Realme Buds Air 6 Review: Decent Budget ANC Earphones

Realme Buds Air 6 truly wireless stereo (TWS) earphones were introduced in a third Royal Violet colourway last month after their initial launch in Flame Silver and Forest Green shades in May. The review unit we have is in the classic silver option. The earphones are equipped with 12.4mm drivers, LHDC audio codec support and up to 50dB active noise cancellation (ANC). Along with the charging case, the TWS earphones are claimed to offer a total playback time of up to 40 hours without ANC. Do they live up to the claim? We will explore that and more in the review below.

Realme Buds Air 6 Design and Features: Easy to Carry, Not So Easy on the Ears

• Weight - 46g
• Water and dust resistance - IP55 (Buds only)
• Colours - Flame Silver, Forest Green, Royal Violet

The traditional in-ear design of the Realme Buds Air 6 is paired with a rounded stem. The earphones have silicone ear tips that come in three sizes: small, medium, and large. The medium option helped me get the best possible fit with these wearables, but the fit was not that good, even at its best. The earbuds don't physically fall off, but longer usage time can result in considerable fatigue. For instance, after a couple of hours of continuous use, you may experience a certain amount of discomfort and pain.

The fit is not ideal for long-time, continuous usage

The earphones are vertically placed in individual slots within the case since the charging connectors are placed on the base of the stem of each earphone. On the other hand, the touch control sensors are situated on the upper side of the stem. The earphones also sport a dual-tone finish and have an IP55 rating for dust and splash resistance.

The magnetic charging case, with no IP rating, has a USB Type-C port at the bottom, next to the pairing button. The case also has a connectivity indication LED light unit at the front. The pebble-shaped case gives us a design similar to the Buds Air 6 Pro and many other TWS models in the market. It is a design that some may call overused, but I would argue that it is popular. And with good reason. The case weighs 46g and is easy to carry around along with the earbuds. Notably, the charging case does not have an IP rating for dust and splash resistance.

Realme Buds Air 6 App and Specifications: Comprehensive, Simple

• Driver - 12.4mm
• Companion App - Realme Link
• Gesture controls - Yes

The Realme Buds Air 6 works with the Realme Link companion app, which has a simple layout and is easy to navigate. Aside from the charging percentage display of both the earphones and the charging case, one of the first things on the app is the ANC mode settings — on, off and transparency. The app also allows users to choose from EQ presets like Serenade, Original Sound, Pure Bass, and Deep Bass. They can customise an EQ setting on a six-band equaliser as well.

There are other toggles on the Realme Link app that allow users to enhance bass and volume or lower latency with the Game Mode. Touch actions like double tap, triple tap, and touch and hold can also be managed through the app. You can also enable and disable the in-ear detection feature from the app. The MindFlow mode in the app comes with 11 pre-saved mood sounds that can help you meditate, concentrate or sleep.

The Realme Link app allows users to manage the ANC levels

The Realme Buds Air 6 have IP55-rated earphones, which are claimed to offer up to 50dB ANC. They are equipped with 12.4mm drivers and six mics. The TWS earphones support Bluetooth 5.3 connectivity and AAC, SBC, and LDHC audio codecs. They also support Google Fast Pair and 55ms low latency gaming mode. The earphones carry a 58mAh battery each, while the charging case, alongside a USB Type-C port, has a 460mAh battery.

Realme Buds Air 6 Performance and Battery Life: Good Enough Considering Budget

• ANC - 50dB
• Battery - 58mAh (Bud), 460mAh(Case)
• Bluetooth - v5.3

The Realme Buds Air 6 offers decent ANC with support for various modes and levels of ANC. Like the Buds Air 6 Pro, these earphones also allow users to use Max, Moderate and Mild modes. The names are indicative of the levels of noise cancellation imposed. A fourth Smart mode analyses the users' environmental noise levels and auto-sets the ANC level. It manages to cancel out most domestic disturbances save some very faint fan humming. The voice assistant notifying about every mode change can be disturbing or sometimes plain annoying.

Now, the Max level of ANC also somewhat interferes with the sound quality. The single 12.4mm driver on each earbud offers a bass-heavy sound experience. To begin with, the mids and highs sound a bit muddled. The added maximum ANC flattens the sound experience further. However, the punchy bass keeps you hooked enough in loud songs, so you don't pay much heed to the lack of detail.

However, slower tracks like Cola by Arlo Parks and Jungle by Tash Sultana reveal flatness more promptly. However, it does not entirely muddy the casual listening experience. Most bass-heavy rock, pop, EDM tracks or even good old podcasts are not unbearable to listen to with these earphones. Games like BGMI or Call of Duty: Warzone run without considerable lag with the low latency game mode. 

The earbuds have the charging connectors placed on the base of the stems

Coming to the connectivity of the earphones, like the Pro version, the Realme Buds Air 6 do not allow dual device connectivity but they support Google Fast Pair, Bluetooth 5.3 and SBC, AAC, as well as LHDC audio codecs. They connect seamlessly to any Bluetooth smartphone, tablet or laptop. With the LHDC codec enabled, try not to loiter too far away from your paired device for a stable connection.

The six-mic system in the Realme Buds Air 6, however, does not manage to pull off a good calling experience. With the same network support and at the same location, other earphones offered pretty clear voice calls. The Buds Air 6 manage to give slightly distorted, faint voices.

The Realme Buds Air 6 battery life does almost live up to the advertised 40 hours. Without ANC and playing on AAC at a 60 percent volume, together with the case, the earphones gave me a 39-hour 20 minutes total runtime. With LHDC enabled and ANC off, just the earphones offered me a playback time of a little of eight hours on a single charge, and with Max ANC, that dropped to four. 

In the box, the earphones are packed with S, M and L-sized silicone eartips

Realme Buds Air 6: Verdict

At Rs. 3,299, you can buy the Realme Buds Air 6 if you are looking for TWS earphones with decent ANC support and a considerably good battery life. They are ideal for you if you plan to use them for shorter stints throughout the day, like in transit or in between classes, instead of prolonged ones. In a time where we have to endlessly keep up with charging multiple devices each day, the impressive almost 40-hour battery life of the TWS earphones is a welcome change.

However, at the same price, you could also opt for the OnePlus Nord Buds 3 Pro Review, which provides a more comfortable fit and a better, more rounded sound experience.

If your budget allows you some flexibility, then you can consider the CMF Buds Pro 2, which comes with dual drivers, up to 50dB ANC and up to 43 hours of battery life. They also support ChatGPT-integrated features via the Nothing X app.