Realme Buds Air 5 Review: Surprisingly good sound and brimming with features

The Realme Buds Air 5 is an all-rounder in every sense of the word. My one complaint – battery life – is also not terrible; just not the best in the segment. The earphones are well-built and have a wonderful fit. The sound quality is tuned for the masses with a bass-forward approach, but realme hasn’t gone overboard with it, so the sound still maintains the integrity of the mids and highs. Add to that the plethora of features Realme has provided, and you’ve got yourself a winner! 

Realme recently launched the Realme Buds Air 5 alongside the more expensive Realme Buds Air 5 Pro model that we recently reviewed. While the Buds Air 5 Pro tackles the competitive ₹5K segment, the Realme Buds Air 5 compete against more affordable offerings such as the OnePlus Nord Buds 2 (review) and OPPO Enco Air3 (review). Over the years, Realme has successfully built a formidable portfolio of audio products and the new Buds Air 5 series seems like an excellent new addition to it. The Realme Buds Air 5 succeeds the popular Realme Buds Air 3 (review) and brings in many improvements such as 50 dB Active Noise Cancellation, longer-lasting battery life, and larger driver units. So, let’s see if the Realme Buds Air 5 – priced at ₹3,699 – is actually worth your money, or if there are better options out there.

Realme Buds Air 5 Review: Build, Design, and Fit

The Realme Buds Air 5 features a cobble-shaped charging case with a matte finish that has a luxurious sheen on it. The material is resistant to fingerprints, however, it could get scratched easily, so maintain some caution when storing it. The case has the ‘realme’ branding on the front alongside an LED charging indicator.

At the bottom, you get a USB Type-C charging port and an inconspicuous pairing button. Upon opening the case, you see the black-coloured innards with the earphones tucked in snuggly in their assigned slots. The front of the earbuds comes with handy L and R indicators as well. The charging case is extremely compact and will easily slip into small pockets and handbags. 

The case can be opened one-handed with ease. There are magnets inside that help cradle the earbuds securely and the hinge is pretty solid for the price. The earphones are available in two colour variants – Deep Sea Blue and Arctic White. I got the latter for review, and I was quite impressed with the understated yet classy look.

The earphones also sport the same matte finish. They have elongated stems with touch sensors on the top part. These worked pretty well during my testing with no instances of misreading, which is impressive. The buds are lightweight and fit snugly into my ear. Despite having no silicone wings for added support, these stayed put in my ears when I jogged or exercised. They come with an IPX5 rating, so they’re fully protected against damage from sweat or splashes, making them a good option for your workouts as well.

Realme Buds Air 5 Review: Features

The Realme Buds Air 5 are one of the most feature-laden pair of truly wireless earphones on the market under ₹4,000. Like its predecessor, the Buds Air 5 packs a bunch of premium features. Let me elaborate. These earbuds come with 50 dB Active Noise Cancellation – which is on the higher end of the spectrum at this price. The ANC performance is decent; it cuts out low-end sounds such as the hum of an AC or the drone of an airplane with relative ease, but noises such as traffic, car horns, or human voices leak through. 

There’s a Transparency Mode as well that amplifies ambient sound ensuring that you are aware of your surroundings. It works decently well, but it does sound a tad bit unnatural, so I hope Realme really works on this with the next iteration.

Users also get access to the Realme Link app. However, my review unit had quite a hard time connecting and staying connected to the app. There were several instances where the buds randomly disconnected from the app, and it would only fix itself if I disconnected and reconnected again. I hope realme smooths this over with an OTA update because the Realme Link app is possibly one of the most feature-rich accompanying apps at this price point.

There’s basic stuff like checking the battery levels of your earbuds and charging case, performing firmware updates, and more. You can also change noise cancellation modes (Noise Cancellation, Off, or Transparency). There’s a Smart Noise Cancellation option as well that adjusts the ANC level based on your environment, however, I don’t think it made much of a difference when I used it, so I just deferred to using the Max Noise Cancellation setting. 

You also get the option to customise the EQ using the 6-band equaliser that’s available in the app. There are also presets such as Serenade, Original Sound, Pure Bass, and Deep Bass that you can choose from – it comes with Pure Bass active on default and that’s what I used when testing the earbuds since most users will use it on default. There are also toggles for Dynamic Bass (which pumps up the bass response more) and Volume Enhancer.

You also get a Game Mode toggle that lowers the latency to merely 45 ms. This is very useful when watching OTT content or playing games. The app comes with an Earbud Fit Test as well to see if you’ve got a tight fit. Lastly, you can customise pretty much all the controls and realme has provided a ton of options here including Volume controls, which is rare!

App aside, the Realme Buds Air 5 also supports Dolby Atmos on select phones, Google Fast Pair, Bluetooth v5.3, and Smart Wear Detection. It is a kitted-out pair of TWS earphones, but it does miss out on multipoint connection which can let you connect to two devices simultaneously. That’s a bummer because it’s a highly useful feature.

Realme Buds Air 5 Review: Performance

Equipped with 12.4 mm drivers and SBC and AAC codec support, the Realme Buds Air 5 have a warm, V-shaped sound signature out of the box. I wish the company had added aptX or LDAC codec support since that would have taken the sound quality to the next level, but oh well. As I mentioned before, you can customise the sound via the app, but I will share my thoughts on the default sound signature. The sound favours the bass frequency with some boosting in the 20 Hz - 500 Hz range. However, it is not excessively boosted, as we see in some earphones in the budget segment.

