Redmi Buds 8 Pro or Realme Buds Air 8 Pro? Which 8 Pro is better? You will find all the answers in this review, friends.
This is already the third try to find good sound in Redmi Pro earbuds. The 5th generation in 2023 looked good compared to rivals, just like the basic Redmi 5. The 6 Pro was worse than the 5 Pro, and the whole 6th generation was one big disappointment, with few exceptions. You can find a review comparing the entire 6th generation on MyChooz. One question bothered me: did Redmi finally get serious and improve quality to a competitive level, or is it just another average product for its price?
Redmi decided to skip the 7th generation and catch up with their main earbud rivals, Realme, at least in numbers. At least, it is easy to confuse Redmi Buds 8 Pro and Realme Buds Air 8 Pro because their names are similar. Maybe the marketing team bet on this to attract potential buyers who were waiting for the full release of Realme Buds Air 8 Pro.
Redmi Buds 8 Pro are wireless in-ear earbuds from 2026. At the time of this review, the price ranges from $60 to $130. You can get the earbuds for $50-55 on AliExpress sales with coupons and coins.
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Buy Redmi Buds 8 Pro
Sound
The sound system has 3 drivers, just like the last generation: one 11 mm dynamic driver and two 6.7 mm piezoelectric ceramic drivers. One difference is the dual DAC for lows and highs.
Codecs. It has the LDAC codec, which really improves sound quality. However, the codec does not work well; even with adaptive bitrate, the signal drops, and the sound changes in tone (this happens when the bitrate changes).
Source. When I tested the earbuds on two different sources, the sound was better on Snapdragon 870: the volume was 10-15% louder, and the sound was clearer and more detailed. On a budget source with MediaTek Helio G99, the volume was lower, and the sound was worse: less clear and less detailed.
Version differences. This review covers the global version of the earbuds. The global version of the earbuds has LDAC as the main codec, while the Chinese version has LHDC 5.0 and MIHC 2.0 (MI High Clarity Codec). The Chinese version has longer playback time: 8.5/35 hours compared to 8/33 hours.
The volume of the Redmi Buds 8 Pro is 80% enough with MediaTek, and comfortable at 65-70% with Snapdragon. If you need more volume, here is how to increase it.
- See where the Redmi Buds 8 Pro earbuds landed – in the TOP 100 best earbuds from MyChooz.
Music immersion? Average, more for background listening.
What genres are Redmi Buds 8 Pro best for? Dance tracks, pop, funk.
More details.
Sound enhancement
More details.
More about codecs.
Comparison with competitors
The comparison will be short. In terms of sound, the Redmi Buds 8 Pro lost to Realme models: Realme Buds Air 8 Pro, Realme Buds Air 8, and Realme Buds Air 7 Pro. The Redmi Buds 8 Pro are in the MyChooz bronze league with 7-8 points. Realme is in the silver league with 8-9 points. The Realme Buds Air 8 Pro, Realme Buds Air 8, and Realme Buds Air 7 Pro almost reach the gold league.
Are Redmi the best in features? They are a bit better in some ways, like the microphone and ANC. They are worse in some ways, like transparency and controls. The features are more or less on the same level as Realme.
Are Redmi the best in build quality? No. The earbuds are good for comfort, but in terms of ergonomics, they are less comfortable than any of the three Realme models we looked at.
MyChooz picks the Realme Buds Air 7 Pro here if we look at models under $100. The basic Realme Buds Air 8 for $45 are still better than the Redmi Buds 8 Pro.
And also, comparing them with the previous Redmi Buds 6 Pro, I do not have the model with me right now. But from what I remember, there is definitely an improvement in sound. The company is moving in the right direction, but it is very slow and has not caught up with competitors yet.
We compare them with competitors by price: Redmi Buds 8 Pro vs Realme Buds Air 8 and Realme Buds Air 8 Pro.
More detailsRedmi Buds 8 Pro vs Realme Buds Air 8
Drivers are the drivers in your headphones that are responsible for creating sound.
DD + PM + BA – means that there are several different types of drivers in these headphones.
DD – “Dynamic Driver” dynamic driver (deep bass, natural sound).
PM – “Planar Magnetic Driver” planar driver (wide soundstage and treble response).
BA – “Balanced Armature Driver” armature driver (accuracy and detail retrieval).
