Realme Buds Air 6 Pro Review: Knocks Out the Competition?

Realme has made a stellar comeback this year with some notable releases, including the Realme GT 6T and the Buds Air 6 that I reviewed and enjoyed. Now with the release of the more powerful GT 6, Realme has released the Pro version of their TWS earbuds, which packs more features and promise to deliver better sound, but are they worth it? I’ve been using the Realme Buds Air 6 Pro for a week now, and they do live up to the Pro branding. Let me explain.

Realme Buds Air 6 Pro: Box Contents

First, let’s take a quick look at what you get in the Realme Buds Air 6 Pro retail box:

• Realme Buds Air 6 Pro with charging case
• Pair of small and large ear tips (Medium tips pre-applied)
• User Manual
• USB A to C cable

Design and Build

Key Takeaway

1. Design is premium but glossy finish attracts fingerprints and scratches.
2. The hinge for the case lid is pretty sturdy and feel quality.
3. The buds sit comortably in the ear and can be worn for long hours.

Realme Buds Air 6 Pro comes in two color options: Titanium Twilight and Silver Blue. We have the Titanium version with us. The Buds Air 6 Pro continues the tradition of a flat egg-shaped case from the previous Buds Air 5 Pro with a translucent top and the “Realme” branding.

Now I have to say that this is a pretty well-built case. It has a heft to it, something that was missing from the Buds Air 6 case. However, the case has a glossy finish that I’m not a big fan of, primarily because it gets scratched easily.

If you notice keenly, you can make out the scratches left by my keys while the case was in my pocket. Other than that, I am pretty content with the overall design of the case. Oh and one more thing, I’ve got to appreciate the quality of the hinge for the lid this time. It doesn’t feel like it’ll get loose anytime soon, which is something I have experienced with most TWS over prolonged usage.

Coming to the earbuds, they share the same aesthetics as the base variant. They have a deep nozzle that snugly fits deeper in your ears to offer that quiet ANC (more on that later). The stems are short but carry the same shiny look as the case. You’ll notice there are no grooves on the stem this time, so you don’t have any physical point of reference for touch controls. That was a nice touch in the Buds 6, and I would’ve liked it here as well.

The buds sat comfortably in my ear and pretty securely too; though there were instances where I felt they might fall off but those were few and far between. For the most part, I didn’t face any issues having them on for long hours.

Overall, I would say that if you like the Buds Air 5 Pro then you are getting an identical experience here. These bueds feel well-built and, apart from the shiny finish, I don’t have anything to complain about in this department.

Realme Buds Air 6 Pro: Connectivity

Key Takeaway

1. Comes with Bluetooth 5.3, Google Fast Pair, and Dual-device connection.
2. Connection can break when moving to other rooms at times.
3. Noticeable delay when connected with two devices and switching between them.

You get Bluetooth 5.3 support on the Realme Buds Air 6 Pro, alongside Google Fast Pair and their Dual-device Connection 2.0. The company claims a range of up to 10 meters, but I noticed issues where the connection would sometimes drop when I moved into the next room. This usually happened with the LDAC enabled. This was slightly annoying so I hope it gets fixed soon with an update.

Besides this, dual device pairing is a great feature to have on any TWS earbuds. I paired the buds with my work laptop and phone, and it worked comfortably with the two devices. However, there was a noticeable delay at times when switching the audio source to another device.

This is something that you can get used to, but I had a better experience with the CMF Buds in this scenario.

Sound and Mic Quality

Key Takeaway

1. The mids and highs have been improved and sound better.
2. Bass sounds flat and does have enough punch to it compared to Enco Air 3 Pro.
3. Mic quality is nice and even picks up your voice in loud areas.

Before talking about the sound quality, let’s take a quick look at the drivers. Realme Buds Air 6 Pro comes with a dual driver setup. That includes an 11 mm dynamic and a 6 mm Micro-planar tweeter for treble. This is the same setup as last year’s Buds Air 5 Pro. I used the buds with LDAC turned on most of the time, coupled with the Realme GT 6.

Realme’s sound engineers must have taken some notes from Oppo as the sound here has seen some significant improvements. The overall signature tilts more towards the mids and the highs this time instead of the typical bass-heavy output that we have seen previously. The mids are not as recessed this time. You can make out the instruments in the background especially when listening to songs like the Interstellar theme covered by the Indian Jam.

The dedicated tweeters do kick in as you may notice the treble extension and details this time around. However, certain tunes will not be as clear as you would get with the Oppo Enco Air 3 Pro, which is the champion in the sub-Rs 5,000 price category. These buds push more volume and can get very loud. But the bass is another story altogether.

See, I am a simple man and I sometimes like bass, which wobbles my ear drums. I couldn’t manage to get that even with different EQ settings. It was only when I cranked the dynamic bass to the max that the bass became noticeable but not too much. It didn’t help strike a balance between a good and heavy bass effect you find in other Realme TWS. The low frequencies were quite flat so if you are a bass lover then skip this one.

