Redmi AirDots: popular Xiaomi wireless TWS headphones

In 2016, Apple introduced the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus. The bone of contention in these devices was the lack of a 3.5 mm mini-jack, which is familiar to many. As a solution for listening to music, right at the presentation, following the new iPhones, we were shown AirPods - the first TWS headphones from Apple. I remember watching this presentation, and if I had mixed feelings about the iPhone, I definitely liked the AirPods. The format of headphones that are completely wireless seemed too futuristic to me. As is usually the case, the Cupertino team set a new trend and everyone who was not too lazy began churning out headphone models in this particular format. And this is great, because over time, there is more scope for choice to suit every pocket. If you want a cool sound, you can take something from Bose or Sennheiser; if you want to save money, then take something from Chinese brands. Gradually, the price of TWS began to decrease and today I have in my hands, perhaps, the best TWS headphones that cost only $20 - Xiaomi Redmi AirDots.

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How do TWS headphones work? Is there magic in this?

Of course, there is no magic in this technology. In this type of headphones, one of them, usually the right one, acts as the main one and performs the function of a repeater. In simple terms, it connects to the phone, takes audio data from it via a communication channel, buffers it (so that there is no delay) and transmits it to the left earphone. All. On some models, the main earphone function can be reassigned. Yes, everything is quite simple, but no less impressive. Agree, we could only dream about such gadgets before and enjoy them in science fiction films.

In ultra-cheap headphones from all sorts of no-name brands, of which there are hundreds, if not thousands, on AliExpress, not one earphone is attached to the smartphone, but two at once. The problem with this solution is that you need to constantly connect first one earphone, then the other. And the signal quality in such solutions leaves much to be desired. There is no need to talk about sound. I had similar ones, I’m ashamed to admit, but they were a pretty cheap copy of AirPods. I bought them for utilitarian purposes - running and cycling, but they did not cope with this task. When playing music, it was interrupted by the rattling of the driver inside the case, and they only lasted an hour and a half on the battery. Don't repeat my mistakes and don't waste your money. Let's talk about the heroes of today's review.

Functionality

Xiaomi Airdots are suitable not only for Android devices, but also for iPhones. The case has a built-in battery with a capacity of 350 mAh, this reserve should be enough for three full charges of the headset.

Each Xiaomi headphone has a 40 mAh battery, which is 3-3.5 hours of operation. The case itself takes two hours to charge. The buttons on Airdots are mechanical and protected from accidental touches.

You can use the Hands free system. Voice assistant available. Support for A2DP, AVRCP, and Headset profiles provides high-quality stereo sound.

In Xiaomi Airdots, the manufacturer declares the IPX4 protocol, that is, splash protection. The maximum distance between working headphones is up to 7 meters. The operating range with line of sight is 20-25 meters, and with obstacles - up to 10 meters.

How to connect and use

Before you start using Redmi Airdots, you need to charge the case and headset. Please note that there is a protective film on the indicator and it needs to be removed.

On the body of each Xiaomi Redmi there is a mechanical button and an LED indicator on it. When charging, the indicator lights up red, while connecting - white.

Xiaomi switches on automatically when removed from the case. If the Airdots are removed from the case with a time difference of more than 20 seconds, they will have to be turned on manually.

To do this, you need to hold your finger on the outer panel of each of the headphones; the indicator should light up white. To turn off Xiaomi, just remove them and place them in the case.

Or you can force it to turn off by holding the button for more than 3 seconds. If nothing is played through Xiaomi Redmi for 5 minutes, they automatically turn off.

To connect to your phone, you need to activate the Bluetooth system. As soon as Xiaomi is taken out of the charging case, they immediately go into pairing mode and appear in the list of available Bluetooth devices.

Another point in using Redmi Airdots that is worth paying attention to is that both headphones are reflected in the list of devices available for connection. The main right earphone is “Redmi Airdots R”.

You need to select it when connecting, and the left one syncs automatically. After the first connection, Xiaomi will find and connect with the device automatically.

Another plus of the Airdots model is that it can be connected to different devices. First, you need to take out only the left earphone from the case, select “Redmi Airdots L” from the list of devices and connect it.

The right Xiaomi earbud is then connected to the selected device. If you do the opposite, the Airdots synchronize with each other.