BC – “Bone Conduction Driver” or bone-conduction driver, which transmits vibration to the body of the headphones, transmitting sound through the bone/cartilage to the inner ear.
LDAC – treble, high quality, high speed (Sony).
SBC is the basic Bluetooth standard, low quality.
AAC – Apple standard, good quality, low latency.
Codecs are audio compression formats that affect sound quality and latency.
Headphone battery life is the playback time without recharging, measured in hours. Manufacturers measure without active noise cancellation (ANC), at medium volume (50-70%) and usually with ANC codec, as these parameters affect battery consumption. Actual time may vary from 1% to 50%, depending on volume, active noise cancellation features enabled, codec (LDAC or other) and environmental conditions (cold, hot). It is important to consider not only the claimed playback time, but also the charging time and fast charging support.
Bluetooth is a wireless data transmission standard.
Support for new audio technologies.
Improved connection stability.
Reduced power consumption.
Drivers are the drivers in your headphones that are responsible for creating sound.
DD + PM + BA – means that there are several different types of drivers in these headphones.
DD – “Dynamic Driver” dynamic driver (deep bass, natural sound).
PM – “Planar Magnetic Driver” planar driver (wide soundstage and treble response).
BA – “Balanced Armature Driver” armature driver (accuracy and detail retrieval).
BC – “Bone Conduction Driver” or bone-conduction driver, which transmits vibration to the body of the headphones, transmitting sound through the bone/cartilage to the inner ear.
LDAC – treble, high quality, high speed (Sony).
SBC is the basic Bluetooth standard, low quality.
AAC – Apple standard, good quality, low latency.
Codecs are audio compression formats that affect sound quality and latency.
Headphone battery life is the playback time without recharging, measured in hours. Manufacturers measure without active noise cancellation (ANC), at medium volume (50-70%) and usually with ANC codec, as these parameters affect battery consumption. Actual time may vary from 1% to 50%, depending on volume, active noise cancellation features enabled, codec (LDAC or other) and environmental conditions (cold, hot). It is important to consider not only the claimed playback time, but also the charging time and fast charging support.
Bluetooth is a wireless data transmission standard.
Support for new audio technologies.
Improved connection stability.
Reduced power consumption.
The earbuds have more bass without overload. The mids are comfortable, and the transparency is comparable. The highs are more emphasized, more natural, and more detailed. The soundstage is wider, and you get more detail and naturalness. The sound is nice with AAC.
The active noise cancellation is up to 20% better, both in depth and algorithms. The transparency is better, though it is equally uncomfortable.
MyChooz – Realme Buds Air 8.
Redmi Buds 8 Pro vs Realme Buds Air 8 Pro
Drivers are the drivers in your headphones that are responsible for creating sound.
DD + PM + BA – means that there are several different types of drivers in these headphones.
DD – “Dynamic Driver” dynamic driver (deep bass, natural sound).
PM – “Planar Magnetic Driver” planar driver (wide soundstage and treble response).
BA – “Balanced Armature Driver” armature driver (accuracy and detail retrieval).
BC – “Bone Conduction Driver” or bone-conduction driver, which transmits vibration to the body of the headphones, transmitting sound through the bone/cartilage to the inner ear.
LDAC – treble, high quality, high speed (Sony).
SBC is the basic Bluetooth standard, low quality.
AAC – Apple standard, good quality, low latency.
Codecs are audio compression formats that affect sound quality and latency.
Headphone battery life is the playback time without recharging, measured in hours. Manufacturers measure without active noise cancellation (ANC), at medium volume (50-70%) and usually with ANC codec, as these parameters affect battery consumption. Actual time may vary from 1% to 50%, depending on volume, active noise cancellation features enabled, codec (LDAC or other) and environmental conditions (cold, hot). It is important to consider not only the claimed playback time, but also the charging time and fast charging support.
Bluetooth is a wireless data transmission standard.
Support for new audio technologies.
Improved connection stability.
Reduced power consumption.
Drivers are the drivers in your headphones that are responsible for creating sound.
DD + PM + BA – means that there are several different types of drivers in these headphones.
DD – “Dynamic Driver” dynamic driver (deep bass, natural sound).
PM – “Planar Magnetic Driver” planar driver (wide soundstage and treble response).
