New Redmi Buds 8 Active (2026) for $16 — AAC and 37 Hours of Battery Life Added

Xiaomi released the Redmi Buds 8 Active for $16 (119 CNY). The previous Buds 6 Active cost $14 and ranked among the cheapest wireless earbuds featuring Bluetooth 5.4. For $16, you get IP54, AAC, and fast charging that is twice as efficient. The Buds 6 Active looked solid on paper too, yet in practice they were some of the weakest wireless earbuds in their category. I am checking whether Xiaomi fixed their mistakes.

• Battery life: went from 6 h to 7 h per earbud. The charging case went from 30 h to 37 h with the exact same capacity
• Protection: went from IPX4 (splashes only) to IP54 (dust resistance added)
• Codecs: AAC added—sound transmits better over Bluetooth, especially on iPhones
• Call wind resistance: went from up to 4 m/s to up to 6 m/s
• Fast charging: 10 minutes on the charger gives you 2 hours of music (previously gave 1 hour)
• Driver: the same 14.2 mm, but with a titanium-coated diaphragm
• Weight: 3.8 g per earbud instead of 4 g

Battery. The exact same 37 mAh in the earbud and 475 mAh in the charging case yield a 17% increase in battery life on paper. The 37-hour figure comes from Xiaomi’s tests at 50% volume using the SBC codec. In real use, you can safely cut that by a third. Fast charging also improved: 10 minutes on the charger gets you 2 hours instead of one.

Protection. It used to be IPX4 for splashes only, with dust resistance unrated. Now it is IP54, with Xiaomi claiming partial dust resistance. It is not sealed, but it is an upgrade.kon

Sound. The driver remains 14.2 mm, but the diaphragm now features a titanium coating. Our testing will show what this means in practice. The addition of the AAC codec improves Bluetooth sound transmission over the basic SBC codec found on the Buds 6 Active. For $16 semi-open earbuds, that is already solid. You get 5 EQ presets through the Xiaomi Earbuds app.

Features. HyperOS Connect enables instant pairing with Xiaomi phones and tablets. Dual-device connection lets you switch between your phone and laptop without re-pairing. Google Fast Pair is included. Weight dropped from 4 g to 3.8 g—which is noticeable during long listening sessions on earbuds that lack silicone ear tips and stay in your ears solely through their shape.

On paper, Xiaomi fixed everything possible for $16: better battery life, improved protection, and AAC instead of just SBC. However, the Buds 6 Active also looked great in the press release before falling short. There’s no active noise cancellation or passive isolation, as these are open-fit earbuds meant for hearing your surroundings. If you need sound on the subway, these won’t work. If you need cheap earbuds for calls and podcasts, you’ll find almost no alternatives at $16. You can trust the specs or wait for our review—that’s up to you.

What do you think of the new Redmi Buds 8 Active? Leave a comment below.

Source: GizmoChina