Realme Buds Air 8 Pro is a new product we all waited for and an update to the famous 7 Pro. Did the new earbuds become a good follow-up to the series and beat the sound quality of the Realme Buds Air 7 Pro? You will find all answers in this review. Spoiler, many things about this model make me prefer to wait on buying them for now. So I suggest you read the whole review to make a smart choice. Or, in simple words, MyChooz.
You can buy the 8 Pro earbuds even before the main launch from unofficial sellers and resellers. At the time of this review, you can buy the earbuds on AliExpress for about $70-80. Here is a trusted Ali store where I ordered the Realme Buds Air 8 Pro: Link to the store, coupons, and promo codes.
And of course, subscribe to the channel, this is your best support. My name is Vladimir Papazov, and here I talk about new earbuds worth checking out, good sound, and tech. But most importantly, I only suggest what is truly MyChooz, meaning what I would buy myself without marketing talk. If this idea matches what you like, I will be happy to see you on the channel.
The Realme Buds Air 8 Pro could be a NEW budget reference for wireless earbuds under $100. The new product looks and acts like the also new and cheaper Realme Buds Air 8 model (review link here).
Buy smart:
- Realme store promo code -$5: CDUA05. MyChooz promo code – $8: AEUA08
- Ali does not let you use coins for this item.
- Next sale – June 16 – June 25
Buy Realme Buds Air 8 Pro
After my first tests, it became clear why Realme is waiting to release them. The company did not fix the software problems with the earbuds in time. For example, the LHDC codec disconnects when you only use the official app. So, honestly, I am ready to ignore these problems. Since there is demand for a review, and the earbuds are not out officially yet, I will put off all these problems until the release. And after the release, if they do not fix them, I will tell the company directly without any issues.
Sound
Drivers. Inside, we have an 11mm dynamic driver and a 6mm planar driver, just like in the 6 Pro and 7 Pro. The full specs are not known yet before the launch, and we can only rely on leaked marketing materials on AliExpress and tests of the earbuds themselves.
Bluetooth codec. The main Bluetooth codec is LHDC 5.0 — 24 bit/192 kHz, with a bitrate of 1000 Kbps. I tested it using this codec. An important point is that I used the Bluetooth Codec Changer app to switch the codec, because when I tried to pick a codec in the app, it kept disconnecting.
It supports LHDC 3.0 with a quality limit of 24 bit/48 kHz and 500 Kbps. In the settings, you can choose 900 Kbps, but then the earbuds freeze, and you need to connect them to your phone again. With LHDC 5.0, the limit is also 500 Kbps; if it is more, there is no sound. The sound quality with AAC got better, and the drop in quality is less compared to the 7 Pro. Also, with LHDC, the sound cuts out after 1 minute and 50 seconds of playback. There are no problems with the basic codecs.
Sound review
Test settings
Audio codec: LHDC / AAC
Sound source: OnePlus 11 (Android) and iPhone 15 Pro (iOS).
Music source: streaming Deezer HiFi in FLAC (1411 kbps) format.
Sound review – default: no EQ, sound effects, or other settings.
Earbuds software version: 1.1.0.85 – latest firmware.
Tests are performed with a OnePlus 11 phone (Android) and iPhone 14 Pro (iOS), via streaming Deezer HiFi (about this subscription) in FLAC (1411 кбит/c) format.
My playlist – for testing earbuds:
- Michael Jackson – P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing). Pop-funk.
✅ Checking low-end and natural timbre – the timbre of the main bass synth should sound natural and be audible. The bass here is powerful, but shouldn’t overpower other frequency ranges.
✅ Checking detail retrieval and soundstage width – background vocals and percussion in the right channel should be clearly audible.
✅ Checking highs and natural treble timbre – the cymbals in this track should sound soft and natural, without grain. The drums in this song are recorded and mixed simply wonderfully (Jonathan Moffett – drum virtuoso). - Oasis – Don’t Go Away. Alternative rock, Brit Pop.
✅ Natural timbre check – the acoustic guitar sound should be natural.
✅ Low-end check – the kick drum, toms, and snare are quite recessed in this track, and with poor bass, drum fills will simply be inaudible.
✅ Mids check – Liam’s voice should sound open and not get congested; this track has a lot of live instruments that can easily overpower the mids and vocals, adding muddiness or a closed-in feel to the voice.
