a long time. Compared with in-ear headphones, it is more comfortable to wear semi-in-ear headphones.
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As a TWS headset with a crowdfunding price of only 159 yuan, Redmi Buds 3 has all the functions that such products “must” have at this stage, such as opening the cover, in-ear detection, and gesture control. In this price range, there is nothing to choose from.
Currently, Redmi Buds 3 has been launched on Xiaomi’s official mall and Xiaomi Youpin, and the crowdfunding will be officially launched on September 8. If you prefer semi-open TWS headphones like me, Redmi Buds 3 is still worth considering.