In comparison to the OnePlus Nord Buds 2, the Realme Buds Air 5 have a more balanced sound profile. The bass, while boosted, doesn’t mask the clarity of the mids as much as the OnePlus Nord Buds 2 does. Instruments such as bass guitars and drums sound full-bodied and melodious. Male vocals also have good timbre and quality. The highs from 1.25 kHz to 5 kHz are boosted yet again to create a V-shaped sound signature. The warm quality of the lows combined with the sparkle of the treble creates a nice harmonious mix. 

The drop-off in the highs is slightly harsh but it won’t bother general consumers too much. There isn’t as much sibilance in the highs as on the Realme Buds Air 3, so that’s a step in the right direction. The imaging is also great with elements of tracks positioned accurately in the mix. The soundstage is quite narrow, but that is expected on earbuds of this size. Overall, these are one of the better-sounding earphones under ₹4,000. The only TWS earbuds that sound better than the Realme Buds Air 5 in my opinion are the OPPO Enco Air3, but you do miss out on Active Noise Cancellation on those.

As for the microphones, the company has provided a six-microphone setup – three in each earbud – that does a fine job when used for taking calls. My voice sounded clear on calls over mobile networks or the internet, so no complaints there. Ambient sounds, however, are sometimes let through in noisy areas.

Realme Buds Air 5 Review: Battery life 

The Realme Buds Air 5 comes with a rated battery life of 7 hours on the earbuds and 38 hours in total with the earbuds and charging case. This is a pretty decent improvement compared to its predecessor, but I felt that the battery life with ANC turned on is quite mediocre. The company promises 4.5 hours on the earbuds and 22 hours in total with ANC or Transparency Mode turned on.

In my testing, I got 4 hours of playback from the earbuds with ANC turned on and the battery at 50 per cent. The charging case provided 3 full charges and had some battery left to spare – but not enough for a fourth full charge. These numbers, while decent, are beaten by competitors such as the OnePlus Nord Buds 2. So, realme could have done better here. There is fast charging support here, which is a good thing, but no wireless charging. But that’s forgiven at this price point.

Realme Buds Air 5 Review: Verdict

The Realme Buds Air 5 is an all-rounder in every sense of the word. My one complaint – battery life – is also not terrible; just not the best in the segment. The earphones are well-built and have a wonderful fit. The sound quality is tuned for the masses with a bass-forward approach, but realme hasn’t gone overboard with it, so the sound still maintains the integrity of the mids and highs. Add to that the plethora of features Realme has provided, and you’ve got yourself a winner! Yes, there are no high-quality codecs and there’s no multipoint connectivity, but these features are rarely seen at this price anyway. 

The Realme Buds Air 5 is one of my top 3 recommendations for the best TWS earphones to get under ₹4K, and I think it will stay there for a while – or at least until realme comes out with the next iteration.

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realme Buds Air 5 Pro Review: A bass lovers dream with a well-rounded feature set

If you have made it to this part of the review, then you probably already know what my exact words are going to be for the realme Buds Air 5 Pro. In terms of effort, I would give realme a solid A+. These earbuds surely stand out in the market filled with offerings like the Oppo Enco Air 3 Pro and the Sony WF-C500, both of which make compelling cases for themselves.

The build, features, and battery life of the realme Buds Air 5 Pro, coupled with their dual driver design, makes them a great recommendation. If you are not a fan of their bass-forward sound signature, then you can change that in the app. But, if that is something that you do not want to do, then I would say go for the Oppo Enco Air 3 Pro. And, if you want a pair of TWS earbuds with better performance, no ANC, but excellent fit and battery life, then I would say, spend some extra money and go for the Sony WF-C500 earbuds.

realme has added another pair of TWS earbuds to their lineup. The realme Buds Air 5 Pro. These earbuds come with co-axial dual drivers and are priced at ₹4,999. In a market that is filled with brands competing for the top spot, realme has brought in some top-of-the-line features to this segment, which has seen specs of brilliance, but not a lot of products are something that makes for an instant recommendation. When I was first introduced to the Buds Air 5 Pro, I expected them to be in the same league, but without giving away much, I would like to say that realme is holding its ground well. Have a look at my full review of the realme Buds Air 5 Pro –

realme Buds Air 5 Pro: Build and Design

In terms of design and build, at first glance, the realme Buds Air 5 Pro is indistinguishable from its predecessors. But once you pop the lid open, you start to notice the differences between the two. Let’s start with the design of the earbuds. realme, with the Air 5 Pro, has gone with a fairly monochromatic design aesthetic. 

Previously, we have seen the brand go with a dual-tone design, which in my opinion, looks slightly better and helps the product stand out. But the minimalist in me, loved the way Realme played with different shades of white on the earbuds, especially the stem. 

The buds fit well in my ear, and the stem design, which I am a fan of, ensured that the buds stayed in place, even when I was out on my daily morning runs or on my way to the office on the train. Talking about taking them out in the open. These earbuds are IPX5 rated so exposing them to a bit of splashes should not be an issue. They are lightweight, and wearing them for long periods of time is not an issue at all! realme has included three different sizes of silicone ear tips, and that should be enough for most of you planning to take the plunge.