✅ Highs and natural timbre check – at the end of the song, there’s my favorite instrumental break with acoustic guitar and tambourine; they should be distinct from each other and sound natural, without grain or artificial timbre. - Twenty One Pilots – Backslide. Hip-Hop, Alternative Pop.
✅ Detail retrieval check. In this track, Tyler (as always) did a lot of background vocals with and without effects; they should be clearly separated from each other and audible.
✅ Soundstage width check – The shaker that appears and disappears, flowing from channel to channel, perfectly demonstrates the soundstage width. Same for the background vocals, which are well-separated across the channels. - Adele – Rolling in the Deep. Pop, Soul, Blues.
✅ Mids and vocal check – Adele’s voice here should be distinct, with a sense of presence, without veiled sound or muddiness. - Eagles – Hotel California (Live on MTV, 1994). Rock, country-rock. God bless whoever recorded and mixed this live performance.
✅ Soundstage width check – crowd sounds, background effects, instrument placement.
✅ Highs check – 2 shakers in the left and right channels should be clearly audible and not sound artificial.
More tracks I use for testing:
- Modern Talking – You’re My Heart, You’re My Soul. Europop.
Vocals shouldn’t be masked by the bassline, and the shaker should sound natural, without grain. - Eminem – Ass Like That. Hip-hop and Rap.
The heavy bassline shouldn’t overpower the vocals. Secondary ethnic instruments and backing vocals should be audible. - Bob Marley – Could You Be Loved. Reggae.
Cymbals shouldn’t have grain, vocals and backing vocals shouldn’t be masked by the lows, and the bassline should be clearly distinguishable. - Disturbed – Stricken. Alternative Metal and Heavy Metal.
The distorted guitar shouldn’t overpower the drums and vocals.
Cymbals shouldn’t get lost in the overall mix. - System of a Down – Radio/Video. Alternative Metal and Nu Metal.
The shaker should sound natural, without grain. The distorted guitar shouldn’t overpower the drums and Serj’s and Daron’s vocals.
The score is given according to our “Scores 3.0” methodology.
Sound — 50% of the score:
- Frequency balance in sound — how harmoniously the earbuds reproduce lows, mids, and highs.
- Soundstage — the ability of earbuds to create a sense of 3D volume and space in music.
- Detail retrieval or resolution — the ability of earbuds to convey the smallest nuances of sound with high precision.
- Naturalness or timbre balance — this is preserving the natural sound of instruments, sounds, and vocals.
Features and design — 50% of the score:
- Microphone quality.
- Active noise cancellation (ANC) and transparency mode.
- Battery life, controls, app, and other features.
- Build quality: wear comfort, durability, and design + available colors.
- Learn more about how, how we test and rate earbuds.
Frequency balance: This refers to how sound energy is distributed across the entire audible range, from 20 Hz to 20 kHz. It’s not just about covering the full spectrum, but about achieving the right proportions so that the lows, mids, and highs work together harmoniously, without clashing or obscuring important details.
The ideal balance means the bass provides a solid foundation, the mids deliver clear and present vocals, and the highs add sparkle and detail. Frequency balance skew occurs when one or two of these main ranges are either overemphasized or noticeably lacking compared to the others.
. 8.50 Featuring a bass-heavy signature with slightly recessed mids and slightly pushed-back highs.
Low frequencies, or bass (20 Hz – 250 Hz), form the foundation of music, giving sound depth, weight, and a rhythmic basis.
The ideal balance results in clear, powerful, and well-rounded sound. An **excess** of low frequencies, however, makes music sound muddy and boomy, masks vocals, and quickly fatigues the listener, leading to indistinct overall sound. Conversely, a **shortage** makes music sound thin, weak, and empty, robbing it of warmth and rhythmic foundation, which in turn causes harshness in the mids and highs.
. 9 Emphasized, this is the strongest suit of the model. In quantity and quality, it is identical to the 7 Pro. You need a microscope to find differences. In the song Lenny Kravitz — Low, the characteristic bass is lively and pleasant, with a recognizable timbre. Michael Jackson – P.Y.T — the synth bass has a characteristic texture and a clearly recognizable timbre, AWOLNATION – Sail — produces that exact sub-bass punch on the kick drum that physically strikes your eardrum.
The midrange (250 Hz to 4 kHz) is where most musical elements live, and it’s crucial for hearing main melodies, vocals, and instruments.