BA – “Balanced Armature Driver” armature driver (accuracy and detail retrieval).
BC – “Bone Conduction Driver” or bone-conduction driver, which transmits vibration to the body of the headphones, transmitting sound through the bone/cartilage to the inner ear.
LDAC – treble, high quality, high speed (Sony).
SBC is the basic Bluetooth standard, low quality.
AAC – Apple standard, good quality, low latency.
Codecs are audio compression formats that affect sound quality and latency.
Headphone battery life is the playback time without recharging, measured in hours. Manufacturers measure without active noise cancellation (ANC), at medium volume (50-70%) and usually with ANC codec, as these parameters affect battery consumption. Actual time may vary from 1% to 50%, depending on volume, active noise cancellation features enabled, codec (LDAC or other) and environmental conditions (cold, hot). It is important to consider not only the claimed playback time, but also the charging time and fast charging support.
Bluetooth is a wireless data transmission standard.
Support for new audio technologies.
Improved connection stability.
Reduced power consumption.
The 8 Pro has more bass, and the sound is comfortable without overload. But the mids have more muddiness. The highs are a bit better emphasized and detailed. You get higher naturalness and detail. The soundstage is narrower and basically limited to your head, while the Redmi has at least some minimal space. You should consider that this is a pre-release sample, and at least with AAC, Realme sounds better than Redmi with LDAC. Yes, there is a gain in detail with LDAC at 909/990 Kbps bitrate. However, Realme with LHDC 3.0 at 500 Kbps bitrate is not worse.
The active noise cancellation and transparency are on the level of the Realme 7 Pro.
MyChooz – Realme Buds Air 8 Pro.
We compare them with reference models: Redmi Buds 8 Pro vs Realme Buds Air 7 Pro and OnePlus Buds 4.
More detailsRedmi Buds 8 Pro vs Realme Buds Air 7 Pro
Drivers are the drivers in your headphones that are responsible for creating sound.
DD + PM + BA – means that there are several different types of drivers in these headphones.
DD – “Dynamic Driver” dynamic driver (deep bass, natural sound).
PM – “Planar Magnetic Driver” planar driver (wide soundstage and treble response).
BA – “Balanced Armature Driver” armature driver (accuracy and detail retrieval).
BC – “Bone Conduction Driver” or bone-conduction driver, which transmits vibration to the body of the headphones, transmitting sound through the bone/cartilage to the inner ear.
LDAC – treble, high quality, high speed (Sony).
SBC is the basic Bluetooth standard, low quality.
AAC – Apple standard, good quality, low latency.
Codecs are audio compression formats that affect sound quality and latency.
Headphone battery life is the playback time without recharging, measured in hours. Manufacturers measure without active noise cancellation (ANC), at medium volume (50-70%) and usually with ANC codec, as these parameters affect battery consumption. Actual time may vary from 1% to 50%, depending on volume, active noise cancellation features enabled, codec (LDAC or other) and environmental conditions (cold, hot). It is important to consider not only the claimed playback time, but also the charging time and fast charging support.
Bluetooth is a wireless data transmission standard.
Support for new audio technologies.
Improved connection stability.
Reduced power consumption.
Drivers are the drivers in your headphones that are responsible for creating sound.
DD + PM + BA – means that there are several different types of drivers in these headphones.
DD – “Dynamic Driver” dynamic driver (deep bass, natural sound).
PM – “Planar Magnetic Driver” planar driver (wide soundstage and treble response).
BA – “Balanced Armature Driver” armature driver (accuracy and detail retrieval).
BC – “Bone Conduction Driver” or bone-conduction driver, which transmits vibration to the body of the headphones, transmitting sound through the bone/cartilage to the inner ear.
LDAC – treble, high quality, high speed (Sony).
SBC is the basic Bluetooth standard, low quality.
AAC – Apple standard, good quality, low latency.
Codecs are audio compression formats that affect sound quality and latency.
Headphone battery life is the playback time without recharging, measured in hours. Manufacturers measure without active noise cancellation (ANC), at medium volume (50-70%) and usually with ANC codec, as these parameters affect battery consumption. Actual time may vary from 1% to 50%, depending on volume, active noise cancellation features enabled, codec (LDAC or other) and environmental conditions (cold, hot). It is important to consider not only the claimed playback time, but also the charging time and fast charging support.
