Where to buy? Ali Express.
OK, I won’t go too long to introduce this review because I think it’s especially easy to do. The Redmi AirDots 3 Pro, or Redmi Buds 3 Pro, are pretty good earphones delivered by Xiaomi, after they spent some time going slow in this segment. This product is kind of an expansion to the regular Redmi AirDots 3, which are already good. But the Pro version is a complete package. Let’s get down to business.
The first good impression came with the packaging: it has premium materials and is much prettier than those of predecessors. In addition, the charging case is made of a very stylish matte material and doesn’t pick up fingerprints easily. It supports wireless charges and has USB-C connection. There is also fast charging capability, so plugging it in for about 15 minutes will result in more than 2 hours of autonomy.
Opening the lid, we notice a quite unique design. The reflective finish of the capsules gives a beautiful 3D effect, and their shape is also different. They are stretched out vertically, with a curve for the rubber tips. The ergonomics in my ears is really good, these are among the most comfortable earphones I’ve tested this year. The fit is also nice, even while working out, despite the fact that they extend outside the ears a little bit.
Both capsules have sensors to pause music when they’re taken out of the ears and are touch sensitive to execute certain commands: play/pause, skipping tracks and turning on the Active Noise Cancelling, or ANC. By default, there is no volume control. Even so, I like the fact that the controls require at least two taps, because it avoids accidental commands.
Talking about audio profile, Xiaomi played a safe game. The bass and sub bass have good depth and are the main highlight, without muffling the other frequencies. Even so, they’re clearly above mids and especially high tones, which are sometimes a little retracted. It’s more of a closed sound rather than an open one, but not by much. Personally, I prefer earphones with more vibrant trebble, but the work done is good anyway, and should appeal to a large audience.
The Bluetooth 5.2 connection was stable during my tests with a Galaxy S21 and I didn’t notice audio delay when watching videos on YouTube and movies on Netflix. Regarding games, I tested Free Fire and, as a casual player, I believe the result was OK. Also, I should mention that there is IPX4 protection against dust and water spills – they can’t be drown but may survive to sweat and light rain.
Microphone quality is better than that found in previous AirDots. The captured sound has a nice taste of bass and doesn’t seem too “metallic”. It shouldn’t be on the level of Apple’s AirPods, but I found it satisfactory.
The ANC is average. It can nearly eliminate constant sounds in the environment and will reduce lots of sudden noises. It’s better than the simplest implementations, although still not top-of-the-line. When not in this mode, the earphones will activate the ambient sound, which turns on the microphones so that you can hear everything around. I found the result to be very natural, which is positive.
Finally, battery life was good enough. With ANC activated, the capsules lasted almost 5 hours. When I turned ANC off, I got something around 6, and the case was able to provide more than 3 additional charges. These are standard results for this category of product in 2021.
Something I discovered at the end of my tests was that AirDots 3 Pro can be connected to two devices at the same time. In other words, they can be synchronized to a PC and a smartphone without any problem. Interesting.
My final impression is that this product isn’t spectacular in any regard, but it’s very competent at everything. Xiaomi delivered earphones that we can call complete, with a great hall of capabilities. The audio profile might not be my favorite out of the box, since I prefer more aggressive treble, although this can still be equalized to some level – and even if it isn’t, we still have good sound, no doubt about it.
Costing somewhere between $50 and $60, it seems like these are an easy recommendation, even when I consider the multiple options on the market today. You can’t go wrong with the AirDots 3 Pro, which should become a benchmark for affordable earphones in the coming months.