Too many mids, especially in the upper range, make sound harsh, intrusive, and fatiguing fast. The mix can sound shouty or “boxy.” Conversely, a shortage of mids results in a hollow, recessed sound where vocals and main instruments lose their presence and seem distant, draining the music of energy and overall clarity.
. 7.5 This is where the disappointing part begins. The 8 Pro sounds rather indistinct in the midrange no matter what track you play. I wouldn’t say the mids sound bad, but it feels like there is a fabric barrier between you and the vocalist, who sings behind it, something absent in the 7 Pro. Here the 8 Pro drops by 1 point. And if you don’t compare it to the 7 Pro, you won’t feel like there are massive issues in the mids, but as soon as you compare them, the lack of clarity emerges from the very first seconds when the vocalist starts singing. This is especially evident in my favorite track Oasis – Dont Go Away.
Highs, or treble (4 kHz – 20 kHz) – these frequencies are responsible for brightness, sparkle, detail, and that sense of ‘air’ in a music mix. This range helps you pick out the finest details, like string overtones, cymbal shimmer, and sibilant sounds in vocals.
An optimal balance makes music sound lively, clean, and open. Too much, however, leads to unnecessary harshness, causes sibilance (overly loud ‘s’ sounds), and makes cymbals sound unpleasantly ‘grainy’ or metallic, quickly fatiguing your ears. Too little, and the entire mix sounds dull, muffled, and ‘closed-in’ (veiled). The sound loses its detail and openness, feeling like you’re listening through a thick filter that robs the music of clarity.
. 9 In quantity, there are fewer of them compared to the 7 Pro, making them less prominent. The 7 Pro had too much on the default firmware, while the 8 Pro has too little. It is not critical, the lack is barely felt, and only surfaces when compared directly to the 7 Pro. Daft Punk – Lose Yourself to Dance — drum cymbals sit nicely in the mix and sound harmonious, Oasis – Dont Go Away — right here in the dense chorus mix, you would wish for more detail, better separation, and extra treble brightness. Shaker, tambourine, cymbals, guitar — all of these sound together. And they don’t sound as good as in the 7 Pro.
Detail retrieval – this describes how clearly and distinctly you can hear the tiniest sounds in a mix, like reverb, overtones, quiet instruments, texture, and subtle percussion sounds (such as light hi-hat taps).
Ideal detail retrieval – all subtle sounds are audible, just as they would be at a live performance.Lack: The sound is dull, muted, and veiled, as if you’re listening through a layer of fabric. The musical picture lacks depth, instruments sound flat, and subtle nuances get lost.Excess: The sound becomes unnaturally sharp, aggressive, and glassy. This can manifest as an overemphasis on sibilant sounds and background noise. This kind of sound quickly becomes fatiguing, often due to too much treble above 6 kHz.
. 8.5 The sound of primary instrument parts — excellent, no problems. Secondary parts — that is where minor issues begin. Overall, the sound in this model is muddier even on LHDC. Secondary tracks, especially in choruses, start blending together. Oasis – Dont Go Away, background synths, lead guitar, during the most packed moments it is unclear where everything is, and everything piles on top of each other. Tertiary sounds, tails, reverbs, effects — get completely lost in a thick mix. Bass detail — good. Treble detail — due to the slight deficit, you’d wish for more transparency, prominence, and separation.
Naturalness— how authentic and realistic the sound is. It indicates how accurately the sound of voices and musical instruments is reproduced.
Best naturalness – the sound is clean, warm, and lively, without artificial coloration or extraneous noises.
Excess – an excessive amount of distracting sounds like sighs, mechanical noises, rustles, etc.
Lack – the sound feels artificial, colored, or plastic. You lose timbre recognition (instruments don’t sound like they do in real life), and the sound becomes flat and fatiguing due to incorrect equalization or excessive compression.
Soundstage, or stage, refers to the perceived three-dimensional space where instruments and vocals in a musical piece are placed. It’s a virtual soundscape that sound engineers craft during mixing. The stage encompasses width (left-to-right placement), depth (a sense of distance), and height (the feeling of instruments being above or below the horizontal plane).
The best soundstage makes music feel immersive and realistic, letting you pinpoint each element in space—whether it’s to your left or right, closer or further away, or above or below your head. A lack of it results in a monolithic sound, as if everything is coming from a single point, making it difficult to discern the position of each instrument. An excess of it, on the other hand, can make instruments and vocals sound overly distant, causing the musical composition to lose its coherence.
