A few months after launching the Redmi Buds 5 in India, Redmi has announced its successor – Redmi Buds 6. It has the same design but this time comes with better specs. I’ve been using the Buds 6 for about 2 weeks now, and they’ve been a joy to my ears.

Priced at Rs 2,999, the TWS comes with dual drivers, super effective ANC, 350-degree spatial audio, and an IP54 rating to make it dust and water resistant. Additionally, according to Redmi, the TWS can last up to 42 hours of playback. But how close are these claims to its real-life performance? Let’s find out.

Redmi Buds 6: as compact as a mint box

As soon as I unboxed the Redmi Buds 6, I couldn’t help but compare its case with the Impact Mini Mint box in my purse. It is equally compact and slim. You can easily keep it in your pocket, handbag or simply hold it in your palm. The case has a plastic build and matte finish, and looks pretty solid. I’m using the Ivy Green version, and it’s beautiful. However, due to its matte texture and light color it is prone to stains and dirt.

The case opens to the earbuds which sit perfectly in their dedicated slots. The thing to note is that the lid is so light that you can open it with just one hand. The case has a magnetic port that helps the earbuds fall into place easily. They fit so well that they didn’t fall out even when I tried to open the lid and flip the case over.

However, the best part of the Redmi Buds 6 design is the Flow LED battery indicator. This shows the amount of battery remaining in the case alone. We’ll talk more about this in the battery section. The case also has a Type-C charging port and a reset button on the right side.

Talking about earbuds, they are quite light. So light that I sometimes forget I’m wearing them. Bud heads come in three sizes: small, medium and large; Medium is applied to the buds by default. I found the Buds 6 very comfortable. I could easily wear it for hours.

The overall design is practical enough to carry the Redmi Buds 6 anywhere.

Redmi Buds 6: impressive acoustics and ANC

TWS earbuds aren’t uncommon in this price segment, but you may notice corners being cut when it comes to sound. But such is not the case here. Priced at Rs 2,999, the TWS features dual drivers: a 12.4mm driver with titanium coating and a 5.5mm piezoelectric driver. Piezoelectric drivers work by using an electrical voltage applied to a crystal or ceramic material, causing it to vibrate. This vibration moves the diaphragm to produce sound. Although these drivers are highly sensitive, they still require a lot of power to function and provide poor sound quality.

And so, while testing the Redmi Buds 6, I created a playlist full of ups and downs. So much so that if I am listening to Diljit Dosanjh’s party mix, the next song can be from Sanam hug meBut the main thing is that the Redmi Buds 6 did not disappoint me at any point, especially considering its price.

Yes, the buds taste great. But its standout feature for me is its customizable ANC that removes background noise efficiently. Customizable, as you can adjust the ANC level from light to balanced and deep in the Xiaomi Earbuds app. The ANC of the earbuds really came to my rescue during long hours of daily commute in the metro. What’s even better is that the buds notify you when they detect a noisy environment, so you can trigger ANC.

Transparency mode is also useful, especially when I need to listen to announcements or have a quick conversation without taking the buds out. Notably, transparency doesn’t turn on automatically, you have to turn it on manually. You can either tap the buds with a dedicated gesture or switch to them directly from the app.

For calls, the quad mic setup works wonders. It reduces background noise, so the person on the other end hears me clearly, even if I’m on a busy street. But sometimes, this feature takes a long time to trigger. Many times I have been told that they can only hear metro announcements.

Easy to connect and use

Connecting Redmi Buds 6 is very easy. I tried connecting it to an Android phone, iPhone, and laptop, it didn’t take more than a second to connect each time. But, of course, it works best when used within the Xiaomi ecosystem. I started using TWS with the new Redmi Note 14 Pro+ and it was seamless. With the Note 14 Pro+, I didn’t need to download the Xiaomi Earbuds app. I was able to customize each gesture and control the ANC mode in the Settings app. Exactly how AirPods work with iPhones.

But, even with a non-Redmi Android phone or an iPhone, the experience was similar with just one extra step: download the Xiaomi Earbuds app. The app also helps you find the buds if you misplace them. It’s intuitive to use, and I appreciate the extra functionality it adds to my Redmi Buds 6.

The touch controls on the earbuds are user-friendly, enabling me to play or pause music, adjust volume, and even activate the voice assistant with just a tap or swipe. You can customize these gestures on the app for different earbuds.

Battery: really long lasting

The company claims that Redmi Buds 6 offers up to 42 hours of playback. While reviewing the device, I found that the battery performance is as per the claims. Despite being a heavy user, with an average usage of at least 3-4 hours a day, I did not need to charge the device for 2 weeks after a single full charge initially.

But the drawback is that it takes more time to charge. It takes about 2 hours for the case to fully charge from 0 percent to 100 percent. But that’s not a dealbreaker for me at all, especially because the battery life is so incredible.

As promised above, as for the details about the Flow LED, this is a great feature that most other earbud manufacturers leave out in this price segment. The exact percentage of both the buds and the case can be monitored on the Xiaomi Earbuds app or in Settings if you’re using a Redmi phone.

Redmi Buds 6: Should you buy it?

The price of Redmi Buds 6 is absolutely reasonable. Along with great sound quality, the Redmi Buds 6 offer an efficient ANC feature and boast of a long battery life. This TWS is a great option for Rs 2,999. Even with a few flaws, it stands out as an impressive option in this price segment.