True Wireless
Realme Buds Air8 Pro
84Outstanding
$74
Full review dataRealme Buds Air8 Pro vs Redmi Buds 5: 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
Redmi Buds 5
77Great
$46
Full review dataScore breakdown
Each axis is a 0–10 blend of what reviewers scored, not a lab measurement.
Realme Buds Air8 Pro leads on 5 of 7 measures.
- Realme Buds Air8 Pro
- Redmi Buds 5
HearWiki score
84
77
Sound
8.4
6.9
Noise cancelling
8.4
6.8
Battery
7.2
8.1
Calls
8.5
7.1
Value
9.2
8.1
Price (USD)
$74
$46
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 Redmi Buds 5 (2024). 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 Water resistance IP55 against IP54.
- Buds Air8 Pro20262 yr newer
- Buds 52024
What differsBuds Air8 ProBuds 5
- Bluetooth
- 6.1
- 5.3
- Top codec
- LHDC
- AAC
- ANC type
- Adaptive
- Hybrid
- Water resistance
- IP55
- IP54
Platform
Everyday features
Level on: Multipoint pairing, USB-C, Wear detection, Custom EQ, Companion app.
Specifications
Buds Air8 ProBuds 5
- Type
- True Wireless
- True Wireless
- Price (USD)
- $74
- $46
- HearWiki score
- 84
- 77
- Released
- 2026
- 2024
- Availability
- Sold new
- Still sold new
- Driver
- 2-driver hybrid
- 12.4 mm dynamic
- Driver type
- hybrid
- dynamic
- Driver size
- 11 mm
- 12.4 mm
- Drivers per side
- 2
- 1
- Frequency response
- 20 Hz - 20 kHz
- 20 Hz - 20 kHz
- Sound signature
- -
- harman
- Impedance
- -
- 32 Ω
- Bluetooth
- 6.1
- 5.3
- Codecs
- SBC, AAC, LHDC
- SBC, AAC
- Multipoint pairing
- Yes
- Yes
- Latency
- 45 ms
- -
- Battery life
- 12 h
- 6.5 h
- Battery life (ANC on)
- -
- 4.5 h
- Battery incl. case
- 50 h
- 40 h
- Full charge time
- 120 min
- 105 min
- Quick charge
- 10 min → 11 h
- 10 min → 4 h
- Wireless charging
- No
- No
- Active noise cancelling
- Yes
- Yes
- ANC type
- adaptive
- hybrid
- Transparency mode
- -
- Yes
- Companion app
- Yes
- Yes
- Custom EQ
- Yes
- Yes
- Wear detection
- Yes
- Yes
- Controls
- touch
- touch
- Voice assistant
- -
- Yes
- Weight
- 4.8 g
- 10.3 g
- Case weight
- 53 g
- 31.4 g
- Water resistance
- IP55
- IP54
- USB-C
- Yes
- Yes
- Microphones
- 6
- 4
- Call noise reduction
- Yes
- -
- Call NR technology
- AI ENC
- -
What reviewers said
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
Redmi Buds 5
The Redmi Buds 5 offer a compelling budget-friendly package with strong hybrid noise cancellation, a punchy V-shaped sound profile, and practical features like dual-device pairing and an app-based equalizer. Their lightweight, compact design and IP54 rating make them a solid daily companion, though the glossy case tends to show smudges and the fit may not suit everyone. Overall, they deliver mainstream-friendly performance and good value for the price.
- Pro:Effective hybrid ANC for the price
- Pro:Energetic, bass-forward sound
- Pro:Supports dual-device connectivity
- Con:Sound is not neutral, geared toward mass appeal
- Con:Case is prone to fingerprints and smudges
- Con:No wireless charging support
Summaries are AI-condensed and paraphrased from published reviews and specs - not original hands-on testing. More on our method.
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