. 7 The earbuds play slightly wider than your head. The soundstage is much narrower than in the 7 Pro. And this aspect struck me as very strange, since firmware updates usually don’t fix this. As soon as you put on the 7 Pro, the music extends across space like a vast sea, whereas the 8 Pro feels like a small pool. In short, the soundstage is narrow, with instruments piled on top of each other in complex arrangements. The 3D effect is minimal. Michael Jackson – Man in the Mirror, a particularly telling track, has backing vocals barely separated.Sound verdict
The final sound score is calculated using this formula:
Frequency balance + Detail retrieval + Soundstage + Natural timbre / 4 = Final Sound Score.
. 8.25 Realme Buds Air 8 Pro are good earbuds if considered completely apart from the Realme Buds Air lineup. I liked the sound. If you view this model as a continuation of the 7 Pro series, the 8 Pro sounds worse by 0.67 out of 10. On the latest firmware 1.1.0.85 using the LHDC 5.0 codec, the 8 Pro falls short in 4 out of 6 criteria, while tying in 2. The main drops are in the mids, detail retrieval, and soundstage (-1 each). Highs lose 0.5 due to a lack of quantity, while bass and timbre remain on par with the 7 Pro.The difference in sound is significant when compared head-to-head. If you listen to the 8 Pro in solo mode, it produces great sound that you enjoy and no flaws particularly stand out. But when you start comparing, it becomes clear within the first 10 seconds that the 7 Pro is better. In the end, if you place both models on a table, I would choose the 7 Pro without hesitation. A wider soundstage, closer and more transparent vocals, more detail retrieval, and overall the 7 Pro feels like the fresher model while the 8 Pro feels like last year’s.
But you should remember the following:
- I bought the model before its official release, and it is still a raw product.
- You can already hear in the sound that you should not expect a big improvement in sound quality, even if firmware updates fix some things, and the model will not beat the 7 Pro in sound.
- If sound is important to you, get the 7 Pro, and there is no use to upgrade to the 8 Pro.
- I expect that the sound will change after the release and new firmware updates, so follow the updates, and I invite you to the Realme Buds Air 8 Pro HUB, which is a thread with discussion and reviews about the model, where you can share your experience with the model, give your rating, or leave your review, which will be helpful and interesting to others, and when the official release happens, I will update the sound rating, so add the hub to your bookmarks and follow the updates.
In the end, the Realme Buds Air 8 Pro enters the silver league for sound, getting its deserved rating of 8.25 out of 10, which is a great score, and you can see where the Realme Buds Air 8 Pro earbuds landed in the TOP 100 best earbuds from MyChooz, but just because of the unbalanced 7 Pro model with a sound rating of 8.88, expectations for the 8 Pro were too high, and it is logical that we expect an improvement, not a downgrade, in the next generation.
What genres are the Realme Buds Air 8 Pro best for? The earbuds are versatile and handle any genre well, but they are a little worse with instrumental music.
Sound in games – This is how we rate sound quality in games. We check how much the sound pulls you into the game.
. 7.5 It is nice and dynamic, and it is comfortable to play.More details.
Sound improvements
Sound with EQ – this is the sound rating after improvement, often with EQ tuning. For each model, we try to find a setting with the best sound output and without complicated steps for the user.
. 8.5 I recommend the golden sound profile and EQ/dynamic audio.More details.
Sound with AAC – sound rating with the basic Bluetooth codec and without sound tuning.
. 8 The drop is about 10-15%.More about codecs.
The sound source needs are minimal. You will get pleasant, engaging sound with sources on the Snapdragon and MediaTek mobile platforms. On Snapdragon, you get 10-15% more volume headroom, and the lows and highs are stronger.
Software update. A firmware update 1.1.0.85 is available right after you connect. I do not recommend updating, or you will lose sound quality, like what happened with the 7 Pro.
The volume of Realme Buds Air 8 Pro is not comfortable to listen to at 80%, 60-70% is best. On Snapdragon sources, you get about 10-15% more volume headroom compared to MediaTek. If you do not have enough volume, here is how to increase it.