Sound adjustment and track switching are not provided in Xiaomi Airdots. You can switch either from your smartphone or using a voice assistant. The buttons on both Airdots are mechanical and work the same:

• Pressing the button once is play, pause, or answering the call.
• Double - launch the voice assistant.
• Holding the button for a second will reset the incoming call.
• A three-second hold turns off the earphone.

Equipment

The headphones come in a simple cardboard box. Inside, in addition to the charging case with headphones, there are instructions, in my case in Chinese, and replacement ear pads. That's it, there's nothing else in the box. Even the charging cable, not to mention the power supply. It is not clear whether it was really so expensive for Xiaomi to add a small, cheap wiring so that it would just be there just in case.

The case itself has a microUSB charging input. Of course, there is no wireless or fast charging in the device.

Appearance

The inscription on the box should be: Mi True Wireless Earbuds Basic or AirDots. In this case, the marking Redmi or simply Mi is indicated on the case. The external device (case) is comfortable to carry in your pocket. The case is larger in size than Apple AirPods, but more compact than Power Beats Pro and UNITWS.

A detailed review of Xiaomi AirDots demonstrates that the company decided to save on manufacturing materials. The plastic body is covered with paint, and the moving elements sometimes crunch and have unpleasant play. After a couple of weeks from the moment of first switching on, the inscriptions are erased, and the case itself becomes covered with scratches. But the negative aspects are offset by the affordable price of the accessory.

On the outside of the case there is a light indication and control buttons. There is an input for the charging cable at the back. The touchpad to control the headphones requires a firm touch. When you press the buttons, the right earpiece rests on the auricle, creating a vacuum.

The ergonomics of the accessory is not satisfactory. Prolonged listening to music is not accompanied by fatigue or discomfort. The case lies comfortably in the ear cavity.

The headphones are splash-proof, which makes the gadget a good sports accessory that you can take with you on a run.

Materials

Taking the case out of the box, the first thing I noticed was the material from which the charging case and the headphones themselves were made. Tactilely, it is quite pleasant plastic, made for soft touch. But the cheapness is clearly felt. I don’t know how to explain this specifically, but if we rely solely on subjective sensations, then this is probably due to the weight of the entire structure and the fact that the case is almost hollow inside. This is what the analysis I found on the Internet showed. But all this ceases to be a minus when you remember the price of the headphones - $20-30. I think there are hardly any headphones on the market in the same price range with better quality materials. We will check this point in the future by comparing several different models. The hinge with the case opening mechanism also raises doubts. Let's see how everything will function after some more time of use. Hoping for the best.

Price. Where to buy cheaper?

Cost of AirDots 3 and AirDots 2

The average cost of Redmi AirDots 3 today is 2,777 rubles (the Pro version will cost more). AirDots 2 will cost 1,390 rubles. If we compare the prices and characteristics of these two types of headphones, we can safely say that Airdots 3 are worth the money, especially considering their advantages over the previous model.

Discount on Aliexpress

There is a discount on Redmi AirDots 3 on AliExpress. At the New Year's sale, these headphones will cost 2,171 rubles. Often stores with AliExpress offer free delivery to Russia.

Important information! New Year's sales on AliExpress last until Chinese New Year.

Discount on Ozone

On sale from Ozon you can get a 9% discount on Redmi AirDots 3.

Discount on Wildberries

Discount prices for Redmi AirDots 3 in the Wildberries online store start from 2,065 rubles.

Video: Is it worth buying AirDots 3

Connection

The first pairing of the headphones with a smartphone takes about 30 seconds. Once a pair is created between the devices, every time you take the headphones out of the case, they will automatically connect to your smartphone. The connection time will likely depend on the device you're using, but in the case of my Samsung Galaxy S8 and Ulefon Armor 6, the process happens in 5-10 seconds. Just as you take them out of the case and insert them into your ears, the headphones will be completely ready for use.

Redmi AirDots also work great with laptops and wearable electronics. The other day I tested them while jogging, connected them to my Galaxy Watch Active, turned on music on them and after half an hour of training there were no problems. The connection of the headphones to the device is stable, without disconnections. The same applies to other equipment.