Bluetooth is a wireless data transmission standard.
Support for new audio technologies.
Improved connection stability.
Reduced power consumption.
The 7 Pro has a similar sound presentation and sound. If you listen closely, the 7 Pro has less bass, but the bass is still clear and balanced. The lows do not overpower other frequencies. The mids are clearer and better defined. In the Redmi, the mids are a bit recessed, and the overall sound is fatiguing. Vocals sound piercing and sharp. The sound in the Realme, however, is comfortable. The highs in the Realme are better defined, more detailed, and clearer. There is less artificial timbre and more natural timbre. The soundstage is wider than your head, with depth and width.
Active noise cancellation is 20% better. Transparency mode is about the same.
MyChooz – Realme Buds Air 7 Pro.
Redmi Buds 8 Pro vs OnePlus Buds 4
Drivers are the drivers in your headphones that are responsible for creating sound.
DD + PM + BA – means that there are several different types of drivers in these headphones.
DD – “Dynamic Driver” dynamic driver (deep bass, natural sound).
PM – “Planar Magnetic Driver” planar driver (wide soundstage and treble response).
BA – “Balanced Armature Driver” armature driver (accuracy and detail retrieval).
BC – “Bone Conduction Driver” or bone-conduction driver, which transmits vibration to the body of the headphones, transmitting sound through the bone/cartilage to the inner ear.
LDAC – treble, high quality, high speed (Sony).
SBC is the basic Bluetooth standard, low quality.
AAC – Apple standard, good quality, low latency.
Codecs are audio compression formats that affect sound quality and latency.
Headphone battery life is the playback time without recharging, measured in hours. Manufacturers measure without active noise cancellation (ANC), at medium volume (50-70%) and usually with ANC codec, as these parameters affect battery consumption. Actual time may vary from 1% to 50%, depending on volume, active noise cancellation features enabled, codec (LDAC or other) and environmental conditions (cold, hot). It is important to consider not only the claimed playback time, but also the charging time and fast charging support.
Bluetooth is a wireless data transmission standard.
Support for new audio technologies.
Improved connection stability.
Reduced power consumption.
Drivers are the drivers in your headphones that are responsible for creating sound.
DD + PM + BA – means that there are several different types of drivers in these headphones.
DD – “Dynamic Driver” dynamic driver (deep bass, natural sound).
PM – “Planar Magnetic Driver” planar driver (wide soundstage and treble response).
BA – “Balanced Armature Driver” armature driver (accuracy and detail retrieval).
BC – “Bone Conduction Driver” or bone-conduction driver, which transmits vibration to the body of the headphones, transmitting sound through the bone/cartilage to the inner ear.
LDAC – treble, high quality, high speed (Sony).
SBC is the basic Bluetooth standard, low quality.
AAC – Apple standard, good quality, low latency.
Codecs are audio compression formats that affect sound quality and latency.
Headphone battery life is the playback time without recharging, measured in hours. Manufacturers measure without active noise cancellation (ANC), at medium volume (50-70%) and usually with ANC codec, as these parameters affect battery consumption. Actual time may vary from 1% to 50%, depending on volume, active noise cancellation features enabled, codec (LDAC or other) and environmental conditions (cold, hot). It is important to consider not only the claimed playback time, but also the charging time and fast charging support.
Bluetooth is a wireless data transmission standard.
Support for new audio technologies.
Improved connection stability.
Reduced power consumption.
The OnePlus Buds 4 are better in every way. OnePlus, like Redmi, needs a good source and codec. Even if you compare the Redmi in the best conditions, the OnePlus sound and look much better.
Active noise cancellation is even better, up to about 25-30%. Transparency mode is twice as good, and you can talk while wearing the earbuds.
MyChooz – OnePlus Buds 4.
Features
Indoors, the 8/10 depth of cancellation is enough to quiet air conditioner and fan noise and completely block laptop or PC fan noise. Pressure on eardrums is minimal, and white noise is minimal. In the settings, you can choose an enhanced mode and smart noise blocking; these algorithms give more comfort and accuracy, but with a small drop in depth.
More details.
More details.
Important features and sensors:
- Multipoint – yes.
- Auto-pause when you take off the earbuds – yes.
- Support for Google Fast Pair – yes.