Comparison with Competitors
We compare the model range: Realme Buds Air 8 Pro vs Realme Buds Air 8 vs Realme Buds Air 7 Pro. I have already said everything about the 7 Pro, the sound and build quality are better, and the features are better in the 8 Pro. When comparing with the regular 8, their mids are MORE clear and nice than in the 8 Pro, which surprised me a bit. And overall, the regular 8’s level is even a bit better than the 8 Pro, between the 2 models for sound, I would stick with the regular 8. They have something in between the 8 Pro and 7 in terms of sound level. And their design is without gloss. Though the 8 loses a bit in features.
More detailsRealme Buds Air 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 fast 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 – high quality, high speed (Sony).
SBC is the basic Bluetooth standard, low quality.
AAC – Apple standard, good quality, low latency.
aptX – Qualcomm standard, good quality, low latency.
LC3/LC3plus – new Bluetooth LE Audio codecs, efficient compression.
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 the AAC 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 fast 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 – high quality, high speed (Sony).
SBC is the basic Bluetooth standard, low quality.
AAC – Apple standard, good quality, low latency.
aptX – Qualcomm standard, good quality, low latency.
LC3/LC3plus – new Bluetooth LE Audio codecs, efficient compression.
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 the AAC 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.
Realme Buds Air 8 are worse in all sound aspects, more so in the highs and detail retrieval. The difference is clearly noticeable when you compare them with the LHDC codec. When the 8 Pro uses AAC, the gap is smaller.
Active noise cancellation is about 30% worse. But transparency mode is about 25% better in the Air 8, only for hearing your surroundings. The controls are the same, and the app does not have a gold sound profile. The signal stability is better in the 8 Pro.
Both models have the same build quality. Only the Air 8 does not have a glossy finish, and the charging case with the earbuds gets less dirty.
MyChooz – Realme Buds Air 8 Pro.
Realme Buds Air 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 fast 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 – high quality, high speed (Sony).
SBC is the basic Bluetooth standard, low quality.
AAC – Apple standard, good quality, low latency.
aptX – Qualcomm standard, good quality, low latency.
LC3/LC3plus – new Bluetooth LE Audio codecs, efficient compression.
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 the AAC 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 fast 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 – high quality, high speed (Sony).
SBC is the basic Bluetooth standard, low quality.
AAC – Apple standard, good quality, low latency.
aptX – Qualcomm standard, good quality, low latency.
LC3/LC3plus – new Bluetooth LE Audio codecs, efficient compression.
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 the AAC 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 Realme Buds Air 7 Pro has less bass, the mids are further away, and there is less detail retrieval. Here, we should note that the 7 Pro with global firmware version 1.1.0.83 has less detail retrieval. For other aspects, the sound is similar. Only in the 7 Pro are the highs less clear. The headroom is smaller. If 80% is enough for the 7 Pro, then 80% is too much for the 8 Pro.
Active noise cancellation and transparency mode did not change. It even feels like the active noise cancellation in the 8 Pro got worse by a couple of percent. The controls did not change at all. The earbuds’ battery life grew by 1 hour with basic codecs.
The fit is more comfortable in the Air 8 Pro.
MyChooz – The Realme Buds Air 7 Pro is still better with the working LHDC codec.
We compare them with competitors at this price: Realme Buds Air 8 Pro vs OnePlus Buds 4. The OnePlus Buds 4 sound better, the mids are clearer, the highs are more detailed and nicer, and the soundstage is wider. For features, they are equal. The OnePlus has a nicer build quality.
More detailsRealme Buds Air 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 fast 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 – high quality, high speed (Sony).
SBC is the basic Bluetooth standard, low quality.
AAC – Apple standard, good quality, low latency.
aptX – Qualcomm standard, good quality, low latency.
LC3/LC3plus – new Bluetooth LE Audio codecs, efficient compression.
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 the AAC 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 fast 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 – high quality, high speed (Sony).
SBC is the basic Bluetooth standard, low quality.
AAC – Apple standard, good quality, low latency.
aptX – Qualcomm standard, good quality, low latency.
LC3/LC3plus – new Bluetooth LE Audio codecs, efficient compression.
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 the AAC 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.
In the OnePlus Buds 4, the mids are cleaner, the bass is not as full, but it is deeper. There is less emphasis on the highs. Detail retrieval is similar, and the Air 8 Pro can potentially beat the OnePlus a little at maximum bitrate. If you compare them with the AAC codec, the 8 Pro is better in most aspects, especially with more details and higher volume. Also, the 8 Pro is not picky about the source, while the sound on the OnePlus Buds 4 drops a lot with MediaTek devices.
