In a very short span of time, Realme has gone from becoming an Oppo sub-brand to creating its own name in the mobile industry and that’s no easy feat to achieve. This has been possible because the company has delivered on value smartphones from the get go. These phones have delivered style and performance at affordable prices, so it’s only natural that this philosophy extends to other accessories as well such as the Realme Buds, for example.

The Realme Buds is the company’s first pair of ultra-affordable wired earphones as the company looks to expand its portfolio in India. Priced at Rs 499, the Realme Buds aims to offer loud, bass-heavy sound along with some thoughtful design elements that includes a Kevlar protection and magnetic earbuds. If you’re someone that still believes in wired earphones and haven’t gotten onto the wireless trend, then do check out our review of the Realme Buds below.

Realme Buds design

During the course of this review, I will reiterate the fact that the Realme Buds cost Rs 499, for the simple reason that the wired earphones feel more premium than that. The look and feel of the in-ear headphones will make you feel that way. The most of the wired area is covered with a braided Kevlar protection, which means the wire is not flimsy and will not break easily. The Kevlar coating also helps in keeping the earphones untangled to a large extend. Even if you do manage to tangle them in some magical, mysterious way, the earphones are easy to untangle.

The top quarter of the wire does not get a Kevlar protection. There is an in-line three-button controller for music playback on the right side. The top and bottom buttons are volume controls while the middle button can play or pause a song, answer calls or activate voice assistant. The buttons lack that tactile, clicky feel and are pretty hard to press down. There is also no elevated marker on them, so you will have to identify the buttons from memory. There is a microphone behind the controller which records your voice with a good amount of clarity, or so I have been told by the caller on the other end of a phone call.

Another point worth appreciating are the magnets on the earphones, which allows you to attach them together. You wouldn’t find magnetic earphones easily in this price range and it helps in making sure the earpieces don’t tangle up easily. And these are strong magnets at that so you won’t have to worry about them unclipping in your bag.

Apart from the magnetic ends, the earpieces are mostly plastic. The earbuds offer soft and comfortable silicone tips and you get a few pairs of ear tips with the box in different sizes to offer the best in-ear fitting. There is a noticeable angular design with the eartips, which angles away from the casing, allowing it fit snuggly inside the ear, although this also makes the earphones stick out a little and that may annoy if you’re thinking of wearing them while sleeping. The connecting point between the earphones and the wire has a yellow rubber coating which keeps them familiar with Realme’s new branding.

Realme Buds performance

The Realme Buds are bass-heavy earphones that tends to amplify the bass so it really booms in your ears. Realme claims a 160 per cent higher bass sound compared to its competition. It’s a wise way to go for the company as there are a lot of bassheads out there who want a cheap and simple pair of earphones to listen to bass-heavy tracks.

The Realme Buds offer a distinct V-shaped sound signature with a very cramped soundstage. It focuses on the bass and the treble with lesser emphasis on the mids or vocals. The Buds get get 11mm drivers inside each earpiece which operates at a frequency between 20-20,000Hz and offers an impedence of 32 ohms.

A song like Bohemian Rhapsody starts off sounding pretty nice for the first half since there is mainly vocals and minor instruments involved. The low-end and high-end frequencies of Freddie Mercury’s vocals get lounder while the middle range gets suppressed. Instruments get pretty cramped and inseparable near the end of the song when the guitaring, drumming and vocals really kick in. Similarly, in a song like Blockades by Muse, there is a noticeable favouring of deep bass sounds and high pitched electric guitaring, so Matt Bellamy’s voice tends to lose its punch until he gets to his trademark high-pitched falsetto.

Humble by Kendrick Lamar is an example of a song that works extremely well on the Realme Bunds. The bass really punches through pretty much all through the song and Lamar’s voice is also clear since there isn’t a lot of instruments involved. Similarly, in a song like Apna Time Ayega from Gully Boy, which is all the rage right now, the base powers through while there is some clarity to Ranveer Singh’s vocals, although it does get suppressed.

Should you buy the Realme Buds?

At Rs 499, the Realme Buds is pretty much a no-brainer for anyone looking for an affordable pair of wired earphones. Realme has done well in offering a low-cost pair of in-ear headphones that manages to stand out from the crowd by offering an attractive design that includes a convenient magnetic attachments and braided Kevlar wire. These are small yet helpful features that makes the experience of keeping a wired earphones easy and manageable.

It is important to note that the Realme Buds have been designed for bassheads who are looking for the extra thump while listening to genres like Hip-Hop and EDM. Because of a narrow soundstage, these aren’t the best earphones for genres that have multi-instruments like Rock and Jazz.