As for the case, it retains most of the aesthetics of the realme Buds Air 3 case, with the oval bean-shaped design with a slight indent at the top, housing the branding, filled up with a transparent layer. The case has a glossy finish, which means that it very easily picks up scratches and scuffs, so I would recommend that you use the earbuds with care, if you want to retain their looks. The hinge is sturdy and the magnets do well to hold the lid in place. 

On the side of the case, you get a clicky silver-coloured button, which can be used to make the earbuds enter pairing mode. I love when brands add this on the case, because for someone, who switches between devices a LOT, this button can come in clutch when you are troubleshooting connectivity issues of any kind.

Considering that these earbuds will be retailing around the ₹5,000 mark, I would have expected realme to add in a metallic hinge. But, that is just me asking for more, and the corners they cut here, they made up for in the performance department. Or so it seems. We will talk about it later. For now, let’s look at the features of the Realme Buds Air 5 Pro.

realme Buds Air 5 Pro: Features

In terms of the features, realme has packed in a decent number of them in the realme Buds Air 5 Pro. First on the list are the two most interesting ones of the lot for me – 360-degree spatial audio, and Personalized Audio Algorithm. As someone who daily drives the Apple AirPods Pro (2nd Generation), and having tested/experienced a couple of dozen earbuds in the last 12 months, I am pretty well versed with both these features. 

With the Buds Air 5 Pro, I was surprised to see how well they worked! The spatial audio is different from what we have on Apple devices, but for what its worth, the feature was indeed very interesting to experiment with. 

Add to the mix, the support for LDAC audio CODEC and Hi-Res Audio Certification, and you have a recipe for success in India. Why I say in India? You shall find that out in the performance section of the review.

Then there is the realme Link app. My fellow reviewer, Dhriti, in her review of the realme Buds Air 3 last year, had noted that, “The app allows users to access a wide array of features and controls that enhance the overall user experience.” Since the time of publishing the review, the app has undergone further development and has become even better. The UI and UX of the app, coupled with the features that it brings to the table, makes it completely worth it to install the app! And I would recommend you do that, the first thing after getting your hands on the earbuds.

One of the other highlights for me on these earbuds is the wearing detection. I have never seen any earbud come close to the AirPods in terms of responsiveness to wearing detection. But with these, I was happily surprised and proven wrong. The wear detection on these earbuds worked like a charm during my time of use.

The touch controls on these earbuds are well-implemented. However, during my time of use, I often ended up missing the touch-sensitive area because of the rounded stem. I believe with the next iteration of the earbuds, a rounded stem with an indented bottom part, which has pinch controls, would be the ideal thing for the brand to do. But, there is not much to complain about the current setup. It works well, but is not the best in my opinion. 

The realme Buds Air 5 Pro pack support for 40 ms low latency mode, Google Fast Pair, Dual-device Connection 2.0, and a 6-mic array for noise cancellation on calls. And the ANC complimented by the excellent Transparency mode, makes it a very well-rounded package. We have seen similarly priced earbuds come with a much weaker feature set. So, kudos to realme for their feature selection and implementation!

realme Buds Air 5 Pro: Performance

Coming to the part, which I was the most interested in, the performance of the realme Buds Air 5 Pro. The brand with these earbuds has included a pair of co-axial drivers in these earbuds. What this means is that instead of only one driver being present in the buds, there are two drivers packed in to ensure that they are handling the reproduction of different frequencies. Now, when such a thing is implemented in earbuds, the problem of auditory masking comes in very frequently. What it means is that, due to a disparity in the tuning of the two drivers producing different frequencies, one range of frequencies, for example, the lows, might overpower or adversely affect the other, for example, highs.

Before moving on to the performance analysis, a word about the driver selection by realme in the Buds Air 5 Pro. The earbuds have an 11 + 6 mm driver configuration, with the 11 mm driver being the one handling the low frequencies, which is the bass, and the 6 mm driver handling the mids and the highs. 

Now, when listening to the earbuds, I could definitely feel the presence of the two-driver setup, both in a good and a bad way. And when I ran it through our test setup, I was satisfied to know what I had been thinking about these buds. As you can see, there is a massive boost in the bass frequencies, meaning that the earbuds have a lot of thump in their sound. Now, while bass lovers will celebrate this fact, anyone who is a fan of listening to music that is heavy on the vocals will know what this means and would feel like. As I had prefaced, there is some auditory masking happening around the low mids and the high bass frequencies.

While it is not as bad as some of the other examples I have come across in my training period, for me, it was enough to bring down some of the scores of the earbuds in our scoring sheet. In tracks like Uptown Funk, where there is a very heavy bass line present, the vocals of the backing artists go for a toss. And, the same in movies. If you are watching a sequence with an ensemble of actors with a bassy voice, then you will be lost, hunting for some of the dialogues here and there.

As I said earlier, if you are a fan of music genres like pop, hip-hop, or Bollywood, basically any form of music that has a LOT of bass-heavy instruments like drums and bass guitars, these earbuds will put a smile on your face. However, purists, be ready to take the realme Link app for a spin to ensure that the audio is as close to neutral as possible.

For whatever reason, you are not willing to take the extra effort of tuning the audio to your liking, then I would recommend you look at the Oppo Enco Air 3 Pro TWS earbuds. They come at the same price, have a great fit, feature set, and sound signature that came very close to our baseline Pink Noise readings, but with a boost in the highs. So keep that in mind!

