The premium TWS segment has become incredibly competitive lately. Almost every major smartphone brand now has a flagship pair of earbuds packed with premium features like active noise cancellation, high resolution audio codecs, multipoint connectivity, and now AI features as well.
The realme Buds Air8 Pro enters this space with a price tag of ₹6,999 and a clear goal. It wants to compete with popular options from brands like OnePlus, Samsung, and others while offering a feature set that feels different enough to stand out. After spending some time with these earbuds, I think realme has managed to create a product that knows exactly who it is targeting.
A design that stands out without trying too hard
The first thing I noticed about the realme Buds Air8 Pro was the design. The charging case manages to look flashy and minimal at the same time, which is surprisingly difficult to pull off.
The top lid gets a reflective mirror finish while the rest of the body uses a matte white finish. It gives the case a premium look without making it feel overly aggressive or attention seeking. The same design language continues to the earbuds themselves. The buds feature a matte finish with mirrored accents on the stem, and honestly, they look refreshing in a market where most earbuds are starting to look identical.
The case itself is compact and lightweight enough to disappear inside a pocket. The earbuds are equally lightweight and extremely comfortable to wear. I used them for long listening sessions without feeling any discomfort, and the fit remained secure throughout. Even during light workouts and walks, they stayed in place without needing constant adjustment.
These earbuds were clearly tuned for bass lovers
Let’s get straight to the most important part because this is where the realme Buds Air8 Pro really separates itself from the competition. These earbuds are unapologetically bass heavy.
Realme has equipped them with an 11mm woofer and a 6mm tweeter along with dual DACs. The result is some of the punchiest bass I have heard on a pair of TWS earbuds in a very long time.
If you are someone who listens to a lot of hip hop, EDM, Punjabi tracks, or bass heavy playlists in general, you are going to enjoy these. At higher volumes, the bass becomes incredibly powerful and energetic. There were moments where the drums felt like they were being delivered directly into my ear canals.
What impressed me though was that the sound does not completely fall apart when the bass kicks in. Vocals remain clear and instruments still retain good separation. The sound signature is definitely bass focused, but it is not messy.
The companion app gives you a huge number of audio customization options. You get EQ presets, Dynamic Audio controls, LHDC 5.0 settings, volume enhancement features, and more.
In fact, my only complaint is that all these sound related controls feel scattered around the app. Realme should have simply grouped everything under a dedicated Sound section because finding specific settings can sometimes feel confusing.
One feature I genuinely liked is Golden Sound. It creates a personalized audio profile based on your hearing and ear canal characteristics. Once I completed the setup, the audio felt noticeably more balanced and I rarely felt the need to manually tweak the EQ afterwards.
Noise cancellation is good, but not class leading
The active noise cancellation on the realme Buds Air8 Pro is decent, but it is not the strongest aspect of these earbuds. At maximum ANC strength, background noise reduction is noticeable, but there is also a pressure effect that develops inside the ears. Personally, I found it slightly uncomfortable during longer listening sessions.
Reducing the ANC intensity solves most of that problem and creates a much more comfortable experience. For daily commuting, office use, and casual travel, the ANC performance is perfectly acceptable.
Call quality is better than expected. The six microphone setup combined with AI noise reduction does a good job filtering environmental noise. Even in busy surroundings, people on the other end of the call could hear me clearly.
AI features that are actually useful
AI is everywhere these days, but realme has included a feature that feels genuinely practical. The earbuds come with Ask AI and AI Translator. Out of the two, AI Translator is easily the more useful feature.
There are two translation modes available. Live Translation works well when someone is speaking and you are simply listening, while Face-to-Face Translation is designed for conversations between two people speaking different languages.
Both modes worked surprisingly well during my testing and felt more polished than I expected. If you travel frequently or interact with people who speak different languages, this feature can actually be useful rather than feeling like a gimmick.
I do wish it could work offline to some extent because that would make it even more practical while travelling, but even in its current form it remains one of the more impressive AI features I have seen on a pair of earbuds.
Battery life that lives up to the claims
Battery life is another area where the realme Buds Air8 Pro performs really well. Realme claims up to 50 hours of playback with the charging case and up to 12 hours on the earbuds themselves with ANC turned off. In real-world usage, the numbers came surprisingly close to those claims.
Even with regular use, I rarely found myself worrying about battery life. With ANC enabled, the battery naturally drops faster, but it still remains more than enough for everyday use.
Charging is quick through the USB Type C port. Realme does not include a charging cable in the box, but honestly, most buyers already have multiple Type C cables lying around, so I do not think this is a major issue.
realme Buds Air8 Pro: Pros and cons
Pros
- Powerful and punchy bass with excellent clarity
- Comfortable fit and lightweight design for long listening sessions
- Useful AI translation features that actually work well
- Excellent battery life with fast charging support
- LHDC 5.0 support and extensive audio customization options
Cons
- Max ANC creates noticeable pressure in the ears
- Sound customization settings feel scattered throughout the app
