Haylou W1 ANC vs Realme Buds Air8 Pro: which should you buy?

On aggregated review scores the Realme Buds Air8 Pro comes out ahead with a HearWiki score of 84. The full breakdown - sub-scores, specs and what reviewers actually said - is below.

Our pick: Realme Buds Air8 Pro - Outstanding overall at around $74.

True Wireless

Score breakdown

Each axis is a 0–10 blend of what reviewers scored, not a lab measurement.

Realme Buds Air8 Pro leads on 6 of 7 measures.

Haylou W1 ANC
Realme Buds Air8 Pro

HearWiki score

Sound

6.5

8.4

Noise cancelling

5.8

8.4

Battery

5.3

7.2

Calls

5.1

8.5

Value

6.6

9.2

Price (USD)

$38

$74

Generation & platform

The scores rank quality. This is the other question: is the newer one actually newer technology, or the same platform in a new shell?

New platform

Realme Buds Air8 Pro (2026) against Haylou W1 ANC (2023). The Realme Buds Air8 Pro is the newer platform here: Bluetooth 6.1 against 5.3, Top codec LHDC against AAC and ANC type Adaptive against Hybrid. It also adds Multipoint pairing, Wear detection and Water resistance IP55 against IPX4.

W1 ANC2023
Buds Air8 Pro20263 yr newer

What differsW1 ANCBuds Air8 Pro

Bluetooth: 5.3; 6.1
Top codec: AAC; LHDC
ANC type: Hybrid; Adaptive
Multipoint pairing: No; Yes
Wear detection: No; Yes
Water resistance: IPX4; IP55

Level on: USB-C, Custom EQ, Companion app.

Specifications

W1 ANCBuds Air8 Pro

Type: True Wireless; True Wireless
Price (USD): $38; $74
HearWiki score: 62; 84
Released: 2023; 2026
Availability: Discontinued; Sold new
Driver: 2-driver hybrid; 2-driver hybrid
Driver type: hybrid; hybrid
Driver size: 10 mm; 11 mm
Drivers per side: 2; 2
Frequency response: 20 Hz - 20 kHz; 20 Hz - 20 kHz
Impedance: 16 Ω; -
Bluetooth: 5.3; 6.1
Codecs: SBC, AAC; SBC, AAC, LHDC
Multipoint pairing: No; Yes
Latency: 65 ms; 45 ms
Wireless range: 10 m; -
Battery life: 6.5 h; 12 h
Battery life (ANC on): 6.5 h; -
Battery incl. case: 35 h; 50 h
Full charge time: 120 min; 120 min
Quick charge: -; 10 min → 11 h
Wireless charging: No; No
Active noise cancelling: Yes; Yes
ANC type: hybrid; adaptive
Transparency mode: Yes; -
Companion app: Yes; Yes
Custom EQ: Yes; Yes
Wear detection: No; Yes
Controls: touch; touch
Weight: -; 4.8 g
Case weight: -; 53 g
Water resistance: IPX4; IP55
USB-C: Yes; Yes
Microphones: 6; 6
Call noise reduction: -; Yes
Call NR technology: -; AI ENC

Specification comparison of Haylou W1 ANC vs Realme Buds Air8 Pro
Spec	Haylou W1 ANC	Realme Buds Air8 Pro
Type	True Wireless	True Wireless
Price (USD)	$38	$74
HearWiki score	62 / 100 Good	84 / 100 Outstanding
Released	2023	2026
Audio
Driver	2-driver hybrid	2-driver hybrid
Driver type	hybrid	hybrid
Driver size	10 mm	11 mm
Drivers per side	2	2
Frequency response	20 Hz - 20 kHz	20 Hz - 20 kHz
Impedance	16 Ω	-
Wireless
Bluetooth	5.3	6.1
Codecs	SBC, AAC	SBC, AAC, LHDC
Multipoint pairing	No	Yes
Latency	65 ms	45 ms
Wireless range	10 m	-
Battery
Battery life	6.5 h	12 h
Battery life (ANC on)	6.5 h	-
Battery incl. case	35 h	50 h
Full charge time	120 min	120 min
Quick charge	-	10 min → 11 h
Wireless charging	No	No
Features
Active noise cancelling	Yes	Yes
ANC type	hybrid	adaptive
Transparency mode	Yes	-
Companion app	Yes	Yes
Custom EQ	Yes	Yes
Wear detection	No	Yes
Controls	touch	touch
Design
Weight	-	4.8 g
Case weight	-	53 g
Water resistance	IPX4	IP55
USB-C	Yes	Yes
Calls
Microphones	6	6
Call noise reduction	-	Yes
Call NR technology	-	AI ENC

What reviewers said

Haylou W1 ANC

The Haylou W1 ANC is an affordable true wireless earbud that brings hybrid active noise cancellation and a dual-driver setup to the budget segment. It delivers solid sound and practical features like transparency mode, touch controls, and a USB-C port, with total playtime reaching 35 hours when using the charging case. Battery life drops to around 6.5 hours with ANC engaged, and it skips multipoint and wireless charging.

Pro:Hybrid ANC for effective noise reduction
Pro:Dual-driver design for clear, balanced audio
Pro:Long total battery life with charging case

Con:Battery life with ANC is modest
Con:No multipoint connection support
Con:No wireless charging option

Realme Buds Air8 Pro

The Realme Buds Air8 Pro are feature-rich wireless earbuds that deliver strong adaptive noise cancellation, clear call quality, and a versatile hybrid driver setup for under $100. They offer a long 12-hour battery per charge, Bluetooth 6.1 with triple-device multipoint, and IP55 water resistance, making them a solid everyday choice. Sound tuning requires some adjustment to get the best performance, but the overall package is impressive for the price.

Pro:Strong adaptive ANC and usable transparency mode
Pro:Long 12-hour battery life with 50 hours total via case
Pro:Triple-device multipoint connectivity

Con:Sound tuning needs effort to optimize
Con:No wireless charging support
Con:Battery life per charge may vary depending on usage

Summaries are AI-condensed and paraphrased from published reviews and specs - not original hands-on testing. More on our method.

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