Coming to the ANC, it did its job well. In heavy traffic, when on the sidewalk, I could hear the occasional high-pitched horn and vehicle sounds creeping in, but for the most part, the earphones did the job well. In indoor environments, like my office, when I had these earphones on, I could barely hear my co-workers who are far away from me, and the sound of the AC, which sits right above my head was also muted for the most part. The adaptive ANC was a hit and a miss. To describe its working, I would like to use a fabled internet quote - Sometimes maybe good, sometimes maybe s…

The microphone on these earbuds, thanks to the 6-Mic array that is there at work eliminates any unnecessary noise from seeping into your calls. The audio was slightly coloured to make it bass-heavy. But that was the case with me. Your mileage may vary depending on how you sound, your environment, and what the computational algorithm thinks your voice should sound like. All in all, excellent work realme!

realme Buds Air 5 Pro: Battery Life

realme claims that the Buds Air 5 Pro sport a 40-hour battery life in total, with the buds lasting 11 hours. When I put these earbuds to test, with ANC on and volume set to 50 per cent, the buds lasted about 8 hours and 48 minutes before running out of charge. Now, assuming that you turn ANC off, your can definitely clock in numbers close to the ones claimed by realme. Again, well done. We have earbuds in the same price range that last barely 5 hours with ANC on, and their build is much heftier than realme’s. 

If you are out of charge, then realme claims that you would in no time be able to juice these up. As per the brand’s claims, you can get up to 7 hours of music playback with just 10 minutes of charge. That is awesome!

realme Buds Air 5 Pro: Verdict

If you have made it to this part of the review, then you probably already know what my exact words are going to be for the realme Buds Air 5 Pro. In terms of effort, I would give realme a solid A+. These earbuds surely stand out in the market filled with offerings like the Jabra Elite 4 and the Nothing Ear (2), both of which make compelling cases for themselves.

The build, features, and battery life of the realme Buds Air 5 Pro, coupled with their dual driver design, makes them a great recommendation. If you are not a fan of their bass-forward sound signature, then you can change that in the app. But, if that is something that you do not want to do, then I would say go for the Oppo Enco Air 3 Pro. And, if you want a pair of TWS earbuds with better performance, no ANC, but excellent fit and battery life, then I would say, spend some extra money and go for the Sony WF-C500 earbuds.

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Realme 11x 5G Review: Buy it for the camera

Buy the Realme 11x 5G for its impressive and reliable camera. The 64 MP camera outshines most of its similarly-priced competitors, and the 2x in-sensor, near-lossless zoom opens up avenues for some great shots. However, if you value battery life or display, I would recommend other options instead. For great battery life and display, my primary recommendation would be the Samsung Galaxy M34 instead, since it lasts twice as long and has a solid Super AMOLED display. And for faster gaming performance, the iQOO Z7 5G would be your best bet. 

It’s getting hard to keep up with the flurry of smartphone launches in 2023; but hey, it’s my job and I immensely enjoy it. Now, Realme has added another couple of devices to this flurry of launches; hot on the heels of the Realme 11 Pro (review) and Realme 11 Pro+ (review) launch. The latest smartphones in Realme’s vast portfolio are the Realme 11 5G and its toned-down sibling – the Realme 11x 5G. I’m reviewing the latter, and while this phone looks pretty basic at first glance, there are some things that set it apart from the competition. For instance, you’ve got Realme’s 2x in-sensor zoom, which was popularised on the Realme 11 Pro series, and a rather polarising design. The phone is situated in the ₹14-16K price bracket in India where Realme doesn’t have an overbearing presence, so let’s see if it can make enough of an impact to take on the likes of the Samsung Galaxy M34 5G (review), and iQOO Z7 5G (review). Read on for my detailed review of the latest Realme 11x 5G.

Realme 11x 5G Review: Build and Design

The Realme 11x 5G comes in two colourways – Purple Dawn and Midnight Black. I got the former for review and I’d definitely say that the design language is polarising. You either love it or hate it. The back panel is a shimmery Purple-Blue colour that shines bright under direct light. It also creates this illuminated S-shaped design when the light hits it at a certain angle. Now, if you’re a fan of subtle and classy designs, you may want to give this one a miss because it looks slightly garish in person. However, the Midnight Black version may still be your cup of tea since it is slightly more muted.

The shimmery back panel is made of glossy plastic and it attracts a fair amount of fingerprints and smudges; although not as much as plain ol’ glossy backs. The Realme branding doesn’t take up too much space, but the same cannot be said for the camera module. You’ve got a large circular camera module on the top left corner of the back panel that houses dual cameras and a flash module. The words “64 MP AI Camera” are also etched above the flash. 

Given the substantial size of the camera module and its placement, the phone rocks considerably when placed on a flat surface. Realme has also adopted a flat-edged design with the Realme 11x 5G, so the metallic-looking sides are completely flat with no curves at all. The same goes for the rear panel and the display; no curves here as well. I personally found the phone to be slightly uncomfortable to hold for long periods because of this design trait.

Moving on to buttons and ports, the Realme 11x 5G features volume rockers and a power button on the right side. The buttons are tactile and the power button doubles as a fingerprint sensor. It is accurate and speedy, so props to Realme here. The bottom of the phone houses a USB Type C charging port, a 3.5 mm audio jack, and a single mono speaker. The left side features the SIM tray with slots for two SIM cards and a microSD card. 