MyChooz – Realme Buds Air 8 Pro.
We compare them with reference models: Realme Buds Air 8 Pro vs HUAWEI FreeBuds Pro 4 vs Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 pro vs Technics EAH-AZ100 vs Noble Audio Fokus REX5. To sum up, all models sound better. The HUAWEI FreeBuds Pro 4 is a little worse in highs and natural timbre, the soundstage is just as narrow, but otherwise, vocals are closer and cleaner, bass is better, and detail retrieval is better. Samsung, Technics, and Noble are all much better than the 8 Pro in sound.
Features
Microphone – We assess speech transmission quality by testing the microphone in two main scenarios: quiet and noisy environments.
Quiet environment – This involves recording indoors with minimal background noise. Noisy environment – This means recording outdoors near a six-lane road with maximum traffic noise.
. 9.50 In quiet conditions: 9 In noisy conditions: 10 The microphone has improved compared to the 7 Pro — it functions exceptionally well in noisy conditions.Microphone – We assess speech transmission quality by testing the microphone in two main scenarios: quiet and noisy environments.
Quiet environment – This involves recording indoors with minimal background noise. Noisy environment – This means recording outdoors near a six-lane road with maximum traffic noise.
. 9.75 In quiet conditions: 9.5 In noisy conditions: 10
Active noise cancellation (ANC) lets headphones use microphones and signal processing to cut out external noise like traffic, street hum, or office chatter, so you can hear your music or calls better without cranking the volume. Good ANC significantly cuts low-frequency hum from things like engines or air conditioners, barely presses on your ears, and minimally distorts the sound. Weak ANC, on the other hand, only removes some of the noise or creates an unpleasant “vacuum” effect and artifacts.
. 8 Improved by 1 point out of 10 compared to the 7 Pro, just like the regular 8 improved over the 7. Outdoor scenario: in noisy roadside conditions or the subway, it noticeably adds comfort for listening to music or making calls. Office scenario: suppresses light background fan noise from PCs and laptops. There is slight pressure on the eardrums and minimal white noise. In the app, you can choose from 3 boost modes.Transparency mode uses the earbuds’ microphones to pipe in ambient sound, letting you hear announcements, conversations, or traffic without removing them. A good implementation sounds natural and clear, without adding noise or echo, whereas a poor one makes the outside world sound flat, metallic, or unnervingly quiet.
. 7.8 Same as it was in the 7 Pro. Amplifies the surroundings, and for the first 3-5 seconds the mode functions at a top-tier level: complete audibility of your environment without feeding your own voice into your head. After 5 seconds, a muffled sensation sets in, and your voice is piped back into your head. Apparently, this is some weird adaptive feature that cannot be turned off.
Battery life is the actual playback time you get from the earbuds and their charging case on a single charge during typical volume and usage scenarios (music, video, calls), not just the marketing numbers. Good battery life means you can easily get through a day or several without needing an outlet, and it doesn’t drop significantly with noise cancellation and high-quality codecs enabled. Poor battery life, on the other hand, requires frequent recharging and noticeably decreases when you crank up the volume.
. 7.6 They promise up to 12 hours for the earbuds and 50 hours with the case using the AAC codec. In our tests, the earbuds lasted 11.5 hours and 48 hours with the case. Fast and wireless charging are not available.Read more.
Controls — how easily and reliably the headphones respond to your presses and gestures for pausing, adjusting volume, switching tracks, changing modes, and activating your voice assistant. Good controls feel intuitive, work without fail, and avoid accidental inputs; bad controls will miss commands, lag, or simply ignore your gestures.
. 8 Touch controls with 3 actions per earbud: double-tap, triple-tap, and press-and-hold, plus volume up and down swipes. Controls are responsive, triggering about a second after a touch (which is a bit annoying). There is mild haptic feedback and an audio cue. Actions can be reassigned in the official app.Read more.
The app, which is the proprietary software you use to tweak sound, controls, noise cancellation, firmware updates, and other features. A good app is stable, well-organized, and actually lets you customize things; a bad one glitches, lacks features, or feels like it’s just there for show.
. 8 Realme Link, you can download it from official stores for Android or for iOS. The review covers the global version of the earbuds, which instantly connected to the global app version 5.3.307.3702 dated 04/15/26. Changing regions was not required. The app is convenient and has useful features: enabling the LHDC 3.0-5.0 codec, translator, voice assistant, golden sound profile, spatial audio, and equalizer. Cons include periodic re-authorization prompts, mandatory registration, and constant firmware update notifications.Read more.