Many TWS headphones suffer from audio delay in games and video playback. I tested AirDots with MacBook Air, iPad, Galaxy S8, Ulefon Armor 6 and surprisingly no such problems arose with any of the devices.

Sound

The main tests were carried out on my Xiaomi A1 and HP840G5 laptop.
For comparison, the iPhone 8 also participated as a device with Bluetooth 5.0. I would also like to use a Galaxy S8 or another phone with similar capabilities to check whether the headphones will connect as two separate ones, but I couldn’t find one. Music in FLAC/ALAC quality and dubs in mp3 (320): Dolphin - 442, Apocalyptica - Worlds Collide, God is an Astronaut - All is Violent, All is Bright, The Ocean - Anthropocentric, RAMMSTEIN - RAMMSTEIN.

LF: not much volume, pleasant and elastic to the ear, not overloaded and does not stick out forward MF: does not merge with the lows or highs, instruments and vocals sound natural, but, of course, there is not much detail HF: they don’t scream, they don’t hurt your ears, there are enough of them and they give vitality and clarity

There is, of course, no difference in quality between FLAC/ALAC and mp3(320). The music was pleasant to listen to, I heard every instrument, I understood the bass, I heard the kick-bass-sausage-solo, the guitars were clear and loud, the vocals did not mix with anything and were perfectly audible. There is a scene, but there is no volume, depth and presence here. There was no obvious difference when listening from an iPhone, there was a bit more detail. Still, there are no codecs. Headphones, surprisingly, are quite sensitive to the quality of the source. If the track is of poor quality, with dirt, noise or low bitrate, you immediately want to turn it off. This happened when I turned on music from VK. The built-in noise canceler works quite softly, the sound does not distort, it allows peaks and unpredictable noises to pass through.

It is better not to use a microphone for conversations at all.

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What Redmi AirDots sound like

The most important thing in headphones is the sound. Redmi AirDots play well, adjusted for their cost. The headphones have a wide enough sound stage for individual instruments to be heard. In terms of frequencies, the headphones have slight problems with lows and highs. Because of this, without changing the equalizer settings they sound a little flat.

In order not to be unfounded, you can look at the deviations on the frequency response (amplitude frequency characteristics) graph. Here, as you can see, overall everything is not bad. These shortcomings can be easily compensated for by adjusting the equalizer.

Sound insulation is also quite good. In the subway, while music is playing, the noise is inaudible.

Both headphones have microphones, although during a conversation or dialogue with a voice assistant, it will only work on the right earphone, since it is the main one. During conversations, the interlocutors did not complain about the quality of communication. However, in transport I was often asked again. So their quality is again worth the money.

Control

Mechanical controls are one of the weaker points of the Redmi Airdots. The entire outer part of the headphone body is a spring-loaded pad that must be pressed until it clicks slightly. And even despite the minimal key travel, when pressed, the earphone is pressed into the ear canal, which negatively affects the sound and comfort of fit.

You have to either adjust the earphone after each press, or avoid them altogether. For me, the second option is more preferable, because even when the music is not playing, the interlocutor is hard to hear due to passive sound insulation. It’s more convenient to simply remove one earphone from your ear and then click on it to stop playback. Unfortunately, Airdots do not support autopause when extracting.

The controls here are implemented in the most basic way: a single press on any earphone is responsible for start/pause in all players known to me, and it also picks up the handset when there is an incoming call. A double click activates the voice assistant, and by holding the button for 6 seconds you can forcibly turn off the power to the headphone.

Redmi Airdots do not know how to switch songs and adjust the volume on their own; this can only be done through commands, telling the voice assistant something like “next track” or “volume at 80%”. The practicality of the function, especially in public places, is questionable. In my case, this is not a problem, since the Mi Band 4 copes with the above tasks perfectly. If you wish, you can reassign switching tracks to a double click using the MacroDroid or Tasker applications (root is not required for this, the guide is at the link).

Autonomy

The officially stated operating time of the headphones is 4 hours. The built-in battery capacity in each earphone is 50 mAh. The case itself has a built-in 200 mAh battery. It turns out that taking into account additional charging from the case, the headphones can work for 12-16 hours. I managed to get the headphones to work for three hours while continuously listening to music. In everyday use, I was unable to set them to zero. Every evening, out of habit, I put the case with headphones on charge.