Realme 11x 5G Review: Display

The Realme 11x 5G has a pretty basic display for the display. The bezels are uneven – especially the bottom chin bezel which is disproportionately thick. It is a 6.72-inch Full HD+ IPS LCD display with 120 Hz refresh rate support. 

I was disappointed to see that Realme hasn’t gone for an OLED display here since similarly priced competitors like the iQOO Z7, Samsung Galaxy M34, and Moto G52 all sport AMOLED displays. Add to that, a single mono speaker, and this is definitely not a device I’d recommend for content consumption at this price point. You’d be better off going for any of the devices I mentioned before.

That being said, the display is not bad for an LCD panel. The detail is good enough and it is bright enough at 518 nits of peak brightness, according to our tests. However, the colours lack punch, they feel pretty muted compared to the competition. Additionally, the viewing angles are mediocre, at best. There is no HDR certification, but you do get Widevine L1 support, which means you can watch HD content on OTT platforms.

Realme 11x 5G Review: Performance

The Realme 11x 5G sports MediaTek’s new Dimensity 6100+ 5G SoC, just like its more expensive sibling, the Realme 11 5G. It boasts a maximum clock speed of 2.2 GHz and is manufactured on the 6 nm process. The phone comes with 6 or 8 GB of LPDDR4X RAM, with Dynamic RAM Expansion up to 8 GB. However, virtual RAM (dubbed Dynamic RAM by Realme) isn’t as powerful as actual RAM. You also get 128 GB of UFS 2.2 storage, alongside the option to expand the memory via microSD card.

The Dimensity 6100+ does a pretty decent job at keeping up with its competitors on phones such as the Samsung Galaxy M34 and iQOO Z7, however, it did come up short in a couple of benchmarks. Starting with AnTuTu and GeekBench, the performance is competitive, but it falls behind in both tests. However, it does pull ahead of the iQOO Z7 in PCMark Work, which means it should be able to handle productivity-based tasks slightly better.

In GPU benchmarks though, the gap is substantial. In both 3D Mark Wild Life and GFXBench tests, the Realme 11x 5G scores almost half as much as the iQOO Z7 and Samsung Galaxy M34. I felt the difference in real-world gaming performance as well, where I could easily play Call of Duty: Mobile on the Samsung Galaxy M34 on High Graphics but the Realme 11x struggled to handle it with consistent frame rates. The Realme 11x performed decently well when gaming on Medium graphics, but go any higher and you’ll face some stutters.

I faced a similar issue when it came to multitasking. Despite having 8 GB RAM, plus the option to expand it via virtual RAM, the phone seemed laggy at times – which is bewildering. Especially when booting up and clicking pictures. My bet would be that the phone’s processor isn’t well-tuned enough so far since it is quite new and Realme’s array of third-party apps and bloatware don’t really help.

Nevertheless, the performance is adequate for day-to-day tasks; scrolling feels smooth with 120 Hz active minus the occasional stutters we spoke about. We really feel that there are better phones at the same price for gaming enthusiasts though.

Moving on to software, the Realme 11x 5G will get 2 years of OS updates and 3 years of security updates, which is standard for the company. As usual, Realme UI 4.0 is still brimming with bloatware and preinstalled third-party applications. Many of these can be uninstalled, but many can’t. The UI has a lot of features, but it is let down by the excessive bloatware.

Realme 11x 5G Review: Cameras

According to me, the camera is the highlight of the Realme 11x 5G. Everything so far, including the performance, display, and build, has been pretty average, but the primary camera is where Realme has put in that extra work. The Realme 11x 5G comes packing a 64 MP primary camera with f/1.79 aperture and a nominal 2 MP portrait lens. The 2 MP lens isn’t worthy of a lot of acclaim since its function could be achieved by software as well, but the 64 MP primary camera stands out.

At this price, you get some crisp and detailed shots with good dynamic range and colour. There’s very little softness in the pictures and even close-up pictures look brilliant with great natural depth of field. The 64 MP lens manages to capture most scenes accurately, without blowing out the colours out of proportion by excessively saturating them. Here are some camera samples, but note that they've been compressed for the web:

Portrait images look decent as well. I did find a bit of softness creep in here on subjects’ faces, but the edge detection is decent and colours look good in ideal lighting. 

What’s the most impressive is the 2x in-sensor zoom (or near lossless zoom). It gives users the benefit of having telephoto-like functionality without actually having a physical telephoto sensor. The 2x zoomed shots are taken by cropping into the 64 MP shots – since it has a lot of pixels, it can crop in safely without sacrificing much detail. The resulting images look sharp, detailed, and crisp.

Photo taken with the 2x in-sensor zoom mode

The 8 MP selfie camera performs as expected; the colours look nice – a tad saturated, but the detail is a bit washed out. Portrait selfies are usable if clicked in good lighting as well.

Low-light images from the main camera have some noise, but the detail is well-retained for the price. The colours are slightly washed out though. Selfie photos have a lot of noise in low light.

Realme 11x 5G Review: Battery Life

The Realme 11x 5G houses a 5,000 mAh battery which keeps the lights on. However, it doesn’t do so for as long as I expected. The battery life of the Realme 11x 5G is strictly mediocre. In our routine 4K video loop test, where we play a video at full brightness on VLC, the phone lasted merely 9 hours and 6 minutes, which is much lower than the competition. 

