For a smartphone brand that has only been around for a little over a year, Realme has made quite an impact on the Indian market. It has quickly risen to a position in the top five[1] when it comes to smartphone shipments in India, and continues to aggressively take on the competition. Its first audio product, the Realme Buds[2], were priced competitively, but we were less than impressed[3] with the sound quality.
The latest in the company's range is the Realme Buds 2[4], which were launched[5] alongside the Realme 5[6] (Review[7]) and Realme 5 Pro[8] (Review[9]). This new pair of earphones is priced at Rs. 599[10], and promises better design as well as improved sound quality. We review the Realme Buds 2 to find out if they indeed live up to expectations.
Realme Buds 2 design and specifications
The Realme Buds 2 are very similar in functionality to the Realme Buds — the new earphones are a traditional wired pair, using the 3.5mm plug to connect to compatible devices. There is a three-button in-line remote with a microphone for hands-free use on the right cable. Other similarities include the fabric-wrapped cable below the Y-splitter, and the yellow-and-black colour scheme that we quite liked.
We did notice some improvements to the design and build quality — the rubber cables above the Y-splitter feel a lot more durable on the Realme Buds 2, and there is also now a rubber clip that can be used to keep the cables in place. The earphone casings look a bit different but feel the same as before, thanks to...