- Support for Swift Pair for Windows – yes.
Functions verdict
Build quality
Build verdict
Conclusion
Are the Redmi Buds 8 Pro MyChooz or not? I used the earbuds for about 2 weeks. I took them to the gym, made calls on Telegram or by phone, and listened to music. If you look at the model by itself, it is a solid model for its price. But everything is known by comparison, and the answer of MyChooz or not is a simple yes or no.
And my answer is no. These are not MyChooz. They have average sound, average features, and average build quality when compared to Realme competitors. If I had to choose between even the basic Realme Buds Air 8 for $45, I would pick them, not to mention the Realme Buds Air 7 Pro, which I recommend. The Realme Buds Air 8 Pro are better than the Redmi but worse than the Realme 7 Pro.
- Solid sound for their price after tuning with the EQ
- The active noise cancellation is enough to suppress noise outside and in the office.
- Immersive transport mode
- Top-tier microphone in quiet conditions
- The out-of-the-box sound quickly causes fatigue, the mids are a bit muddy, and the soundstage is narrow.
- The LDAC codec regularly has dropouts.
- Bad transparency mode.
Besides the active noise cancellation and the microphone, there is no reason to buy Redmi Buds 8 Pro. The sound is not comfortable, the battery life is average, and it does not have interesting features like triple multipoint or a translator. Even HAYLOU Flowbuds N55, with a price difference of 2.5-3 times, sound more interesting after a firmware update, and they are equal in active noise cancellation depth. At a price of $20-30, you can seriously discuss buying Redmi earbuds if your budget is very limited. For $50-70, definitely not, because for that money, there are better models. But some sellers on AliExpress manage to ask for Redmi Buds 8 Pro for $155.
Buy Redmi Buds 8 Pro
What are the alternatives?
- HAYLOU Flowbuds N55. Better sound and battery life. It is important to update the firmware to the latest version and turn on the basic EQ preset in the app.
- Realme Buds Air 7 Pro. Better in all ways: sound and features.
- Realme Buds Air 8. Better in all ways: sound and features. Lower price.
- Realme Buds Air 8 Pro. Better sound with detail retrieval and natural timbre, but the soundstage is a bit worse. After the earbuds are released, they could potentially be even better in sound. Better features: translator, battery life, voice assistant.
Use cases for Redmi Buds 8 Pro. Street, gaming, calls – yes. For sports – no. For audiophiles – no.
Please write what you think about the new Redmi Buds 8 Pro, I would love to chat with you in the comments. Have great sound and I will see you on MyChooz, bye!
Redmi Buds 8 Pro – Specs:
- Redmi Buds 8 Pro release date – February 28, 2026
- Redmi Buds 8 Pro price at launch – β¬69 global version.
- Design: in-ear
- Drivers: 1 dynamic 11 mm with a titanium diaphragm + 2 piezoceramic 6.7 mm
- Codecs: LDAC, AAC, SBC (global version); Chinese version β LHDC V5, MIHC 2.0.
- Bluetooth: 5.4
- Active noise cancellation: adaptive, depth up to 55 dB, suppression band up to 5 kHz, 20 ANC levels, sampling rate 32,000 times/s
- Transparency mode: available, 3 modes
- Controls: touch
- Battery life: 8 hours without ANC / 33 hours with the charging case (global version); Chinese version β 8.5 hours / 35 hours with the charging case
- App: Xiaomi Earbuds (Android 7.0+ / iOS 14.0+)
- Extra features: multipoint, Dolby Audio, Spatial Audio with head tracking, wear detection, immersive transport mode
- Dust and water resistance: IP54
- Materials: glossy plastic
- Earbud weight: 5.3 g
- Microphone: 3 microphones per earbud
What’s in the box
- Earbuds
- Charging case
- Ear tips (S, M, L)
- USB Type-C cable
- User manual
Popular Questions:
Redmi Buds 8 Pro – how to connect wireless earbuds?
1. Turn on Bluetooth on your device β phone, tablet, and so on.2. Open the charging case lid and press the button. Hold the button until the light on the case starts blinking.3. Go to the Bluetooth menu and choose ‘Add new device’.4. Wait for the earbuds to appear in the list and confirm the connection.
Do you still have a question about the Redmi Buds 8 Pro?
Ask your question in the comments and I will answer you.
