Realme Buds Q2s review: Looks cool but why not choose its predecessor?

Name: Realme Buds Q2s
Item: Realme Buds Q2s
Author: Himani Jha

Priced at ₹2,499 in India, the new edition Realme Buds Q2s seems to be competing with its own predecessor, Realme Buds Q2. Check out whether it brings something new to the table or not.

By: HIMANI JHA
| Updated on: Aug 22 2022, 12:07 IST

Is Realme Buds Q2s wireless earbuds a decent pick at <span class='webrupee'>₹</span>1999? Know here — Is Realme Buds Q2s wireless earbuds a decent pick at ₹1999? Know here (HT Tech/Himani Jha)

Budget-friendly true wireless earphones are no longer basic, feature-barren devices like a couple of years ago. Now they come with some appealing features like longer battery life and easy to wear as well as active noise cancellation feature. When it comes to a budget True Wireless Earbuds (TWS), the Indian market is flooded with a range of products from homegrown brands like Boat, Noise etc. Most of these TWS earbuds come in Rs. 1,000 to ₹3,000 segment. Not only these brands but smartphone company Realme is also bringing affordable TWS earbuds with appealing looks and features.

Its new edition, the Realme Buds Q2s, is an entry-level pair of true wireless earphones that is equipped with AI ENC Noise Cancellation and other features. Priced at ₹1,999, the earphones come with Realme Link app support enabling users to customize their buds. The new Realme Buds Q2s seems to have competition with its predecessor Realme Buds Q2, which was launched last year.

The company boasts of good sound quality, call experience, controls, connectivity, battery life, and durability along with active noise cancellation and super low latency on paper. However, is the actual experience the same? Does it bring something new to the table or is it the same as Realme Buds Q2? Let's find out.

Realme Buds Q2s: Design

Let's start with what's inside the box! Realme Buds Q2s comes in a general retail box that contains TWS earbuds with a charging case, a Type-C charging cable, two pairs of silicone tips, and a user manual. As soon as I opened the box, Realme Buds Q2s impressed me with its adorable looks. It comes in a pebble-shaped case with a transparent lid on its top and a matte finish look at the base, charging case with a LED light at the front and a Type-C charging port at the rear. Due to the transparent lid on the top, you can see the buds and Realme branding without opening the case. I like the look of the Realme Buds Q2s in the first go, however, the lid on the top of the case is prone to scratches and fingerprints. The lid also seems to be of average quality which might break easily or get damaged so keeping them in the pocket of your jeans might not be a good idea.

Realme Buds Q2s comes in a pebble-shaped case with a transparent lid on its top. (HT Tech/Himani Jha)

image caption — Realme Buds Q2s comes in a pebble-shaped case with a transparent lid on its top. (HT Tech/Himani Jha)

The Realme Buds Q2s carries the same cobble-shaped design as its siblings, Buds Q2 Neo and Buds Q2. The earbuds are oval shaped with a shiny top. While such shaped earbuds fall more often, I am highly impressed with the perfect fit of Realme Buds Q2s earbuds as well as its touch sensor. They didn't fall even while I was walking or running. The earbuds are lightweight with just 4 grams weight and very comfy to wear. You can wear them for hours without any kind of discomfort. I have been using them regularly for hours a day without getting any kind of pain or discomfort. Above all these it comes with IPX4-rated water/sweat resistance so you can definitely use it while doing exercises or jogging.

Realme Buds Q2s is launched in 3 colours – Night black, paper green, and paper white and I have received the white one.

Realme Buds Q2s: Audio performance and Mic quality

Coming to the audio quality of Realme buds Q2s, the earbuds offer a lot on paper like a 10mm dynamic driver equipped with PEEK+TPU polymer composite diaphragm that delivers a good listening experience when combined with the Bass Boost+ algorithm. I have tried to play different kinds of songs to judge how the earbuds work on highs, lows, mids, and others and I'm pretty impressed with the sound quality it delivers at this price range. I had a great time listening to hip-hop songs like Woman by Doja Cat, as well as Jagjeet Singh's Ghazal. However, I felt that punchy bass tends to dominate the mids and highs which make the sound separation tough as the earbuds struggle to differentiate between vocals, drums, and guitar composition. Also, I felt a little sound distortion after playing the music at 90% volume. But keeping its price in view, I would say it's a fair choice.

Realme buds Q2s features a 10mm dynamic driver equipped with PEEK+TPU polymer composite diaphragm. (HT Tech/Himani Jha)

Apart from audio and music, I have also used it while playing games and the experience was pretty good. The earbuds come with a dedicated gaming mode which once turned on, brings down the latency to 88ms and ensures that the audio experience while gaming is lag-free and effective. While playing Battlegrounds Mobile India, I was able to hear the footsteps and gunshots well from different directions via both earbuds separately.

Now moving to the mic quality, it isn't impressive at this price range. It could have been much better. I am saying this because while on call I noticed that the receivers have to struggle listening to my voice. Though the company claims AI ENC cancellation technology support, however, I won't recommend it to use in a noisy place or amid a crowd. If you are looking for a decent pair of earbuds for your daily commute music session via metro or bus, then you must look for the ones with the stem design.

Realme Buds Q2s: Smart features and connectivity

The Relame Buds Q2s integrates with Android phones easily (I did not test with iOS devices). As soon as you open the box the earbuds automatically go into pairing mode and you can connect it to your device via bluetooth. The device comes with Bluetooth 5.2 support that provides a solid connection range of up to 10 meters and makes the pairing process super quick and easy. Additionally, the Realme Buds Q2s also has Realme Link app support which is available on Google Play Store and App store.

Realme Buds Q2s supports Realme Link app. (HT Tech/Himani Jha)

You can also customize and control the features of the earbuds via the Realme Link app. You can also see the battery percentage of both the buds and the case. The app also shows firmware updates to keep the buds up to date. You can switch on the low latency mode while playing games. I found the Realme Link app UI to be pretty interactive.

Realme Buds Q2s: Battery life

After using the Realme Buds Q2s for more than 10 days, I would say that Realme has almost lived up to its claims of seven hours of single playback time. After using it for calls and music for almost 3 hours, the battery percentage dropped from 100 to 50% which implies that you can use it for almost 6-7 hours on a single charge.

Realme Buds Q2s gives to 6-7 hours playback time. (HT Tech/Himani Jha)

As for charging, the buds with the case take 2 to 2.5 hours to get completely charged. It also comes with fast charging support so you can get upto three hours of playback time on just 10-minute quick charge. You can see the battery percentage in the Realme Link app on your smartphone.

Realme Buds Q2s: Verdict

Given its longer battery life, low latency gaming, good app support, fast and stable connectivity, and comfortable fit, I would say that the Realme Buds Q2s is a good deal at Rs. 2,000. Though it could have been better at certain fronts like the build quality of the transparent lid and mic quality, these buds do a fair job when it comes to sound quality.

However, if you want to go for a transparent design and can ignore the absence of the active noise cancellation, then Realme Buds Q2s is a decent choice. However, its predecessor Realme Buds Q2 is still a better pick with ANC support. Though it was launched at Rs. 2499, most of the time it is available for the same price as Realme Buds Q2s i.e, Rs. 1,999.

Rating

4 out of 5

Price

INR 1,299/-

Product Name

Realme Buds Q2s

Brand Name

Realme

Pros