For example, the Samsung Galaxy M34 5G lasted a whopping 21.5 hours in the same test. So, if battery life is your main concern, give this one a skip since it doesn’t match its competitors. Even when playing COD: Mobile, the phone drained a lot of battery than others at the same price. It lost 7 per cent of its battery in just 15 minutes (from 80 to 73 per cent), which is disappointing.

Charging speeds are quite decent though. You get 33 W SUPERVOOC wired charging which topped up our review unit from zero to full in just 1 hour and 14 minutes. 

Realme 11x 5G Review: Verdict

Buy the Realme 11x 5G for its impressive and reliable camera. The 64 MP camera outshines most of its similarly-priced competitors, and the 2x in-sensor, near-lossless zoom opens up avenues for some great shots. However, if you value battery life or display, I would recommend other options instead. For great battery life and display, my primary recommendation would be the Samsung Galaxy M34 instead, since it lasts twice as long and has a solid Super AMOLED display. And for faster gaming performance, the iQOO Z7 5G would be your best bet. The Realme 11x 5G shines in one area – the camera. However, given the more well-rounded phones in this price range, it would not be my number one choice. Still, if cameras are your only concern, this is one of the best, if not the best.

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Marshall Woburn III Review: Elegant and powerful, but lacks some basics

Luxurious and powerful, the Marshall Woburn III stuns with premium looks and impactful sound at first. However, delve deeper and you’ll find that at ₹59,999, there are quite a few misses. There’s no aptX or LDAC codec support, which brings it down from the pedestal it could occupy in the premium speaker space. A great alternative is the AIWA RS-X150 Natsukasii Pro (review) which comes with AAC and LDAC support and is also cheaper! Additionally, the Marshall Woburn III lacks Wi-Fi or voice assistant support, which you get on speakers at half the price. What you won’t get is the carefully crafted blend of classy and retro aesthetics that Marshall has mastered over the years.

Marshall is a legendary audio brand widely known for its celebrated guitar amplifiers. The brand also has a wide portfolio of speakers and headphones, all renowned for their build and sound quality. So, naturally, when I got the opportunity to review the third iteration of Marshall’s flagship speakers, I was immediately excited. The Marshall Woburn III is one of the most pricey speakers you can find on the market at ₹59,999. For that dough, you get a beautiful build, powerful speakers, and an accompanying app. But is the new Marshall Woburn III worth its asking price or are there better options out there? Let’s find out in my detailed review of the Marshall Woburn III. 

Marshall Woburn III Review: Build and Design

The design of the Marshall Woburn III is reminiscent of Marshall’s old guitar amplifiers. It is a hunk of a speaker at nearly 7.5 kilograms and it measures 12.5 by 15.8 by 8.0 inches. The Woburn III is undeniably retro-looking and I think it looks very aesthetically pleasing – so much so, that it would make for a fine showpiece in your living room. However, with these dimensions, the speaker wouldn’t comfortably fit under any TV, which is a shame since it has HDMI connectivity.

The build quality is excellent though; one of the best in the business. The faux leather material and brass control knobs look ridiculously premium. Up front, the cloth speaker grille with the cursive ‘Marshall’ branding set it apart visually. The overall design language screams retro and premium. You can also choose between two colourways – Black and Cream – both of which look equally stunning.

The knobs include volume controls, bass and treble adjusters. There’s also a play/pause button, a track skip forward/backward slider knob, and a source button (Bluetooth, AUX, RCA, or HDMI). And lastly, you’ve got the power switch that is quite literally reminiscent of ‘switches’ of the yesteryears.

One thing missing on the speaker is a carrying strap, but the company has included a cavity in the back panel which you can slip your hand into. It helps make it a bit easier to carry the speaker, but a carrying strap would have taken that a step further. However, it is not really aimed to be a portable speaker, since it does require constant power to operate. As for connectivity options, the speaker has Bluetooth v5.2, HDMI, RCA, and a 3.5 mm jack. 

Marshall has attempted to use sustainable materials in the construction of the Woburn III. It has a PVC-free build which comprises of 70 per cent recycled plastic and vegan leather materials. So, props to the company for that.

Marshall Woburn III Review: Features

Luxury speakers – while usually premium-looking – miss out on some features that are found on other consumer brands’ offerings. Here, we miss out on Wi-Fi connectivity and voice assistant support. I did miss Wi-Fi support as speakers from Sonos and other such companies usually pack full Wi-Fi connectivity and features. There’s no official IP rating as well, so be wary of using the speaker around water or dust.

There’s an accompanying app that allows for some basic customisation. There’s an in-app EQ but it is not visual and only allows you to control the bass and treble frequencies – which you can also control via the physical controls, so there are no additional benefits in the EQ department on the app. 

There’s a Placement Compensation feature within the app that asks you two basic questions to ascertain the position of the speaker in your room and adjust the sound accordingly, to eventually provide a more room-filling sound. Marshall has also added Night Mode which lowers louder sounds but ensures that quiet sounds are still clear and audible. I didn’t find a tangible difference when connected to Bluetooth, but the feature seems to be aimed at HDMI usage, so it could be more effective with HDMI connection.

That aside, you get basic playback controls, the ability to update the firmware, and… that’s about it. It is a pretty barebones app in terms of features. The same is true for the speaker as well; you’ve got a couple of features that work decently well, but that’s about it.

