realme has launched its second-generation Buds Q Series, the realme Buds Q2 along with the Narzo 30 5G. The realme Buds Q2 features Active Noise Cancellation, 10mm Dynamic Bass Boost Driver, 28 hours of battery life, and more. The realme Buds Q2 is priced at Rs 2,499 that sounds affordable, but how good are these wireless earbuds, are they worth it? Let’s find out in our realme Buds Q2 review.
realme Buds Q2 Specifications
- Driver: 10 mm Bass Boosted drivers
- Connectivity & Ports: Bluetooth 5.2, USB Type-C
- Wireless Range: Up to 10 meters
- Protection: IPX5 Water Resistance (Buds only)
- Features: Active Noise Cancellation, ENC, Transparency mode, Low Latency mode (88 ms latency), Bass Boost+, in-ear detection, gesture touch controls, realme Link app
- Battery Runtime: 28 hours music playback, 3 hours music playback in 10 minutes charging, 5 hours playback (each bud), 28 hours music playback (with ANC)
- Battery Charging: 1.5 hour charging time (earbuds), 2 hours (with case)
- Colors: Active Black, Calm Gray
- Price: ₹2,499
- Availability: realme.com, Amazon, offline stores
Design & Build Quality
The realme Buds Q2 has a compact and lightweight design, it comes with an oval-shaped charging case that holds a USB Type-C port on the back and an LED indicator on the front. It has a plastic body with a matte-finished surface to prevent fingerprints, it is easy to carry and comfortable to hold.
Opening the case and you will see the buds with a cobblestone-shaped design, the exterior reflects and glows when the light falls on it, while the whole earbuds use a non-reflective matte-finish design just like its case. The earbuds weigh around 4.5 grams each and has a sleek and aesthetic design and looks cool too.
The bottom side has pins for charging, and the exterior has gesture-based touch controls for controlling the music, calls, and switching between modes. The charging case has a button inside used for pairing and resetting the earbuds.
The realme Buds Q2 has IPX5 water-resistant design meaning it can resist water spills and splashes, you can’t be submerged underwater or take it to swim. The charging case on the other hand isn’t water-resistant, but only the earbuds.
In the box, you get a pair of earbuds along with the charging case in the box, a USB Type-C fast charging cable, a user manual, and earcups in different sizes. Take a look at our realme Buds Q2 unboxing and first impressions below.
Features & Connectivity
The realme Buds Q2 offers two features, one of which is the Active Noise Cancellation, a high-end feature found on premium category earbuds while the second one is the Transparency mode. Other features include Bass Boost+, 88ms Low Latency mode, in-ear detection, gesture-based touch controls,
The ANC (Active Noise Cancellation) will cancel any background or ambient noise (up to 25 dB) from the outside so that you can hear the voice clearly and audible enough in the crowded areas. The Transparency mode on the other hand is actually the opposite, it allows you to amplify the ambiance and surroundings so that you don’t miss the outside environment while listening to the music.
For online and multiplayer gamers, there’s the 88ms ultra low latency mode which is useful when gaming as it reduces the latency during online play and offers a lag-free gaming experience. It reduces latency by 35% compared to its predecessor. And lastly, the Bass Boost+ mode enhances the bass quality of the realme Buds Q2.
Switching between normal, noise-canceling, or Transparency mode on the realme Buds Q2 is easy, either use the gesture or realme Link app. On long pressing both sides of the buds, you will easily switch through modes.
The realme Buds Q2 equips the latest Bluetooth 5.2, just like the realme Buds Air 2 and it pairs along with the realme Link app or directly using Bluetooth without the app. Pairing is easy, just open the case and search for the device on your Bluetooth device. The connection is fast, the moment you open, the earbuds are connected to your smartphone.
The realme Link app has a cool user interface that shows you the battery life of both the buds and the case, as well as a chunk of features to interact and use, some customization, and firmware updates.
Audio Performance & Battery Life
The realme Buds Q2 is powered by the same realme R2 audio chip found in the realme Buds Air 2. Each earbud packs a 10 mm dynamic bass boost driver and usually, a typical earbud can hold from 8 mm to 13 mm drivers depending upon the size. A larger driver often delivers better bass quality, take 13 mm drivers, for instance, it will offer much deeper and punchy bass as compared to 8 mm drivers, but there are other factors too that aids in better sound quality.
The 10 mm drivers on the realme Buds Q2 seem similar to the ones we saw on the realme Buds Air 2 and hence, the sound quality is similar. The buds support the AAC codec that delivers a better audio quality with good bass and clear vocals. There’s also the Bass Boost+ feature that boosts the sound quality by enhancing the bass of the sound, it can be enabled from the realme Link app once paired.
Speaking about the battery life of the realme Buds Q2, it lasts 28 hours without active noise cancellation and runs around 20 hours with ANC (or Transparency) enabled. Each earbud has about 5 hours of battery life, so if you use both one by one for calling, you will get around 10 hours of battery life without using the charging case.
If you are a music lover and listen to music 4 hours a day, you can enjoy listening for a whole week without charging the realme Buds Q2. You will find a 40 mAh battery on each bud and a 400 mAh battery on its charging case making it a total of 480 mAh battery.
Another impressive thing we found on the Buds Q2 is its fast charging, it supports fast charging with a USB Type-C cable. A quick 10-minute charging of the buds will give you 3 hours of audio playback. Although, charging the earbuds fully will take around 2 hours or a little less.
Verdict
The realme Buds Q2 is among the affordable noise-canceling earbuds with a long 28 hours battery life and good sound quality. Its light-weight and eye-catchy design and features like ANC (Active Noise Cancellation), long-lasting battery life, and fast charging make realme Buds Q2 one of the worthy wireless earbuds to consider in this price range. The realme Buds Q2 is available for Rs 2,499 on Amazon, realme.com, and offline stores.
