At this price point!? The REDMI Buds 8 Lite was truly a "budget AirPods Pro"
For snowboarding, I love using Xiaomi's Redmi Buds 6 Play because if I lose them, it won't hurt my wallet.
$1,480 JPY despite the dirt-cheap price, the sound quality is on par with, if not better than, other companies' wireless earphones in the 10,000 yen range. This can truly be called overwhelming cost performance.
The other day, I ran into an acquaintance while skiing, took my earphones out, and kept skiing. Even though I thought I had put them in my bag, I ended up losing one side as expected.
Feeling discouraged and thinking, "I did it again..." I was about to buy another pair of Redmi Buds 6 Play when I noticed that Xiaomi's new wireless earphones, the REDMI Buds 8 Lite, had just been released.
I was curious and checked the price: about 3,000 yen.
It's more than cheap enough compared to other companies' wireless earphones, and since the Redmi Buds 6 Play at 1,480 yen had that kind of quality, I wondered what kind of sound I would get for 3,000 yen...
I couldn't suppress my curiosity, so I decided to buy them right away.
I will introduce this product today.
The Xiaomi REDMI Buds 8 Lite arrived immediately.
I had been living with one earphone for about two days, so I was really looking forward to their arrival...
I opened the package. The contents are the wireless earphones themselves and ear tips.
REDMI Buds 8 Lite and when I checked them, I thought, "Aren't these basically AirPods Pro?"
When I took the earphones out of the case, the impression that they were "AirPods Pro!" became even stronger.
I love how Xiaomi shamelessly releases products with compatible designs.
I decided to line them up since I had them out.
From the left: Redmi Buds 6 Play, REDMI Buds 8 Lite, and AirPods Pro.
As expected, the 1,480 yen Redmi Buds 6 Play has an undeniable cheapness in both appearance and material feel.
On the other hand, the approximately 3,000 yen REDMI Buds 8 Lite has a solid glossy finish, and while I wouldn't go so far as to say it's an AirPods Pro, it definitely exudes a sense of luxury beyond its price.
I also compared the earphones themselves.
This is a compatible design that, if someone handed me the REDMI Buds 8 Lite and said, "These are AirPods Pro," I would believe them without a doubt.
When I immediately tried connecting the app, I was surprised to find that they even come equipped with noise canceling and external sound pickup features.
I never dreamed that earphones in the 3,000 yen range would have such features, so it was a pleasant surprise.
Xiaomi is terrifying for bringing performance levels so close to the AirPods Pro.
When I actually used them, the sound quality was significantly improved compared to the 1,480 yen Redmi Buds 6 Play.
Redmi Buds 6 Play also produced sound that was surprisingly good for the price, but the REDMI Buds 8 Lite has solid bass, and the sound profile is quite AirPods Pro-like. I felt an evolution that exceeded the price difference.
With this quality for 3,000 yen, I thought, "AirPods Pro, you're in trouble," and compared the sound quality.
As expected, given the price difference of over 10 times, the clarity of the sound is clearly superior in the AirPods Pro. It is sound quality worthy of Apple's flagship earphones.
However, when asked if it is necessary to pay more than 10 times the price for this difference, it is at a level where I think it is unnecessary for anyone other than a gadget geek like myself.
Next, regarding comparisons other than sound quality, the noise canceling is quite authentic compared to the "fake noise canceling" that was equipped on the Anker sports earphones I used before.
However, it does not reach the overwhelming noise canceling performance of the AirPods Pro. Still, when I think that this quality is available for 3,000 yen, I am impressed all over again.
Next, regarding the ambient sound mode, there is a clear difference compared to the sound quality and noise canceling.
The naturalness and clarity of the ambient sound are a cut above in the AirPods Pro.
Furthermore, while playing with the app, I discovered it even comes with touch control functions. Xiaomi is truly formidable.
However, this gesture operation is a bit slow to respond. The
AirPods Pro touch control uses a method of squeezing and holding the stem of the earphone, but the REDMI Buds 8 Lite is the type where you tap or hold the side of the earphone to operate it.
The area that responds to this is quite limited, and the sensitivity is not that high, so I had a hard time getting used to it.
In terms of usability, the AirPods Pro is the clear winner.
I have compared various things, but the price is a surprising 3,000 yen range.
Considering it comes with this sound quality, noise canceling, ambient sound mode, and even touch controls, frankly, it is more than enough.
Moreover, in my case, it is for snow sports, not daily use. Thinking about it that way, the quality is almost too good.
The REDMI Buds 8 Lite is truly a product I want to call a "budget AirPods Pro". For those who don't feel the need to pay 10 times the price for top quality, this might be the best option.
It might even be safe to say that there is no longer any need to buy other earphones.
REDMI Buds 8 Lite I hope this is helpful for those who were curious about it.
See you next time!
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