Marshall Woburn III Review: Performance

Behind the speaker grille of the Marshall Woburn III, you’ve got a 90 W Class D amplifier that powers a 6-inch woofer, dual 15 W amplifiers for the two 2-inch mid-range speakers, and dual 15W Class D amplifiers that drive the two 0.75-inch tweeters. The speaker supports a frequency range of 35 Hz - 20,000 Hz and is only compatible with the SBC codec. Here lies the gravest shortcoming of Marshall Woburn III. It is hard to give Marshall a pass for the fact that the speaker doesn’t come with aptX or LDAC codecs since it is priced at a whopping ₹59,999.

The drivers on the Marshal Woburn III pack a punch and are very capable, however, the lack of LDAC or aptX means that you can’t play hi-fidelity FLAC music to its full potential over Bluetooth. If you connect using a wired source, high-fidelity playback is possible, of course. 

The speaker has a V-shaped sound signature with boosted lows and highs, however, they don’t impact the clarity of the mids given the fantastic tuning of the drivers. The low-end has a nice punch to it, and instruments such as kick drums are driven with ease even at low volume levels. In Another One Bites the Dust by Queen, the low-end rumble sounds detailed and has a lot of presence without being overbearing. 

I did notice that there is some discernible distortion at high volume levels though. The speaker gets extremely loud though, so you won’t usually need to push it to maximum volume levels. In fact, it can encompass a large space with room-filling sound at 60-70 per cent volume. At these volume levels, the lows sound clean, the bass has great rumble, and the mids are detailed with sparkly highs to complement. It is not a flat sound profile, but it has character and is very enjoyable. LDAC or aptX codec support would definitely be a cherry on top, but alas, it is missing.

Marshall Woburn III Review: Verdict

Luxurious and powerful, the Marshall Woburn III stuns with premium looks and impactful sound at first. However, delve deeper and you’ll find that at ₹59,999, there are quite a few misses. There’s no aptX or LDAC codec support, which brings it down from the pedestal it could occupy in the premium speaker space. A great alternative is the AIWA RS-X150 Natsukasii Pro (review) which comes with AAC and LDAC support and is also cheaper!

Additionally, the Marshall Woburn III lacks Wi-Fi or voice assistant support, which you get on speakers at half the price. What you won’t get is the carefully crafted blend of classy and retro aesthetics that Marshall has mastered over the years. If looks are the most important to you, the Marshall Woburn III is one of the most artfully-designed speakers you can buy in 2023. For everything else, we have seen better.

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Sony WF-C700N Review: Delivering on the promises made

The Sony WF C700N is a well-rounded pair of earbuds with a sound signature that would appeal to the masses in India and ANC that draws from its pricier cousins and makes them hold their ground well. There are a few kinks, like the button-based control interface, which I would like Sony to work on. One last thing before I wrap up this review. Like it is with all audio products, please try these earbuds once before you take the plunge, as the fit is something that would make or break the experience for you. And if these do not fit well, then I would say, explore options like the Nothing Ear (2) which features a stem-based design or the Jabra Elite 4 which have a similar approach to their design, but manage to work wonders with their fit and overall product quality.

The latest in Sony’s lineup of TWS earbuds are their WF-C700N TWS earbuds. These aim to fill the gap between the cheaper WF-C500 and the WF-LS900N (aka LinkBuds S). Sony has borrowed the design of these earbuds from the budget C500 and some of the hardware from the pricier products in its lineup. I was told that these earbuds are targeted to deliver quality ANC and be one of the lightest offerings in the budget. Sony has been quite keen on penetrating the Indian audio market, so when these earbuds showed at the Digit Test Centre, I was curious to see if they stand out to the Indian consumer in a market filled with options like the Nothing Ear (2) and the Jabra Elite 4, both of which have a cult-like following. So, here’s my review of the Sony WF-C700N –

Sony WF-C700N: Build and Design

When you look at the case of the Sony WF-C700N, you are instantly reminded of the WF-C500. The brand has made it to be the better specced and pricier cousin of their mid-tier TWS earbuds. The C700N carries over a LOT of the design from the C500 and leaves little to be desired when it comes to day-to-day use.

The buds, with their rounded design, fit well in the ears. I have an affinity for earbuds with short stems. However, when I was testing the WF-C700N, I was pleasantly surprised. They are lightweight, and you get three options of ear tips in the box to pair with them to ensure that you are getting a great fit when you are putting them on. It is especially important because the ANC performance of the earbuds is dependent on the fit that you are getting with the buds. While on the topic of ANC, its addition to the earbuds means that we get one of the most standout changes to the design of the buds. To accommodate the microphones for ANC, Sony has added its signature circular grills to the earbuds, which makes them differentiable from the C500, which would not have been the case if it wasn’t there. 

The case of the earbuds comes with a solid textured top, with the rest of the body carrying a similar design from the C500. While at first, it looks solid and robust, as far as my experience with such materials and texture goes, the textured top is an open invitation for dust and gunk to accumulate over time. With that said, if you are regularly cleaning it with a damp cloth and taking care of the case, there shouldn’t be much to worry about.

The case is very pocketable, with the rounded edges ensuring that sliding it in and out of your pocket is easy and it does not get stuck in the lining of your pockets. The magnets used to hold the earbuds in place are strong. The same is the case with the ones holding the lid in place. However, in my day-to-day use, I found them to be a bit too strong, and I found opening the case with one hand a task. 

