TWS in-ear headphones Redmi Buds 6 Active Review

Recently, Redmi introduced its new TWS earphones with active noise cancellation and powerful 14.2 mm speakers, made in a convenient in-ear form factor. Redmi Buds 6 Active is a budget solution that combines high-quality software and an affordable price, making them a bright representative of Xiaomi’s philosophy of providing excellent sound without unnecessary costs.

The commercial packaging of Xiaomi products always stands out, based on a laconic white color with an image of the device and the branded “MI” in the upper right corner. On the back are brief technical specifications in 3 languages.

To check the originality of the product, there is a scratch code on the bottom edge and a website for checking. On the right edge are the main features of Redmi Buds 6 Active. The delivery set is standard for this class of devices: a case with headphones and a user manual in many languages ​.

Technical specifications:

The first association when looking at the case is that it is a reduced Xiaomi Mi Box S TV set-top box with a square design and the manufacturer’s logo, in this case Redmi. The main difference from the Mi Box S is that the side edges of the Redmi Buds 6 Active are glossy, not matte, like the set-top box. In this regard, the gloss loves to collect fingerprints and the presentable appearance quickly deteriorates. On the back side there is a sticker with technical specifications, and the reset and pairing button is located on the right side.

Once you open the case, it does the rest of the opening for you, as the top cover has a built-in spring-closer. Redmi Buds 6 Active are earbuds made in the same design as the case: a mix of glossy and matte plastic. All this loves to collect fingerprints, so you will have to wipe them often. Or, you can choose blue, pink or beige colors, where it will not be so obvious.

What is not obvious is that the charge indicator is built into the headphone platform, which can only be accessed by opening the lid. Not the most obvious solution, but thanks for that. The case battery capacity is 280 mAh, an average result that gives a total operating time of up to 30 hours due to the use of an energy-efficient Bluetooth 5.4 chip (it also reduces sound delays to 90 ms).

The headphones themselves are modest and tasteful: the main part of the body is made of glossy plastic, and the outer side of the stem has a matte insert. The touch area on the stem is also highlighted with gloss. At first glance, it seemed that the design was based on classic wired headphones from the basement for 100 rubles, since Redmi Buds 6 Active are too simple, without much design.

Let’s look at the earphone from all sides. The sound source is a 14.2-mm dynamic driver, the sound guide of which is covered with a mesh. There is a separate channel from the inside of the driver, and the holes of the pair of microphones are located on the leg itself: at the top and bottom points. The charging contacts are on the inside of the leg. This design provides protection according to the IPX4 class, providing moisture and splash protection, but you can’t swim in them. The advantages include active noise cancellation, compensating for wind noise up to 4 meters per second.

As for the fit, everything is predictable here – the ergonomics of the earbuds are basically standard and suit everyone. However, you should not expect perfect noise isolation from them, and this is their advantage: you will always hear an approaching train or a person who shouts at you. Because of the latter factor, I prefer earbuds and here the Redmi Buds 6 Active did not disappoint me.

Along with a comfortable fit, Redmi Buds 6 Active received a fairly balanced sound, despite the format of the earbuds. They have distinct high frequencies, as well as some low frequencies. If you play with the fit, the bass component is heard even better, as far as possible. The sound quality is slightly affected by the presets, which are changed through the settings in the mobile application.

In addition to listening to music, I was also pleased with the sound quality during a conversation: the sound is clear, without extraneous noise. In normal use, the noise reduction is almost not felt due to the form factor of the earbuds. But the speaker volume is insufficient, both during a conversation and while listening to music, I always wanted to make it a little louder.

Let’s talk about battery life. Xiaomi claims that their Redmi Buds 6 Active can play continuously for up to 6 hours and up to 30 hours using the charging case. In my case, the headphones lasted 5 hours 34 minutes, after which they turned off. The playback volume is maximum. From Xiaomi’s specifications, I learned that the Redmi Buds 6 Active is designed for 90 songs of 4 minutes duration at 50% volume (6 hours), while in fact they can play for the same time, but at 100% volume.

No less interesting is the charging time of the headphones when they are placed in the case. A full cycle was provided in 1 hour 30 minutes, and the first 20% of the charge was achieved in a record 10 minutes.

When you first connect to your smartphone, a window appears asking you to install the Xiaomi Earbuds app, which will then be linked to your Google account. All work with Redmi Buds 6 Active will be accompanied by pop-up notifications at the top of the screen. Like most modern headphones, it has firmware update functions, automatic pause playback when you remove the earphone from your ear, and many other features.

The main screen of the application shows the appearance of the headphones and the charge level of each element separately: the left and right earphone, as well as the case. Below are several sections for setting up the headphones:

• Gesture control: configure single, double, triple tap and long hold;
• Sound effects: select a preset equalizer from the list (boost high frequencies, low frequencies, voice and volume);
• Advanced settings: Only the rename function for headphones is available here.

After the latest update, the app no ​​longer has the ability to select noise reduction and transparency modes.

If you have lost your headphones somewhere in the room, the “headphone search” function will come in handy, which can give a loud signal to either of the headphones individually or to both at the same time.

The section about the device opens a detailed instruction in Russian, which describes absolutely all scenarios for using Redmi Buds 6 Active. There is also a QR code for downloading the Xiaomi Earbuds application for those who have already downloaded it.

As a result, today Redmi Buds 6 Active can be purchased for just under $18. For this money, we get: high-quality sound, a convenient mobile application with various functions and pop-up notifications, as well as high battery life. However, questions arise about the boring design of the headphones and their glossy elements, as well as the lack of options for setting up noise cancellation modes. If the first problem can be solved by choosing a different color scheme, then the second one can only hope that the settings will be returned in the next update.