Connection stability — how well the headphones hold onto their Bluetooth signal without dropping out, lagging, or glitching in everyday situations like busy streets, public transport, or even at home with a Wi-Fi router nearby. Good stability means the audio won’t stutter when you turn your head or cut out in crowded areas. Poor stability, on the other hand, will show up as frequent dropouts, stuttering, audio-video sync issues, and problems reconnecting.
. 10 Within 10m — signal does not drop using AAC and SBC codecs. Bluetooth version 6.1.Important features and sensors:
- Multipoint — yes, up to 3 devices.
- Auto-pause when removing earbuds – yes.
- Google Fast Pair support – yes.
- Swift Pair support for Windows – yes.
Functions verdict
Overall feature score — this is the overall score for all device features. This score comes from individual feature ratings (battery life, controls, app, connection stability, and others) and shows how easy and smart the device is for daily use.
. 8.60 Active noise cancellation blocks out light background noise. After turning on, transparency mode works on par with top-tier models, but after 5 seconds it sharply degrades. Battery life in our tests reached 11.5 hours and 48 hours with the case. Touch controls support 3 actions per earbud plus volume adjustment swipes. The official app includes sound and control settings, notably dynamic audio and a golden sound profile.Build quality
Comfort is how the earbuds feel during extended wear: ear pressure, fit, weight, and ventilation. A comfortable model doesn’t chafe, squeeze the ear canal or head, and doesn’t cause fatigue even after a couple of hours; an uncomfortable one quickly reminds you of itself through pain, heat, or a “plugged” feeling in the ears.
. 8 The earbuds are comfortable, lightweight, and do not put pressure on your ears with the included ear tips. After a couple of hours of use, there is minor discomfort. Mostly due to the presence of the ear tip in the ear canal. Case dimensions are 59.9 x 48.1 x 24.5 mm compared to 61.9 x 48.8 x 24.6 mm in the 7 Pro. Convenient to store in an outer clothing pocket.Durability — how well the earbuds and charging case hold up to daily use: This includes the quality of the plastic and hinge, water resistance, wear on the ear tips, and the reliability of connectors and buttons. High durability means nothing is loose, peeling, or cracking after a year or two. Conversely, low durability means you’ll see cracks, looseness, hinge noise, or connection issues after just a couple of months.
. 7.5 Dust and water resistance — IP55: limited resistance to dust and water jets from any direction. The plastic case feels like silk — the surface is smooth and pleasant to the touch. However, the glossy insert looks out of place. The coating is smudge-prone and gets dirty quickly, just like on the earbuds. And in my opinion, matte plastic would suit the glossy sections much better.
Design – This covers how the earbuds look and how well-thought-out their shape is. I’m talking about how they appear in your ears, how versatile they are with different outfits, and whether they look cheap. A good design blends a neat appearance with a comfortable shape and practical touches, like non-marking plastic or a well-designed charging case. Conversely, a bad design will snag on your clothes, scratch easily, and just look out of place.
. 8.5 The Realme Buds Air 8 Pro is presently offered in black and white. Both the case and earbuds resemble a smaller rendition of the Air 8. Japanese industrial designer Naoto Fukasawa conceived the 8th generation, and his signature is present beneath the lid. I appreciated the external aesthetic, despite numerous online critics publishing unfavorable critiques regarding the design. The 7 Pro, constructed from metal, seems more functional and attractive; over a year, the 7 Pro case gathered no discernible scratches.
Build verdict
Final build quality score is the overall score for build quality and materials: comfort, durability, and design. It shows how nice the device is to hold and use, and how long it will last.
. 8.00 Comfortable, the default bundled ear tips fit well. No discomfort after a couple of hours of use. Build is free of defects, with visually and tactically high-quality materials. The experience is only spoiled by the fingerprint-prone gloss. Effectively, they made a mirror finish that gets covered in smudges at the mere thought of it, requiring you to wipe it down every time. I liked the look of the earbuds and case. Available in white and black.Summary
Realme Buds Air 8 Pro, is it MyChooz or not? Yes, friends, it is MyChooz, even though this is not a final product yet and it is still a bit rough. It has functional improvements that look better compared to the 7 Pro, with an improved microphone and improved active noise cancellation. Transparency mode, controls, and the app are almost the same, but you get 1 to 1.5 more hours of battery life. They added Bluetooth 6.1 and triple multipoint, and live and synced translation, plus a voice assistant, are also here. The earbuds’ build quality is smaller, with the same comfort, and the charging case is now glossy instead of metal, but it is also a bit smaller.