With the C500, our lead audio reviewer, Dhriti, noted that the physical control buttons, in place of touch/capacitive controls, are something that should have been changed. She had very rightly noted that the very act of pressing the buttons to trigger basic actions repeatedly could lead to stress in the inner ear, as the earbuds are being pushed further into the ear canal with each push. With these earbuds, Sony seems to have addressed that, with the button press feeling much softer. However, that introduces the problem of accidental triggers, which were a common thing for me.

The buds have IPX4 water resistance. Now this is also something I would also want the brand to rework in the next release.

Now, let’s look at the features that the Sony WF-C700N comes packing with and how they fare against those of the competitors.

Sony WF-C700N: Features

The are two main areas where Sony has made changes to the C700N over the C500 TWS earbuds in terms of features – multi-point connection and Active Noise Cancellation. As I mentioned before, the C700N bring to the table Active Noise Cancellation to a pair that, despite the lack of it, was impressive and popular in the Indian market. The addition of ANC has not only made it better but also opened it up to a whole new consumer and competitor segment. And ANC also means a hike in price, which is justifiable, given the quality of ANC, is better than many other competing earbuds. More on that in the next section.

With the growing number of people getting into hybrid working/study environments, multi-point connectivity is in this transitionary phase, where it is going from being a novelty to now becoming a necessity. Sony has caught up to that trend and has added it to the C700N. Now, given that it is Sony, I expected the feature to work well, and it did!

The Headphones Connect app is not my favourite, mainly because of its interface, which in my opinion, is a bit overwhelming at times. However, it does provide almost everything that you would need from a TWS companion app. There are customizability options lathered throughout so that you can make the earbuds truly your own.

DSEE (Digital Sound Enhancement Engine), Sony’s homegrown AI-based music upscaling technology, works like a charm on these earbuds. Having been someone who daily drives the Apple AirPods Pro (2nd Gen) paired with Apple Music, I was surprised to see how well the earbuds handled upscaling. When listening to some of the tracks which I jam to on a daily basis, there were one-off instances where the processing did not go as I had expected it to. However, I cannot complain much, given how well it worked the rest of the time. Sony has only added support for SBC and AAC codecs, which I believe could have been better if they included LDAC or aptX as well.

Sony WF-C700N: Performance

In terms of performance, Sony has made significant improvements to the sound signature of the earbuds. As you can see in the graph, the boost in the low frequencies, which drive the bass and the highs, balance each other out, and the mids, staying close to our baseline reading of Pink Noise, ensures that the sound signature is well-rounded, especially for the price.

Sony has now started focussing on products that are tuned for Indian audiences. With these earbuds, the sound signature is well suited for the genres like Bollywood, Pop, and Hip Hop, which have been all the rage amongst Indian audiences. When comparing the sound of these earbuds to the likes of Nothing Ear (2) and the Jabra Elite 4, in my opinion, these earbuds are much better suited for an audience that enjoys that thump in the bass.

In case you do not like the bass or the boost in the highs is causing you discomfort over longer periods of listening, then you can always go to the Sony Headphones Connect app and tune the audio to your liking. The EQ baked into the app has a fair number of presets as well, which ensures that the earbuds can be tuned to your liking. 

As for the microphone, the Sonys did not disappoint me. I tested them in a variety of scenarios, and these earbuds were up to the mark in all of them. In situations where there was a LOT of noise, like a railway platform, there was some level of noise that seeped through to the receiver. However, apart from that, there was not much to complain about here.

Staying on the topic of noisy environment, let’s talk about the noise cancellation of these earbuds. Given that these earbuds have a great fit in the ears, half the battle is won right there. At least in my case, where I got a snug fit with the small-sized ear tips. With ANC on, I could not hear the low-end rumbling sounds of the AC, which sits right above my head in the office. During my commutes to and fro from work on the train and in auto, the WF C700N earbuds did well to ensure that I could not hear most of the heavy sounds around me.

These earbuds pack the same hardware as Sony’s high-end TWS earbuds. The only place where they have been held back from running away with best-in-class ANC is the software-level processing. So, it wasn’t surprising to see that the earbuds did well in some of the most challenging situations as well. I would still say there is some room for improvement, especially with the handling of high-end sounds like shrill horns and the like. But, for the most part, these earbuds hold their ground well.

In terms of battery life, these earbuds lasted about four and a half hours in our Pink Noise loop test with ANC on and volume set to 50 per cent, which is pretty close to Sony’s claims of the 5-hour of battery life that these earbuds carry. And, when you are out of juice, you can harness the quick charge capability of the earbuds to ensure that you get a claimed 60-minute run time in just 10 minutes of charging!

Sony WF-C700N: Verdict

The Sony WF-C700N is a well-rounded pair of earbuds with a sound signature that would appeal to the masses in India and ANC that draws from its pricier cousins and makes them hold their ground well. There are a few kinks, like the button-based control interface, which I would like Sony to work on. One last thing before I wrap up this review. Like it is with all audio products, please try these earbuds once before you take the plunge, as the fit is something that would make or break the experience for you. And if these do not fit well, then I would say, explore options like the Nothing Ear (2) which features a stem-based design or the Jabra Elite 4 which have a similar approach to their design, but manage to work wonders with their fit and overall product quality.

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