Advantages

Of the budget TWS headsets on the market, Redmi Airdots are one of the high-quality models. Redmi fits tightly to the ear and does not fall out when moving.

They provide good sound insulation and the ability to listen to music in decent quality. Xiaomi is suitable for the gym, transport, walking. The headset connects equally well to Android devices and iPhones.

There is protection against accidental clicks. The Airdots battery lasts for 3.5 hours, and by charging the case, the work can be extended up to 10 hours.

What were the problems?

It might seem that these are some kind of ideal headphones - comfortable, sound good and, moreover, inexpensive. Unfortunately, this is not entirely true. The device is not without its shortcomings. During testing I had one problem. How it all happened - I came home, turned on music on the computer, and minded my own business. I walked out of the room into the kitchen, while I put the right earphone next to the computer and left the left one in my ear. The left one lost contact. Upon returning, both headphones began to work separately. Trying to simply turn them off and on was unsuccessful. I had to do a factory reset. After that, there were no such difficulties in operation. But nevertheless, this is a very unpleasant moment.

Connection

To connect headphones you need to do the following. You put the headphones in the case, then take them out of it, start searching for a new Bluetooth device on your phone, find AirDots and connect. In principle, the procedure is not much different from the process of searching for any other headphones. But these are not AirPods, which connect easier and faster, as if by waving a magic wand. Here the headphones are connected to each other, such a pair is obtained, and then it establishes a connection with the phone. But AirPods work differently: each earphone communicates independently.

AirDots keep a good connection, although there are periodic glitches: when you listen to music, switch to the next track, and the headphones start stuttering out of the blue. Then you can simply switch to the next song.

If you watch videos on YouTube, there is also desynchronization of sound, a periodic phenomenon for Bluetooth headphones. How to overcome it? You can try resetting the headphones, but this doesn’t always help, so it’s easier to get used to it and not pay attention to it.

Bottom line

During the testing of the headphones, I can summarize that the headset left only positive impressions, with the exception of that curiosity with the disconnection of the left earphone. Who can use these headphones? Yes, perhaps, to all modern users. If, say, you purchased the latest smartphone that does not have a headphone jack, but you don’t really want to spend money on something expensive, then Xiaomi Redmi AirDots may be perfect for getting used to and getting comfortable with the technology. And in principle, if you were thinking about what inexpensive wireless headphones to buy, then I can recommend this option. They are comfortable, have a long battery life, sound good and are fully worth the money the manufacturer asks for them. Even if this is all a set of compromises, it is the best set of compromises that can be found in this price category.

What I liked:

• Sound quality;
• Battery life;
• Charging case;
• Fit in ears;
• Price;
• Noise insulation.

What I didn't like:

• Average quality plastic;
• Lack of charger included;
• Disconnection between headphones when they move away from each other.

What's not to like;

• Micro-USB;
• Headphone shape.

Microphone and sound

Each Redmi Airdots earphone has a microphone with a DSP chip and noise reduction for voice calls. Airdots can be used as a voice headset. In a quiet environment, Redmi works great.

But, if the environment is noisy, the noise reduction system picks up sounds from outside, removes unnecessary ones and leaves certain frequencies, while the voice is distorted and difficult to hear, and the quality of the conversation decreases.

The 7.2 mm diaphragm diameter, combined with professionally tuned electronics, produces low bass and high sounds. Music in Redmi sounds decent.

The impedance of Xiaomi Redmi is 32 Ohms, which allows you to achieve normal sound without additional devices. But do not increase the volume above 75%, the sounds begin to merge.

conclusions

Xiaomi headphones are a very popular device today. And mainly, this is a consequence of a well-executed advertising campaign. The fundamental qualitative differences between Xiaomi and headphones produced by competitors (the same Apple) are not in favor of Xiaomi itself (for example, claims regarding the insufficient purity of musical sound reproduction). However, the main thing where Xiaomi Airdots are ahead of their competitors is the price.

At the time of entering the market, the cost of the headphones in question fluctuated around $30, which can be called dumping. (In Moscow, Xiaomi Airdots are sold at retail for up to 5 thousand rubles. And the demand is great!)