The sound did not reach the 7 Pro’s level, and we gave it -0.67 points out of 10. The sound has a bit more muddiness in the mids, fewer details, and most importantly, a smaller soundstage, but it has the same good bass, and a bit less highs. Is the sound downgrade a big deal? No, it is not a big deal, because the overall sound quality of the 8 Pro is something 95% of earbuds under $100 can only dream of. It is just that the 7 Pro still has an unbalanced sound, with a very high standard that is hard to beat, even within its own product line.
The main question is, should you upgrade from the 7 Pro to the 8 Pro?
If sound quality is important to you, then I do not recommend it yet. Stay with the 7 Pro (or buy them if you have a different model) because they are still the best sound under $250. After that, only the Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro are better, which are a perfect choice if your budget is $250. For the 8 Pro, at least wait for the official release from the maker, wait for the release firmware, and watch for updates on the 8 Pro hub on the website. The rating will be changed, and the data will be updated.
What I can tell you right away is that you should not expect any big jump in sound quality, and the most we can get is a sound close to the 7 Pro’s level. In that case, the 8 Pro will be a better choice than the 7 Pro, thanks to its improved features. Also, for some people, the new build quality will be better.
Here are the main reasons not to buy them: the LHDC codec does not work well in the app without issues yet, and the glossy finish on the charging case and earbuds gets dirty fast. I liked the previous metal design more.
But if your phone does not have the LHDC codec, then you can safely buy the 8 Pro for an iPhone or another phone even now. With AAC, there is a sound difference, but it is only 0.25 out of 10 in favor of the 7 Pro. If your phone supports the LHDC codec, then you should wait for the official release and for them to fix the codec issue, and hopefully, fix the sound. I want to remind you that the 7 Pro’s sound got worse with firmware updates.
Buy Realme Buds Air 8 Pro
And we are waiting for the 9 Pro, if that model comes out. This is because news came out that Oppo is merging Realme and OnePlus into one division, but keeping the brand names.
What are the alternatives?
- Under $50 — Realme Buds Air 8. This is an affordable alternative with a small drop in sound quality.
- Under $70 — Realme Buds Air 7 Pro. It has even better sound, but no voice assistant or triple multipoint, and it has less playback time.
- Under $70 — OnePlus Buds 4. It has bass-heavy sound and similar sound quality.
How to use Realme Buds Air 8 Pro. For street, gaming, and calls – yes. For sports – with some limits. For audiophiles – yes.
Please write what you think about the new Realme Buds Air 8 Pro, because I would love to chat with you in the comments. Have great sound, and I will see you on MyChooz, bye!
- Top-tier and engaging sound
- Live simultaneous translation, voice assistant
- Simultaneous connection to three devices
- LHDC codec does not work
- Glossy finish gets dirty quickly
Realme Buds Air 8 Pro – Specs:
- Release date — no presentation yet.
- Price at launch — unofficially $80.
- Build: in-ear, wireless earbuds.
- Drivers: 11+ 6 mm, dynamic + planar tweeter.
- Codecs: LHDC 5.0, LHDC 3.0 SBC, AAC.
- Bluetooth: 6.1
- Active noise cancellation: up to -55 dB.
- Transparency mode: yes.
- Controls: touch.
- Battery life: up to 12 hours with AAC and up to 50 hours with the charging case.
- App: realme link.
- Extra features: live and simultaneous translation.
- Protection: IP55.
- Materials: plastic.
- Weight of earbud and charging case: no data.
- Size of earbud and charging case: no data.
- Microphone: 6 pieces, 3 on each earbud.
What’s in the box
- Earbuds
- Charging case
- Ear tips (S, M, L)
- Safety instructions and warranty
- User manual
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Popular Questions:
Realme Buds Air 8 Pro – how to connect wireless earbuds?
1. Turn on Bluetooth on your device — like your phone or tablet.
2. Open the charging case lid and press and hold the button. Keep holding the button until the light on the charging case starts to blink.
3. Go to the Bluetooth menu and choose “Add new device.”
4. Wait for the earbuds to show up in the list and confirm the connection.