Each earbud houses three mics for a total of six. During the testing period, I made sure to use the buds for most if not all of my calls, and the person on the other side never complained about the voice once. The mics did a good job picking up my voice even in high-traffic scenarios and in the crowded Delhi Metro. I wouldn’t go as far as to call it crisp but pretty serviceable.

Noise Cancellation and Transparency Mode

Key Takeaway 1. Noise cancellation does a good job cutting out most enviromental noises.
2. ANC modes smartly change depending on the situation, which I like.
3. Transparency mode sounds natural but has issues picking human voices in crowded areas.

The Buds Air 6 delivers 50db of active noise cancellation using the 4000 hz of ultra noise reduction frequency. It’s the same specs as the Buds Air 6. But, using them, tells a different story. The noise cancellation here isn’t rough and doesn’t create a sudden vacuum in your ears. Instead, it is gentle, something I have only noticed with expensive options.

Now it does a commendable job cancelling out most if not all of the environmental noise. While playing music at 40% volume with ANC on, I could barely hear any traffic or the chatter of the people around me in the metro. The Smart mode conveniently detected whether I was in the office or metro and switched the intensity of noise cancellation accurately. One of my colleagues who used these buds mentioned that the ANC is as good as the AirPods Pro.

One of my colleagues who used the Realme Buds Air 6 Pro mentioned that the ANC is as good as the AirPods Pro. One of my colleagues who used these buds mentioned that the ANC is as good as the AirPods Pro.

The transparency mode was a joy to use as external sound didn’t feel exaggerated like other earbuds typically do. It sounded clear, natural, and slightly enhanced for the most part which is how it should be. However, in very crowded places, I had to take out the buds to talk with others as the transparency mode either got overwhelming or didn’t cut it.

All in all, the transparency and noise cancellation modes are pretty well done. They seem a slight improvement over the Oppo Enco Air 3 Pro and the Realme Buds Air 5 Pro.

Realme Buds Air 6 Pro: Touch Controls

These buds come with the same touch controls as other Realme TWS that we have seen in the past. You have three actions, and you cannot set them to decline incoming calls or change volume. These gestures are:

Initially, I thought I could change the volume since there wasn’t an indicator for the touch controls on the stem. Realme should consider adding more control options to the user when it comes to this department. An option to change volume or decline calls would be extremely helpful.

Battery Life and Charging

Key Takeaway

1. Battery with ANC on can last up to 7 hours.
2. When completely drained, it takes about 1.5 hours to fully charge the case and the buds.

Realme claims that the Buds Air 6 Pro can do 40 hours of playback, including the charging case. The buds themselves should last 7.5 hours with ANC on and 10 hours with ANC off, as per claims. In my usage, I made sure to have noise cancellation on for the most part as I like to listen to my music in a bit of silence and the claim stands true to some extent.

I managed to get around 7 hours of playback on the first day and 6.5 hours on the second day but that was with spatial audio and volume set to a higher level. In the battery department, these buds, like their base variant, clear the ballpark in a single swoop. When it’s time to plug in, the case along with earbuds took about 1.5 hours to completely top off from 0 to 100.

Companion App Experience

Key Takeaway

1. Requires you to sign up to use it.
2. Can log you out randomly at times.
3. All the modes and features are laid out in an easy to understand manner.

As with any Realme wearable, you need the Realme Link app to control and take advantage of all the features provided with the TWS. You can download it from the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store. Surprisingly, even on Realme devices, you will need the Realme Link app to manage these earbuds.

I have personally never been a fan of this app as it requires you to sign in using your phone number or email and signs you out randomly. Aside from that, the app itself is well laid out with all the features and modes accessible easily. In the case of Realme Buds Air 6 Pro, you can switch noise modes, set personalized audio, change touch controls, enable LDAC, or turn on spatial audio.

You can also switch to different sound profiles, or use the full-fledged equalizer to adjust audio according to your preference. The experience of the app is fine by all means. It’s just that I wish it didn’t require you to sign up or logged out unnecessarily.

Realme Buds Air 6 Pro: Should You Buy It?

If you asked me my choice between Oppo and Realme last year, my answer would’ve been simple. I would have suggested going with the Realme Buds Air 5 Pro for bass, and Oppo Enco Air 3 Pro for a balanced sound. But now with the improved tuning, Realme Buds Air 6 Pro doesn’t lean too heavily towards the lower frequencies. So, the answer is not that easy.

The Oppo Enco Air 3 Pro still reigns supreme in my book (hats off to their audio engineers), but Realme’s offering is merely a step behind.

The design looks more premium with the Buds Air 6 Pro, the battery lasts even longer, and they now offer you LDAC support. Not to forget the quality of the ANC they offer. You can say it is a complete package if sound is not the only thing you focus on. Hopefully, Realme will release an update soon to improve the bass, which will make it a must-buy recommendation in its price bracket for me.