realme, the PH’s no. 1 smartphone brand for 5 consecutive quarters, launched its latest true wireless earbuds, the realme Buds Q2s, targeting those who are looking to buy their first Bluetooth buds or budget seekers who want a pair of nice-sounding earbuds with enough features that will make every peso count.
Does the realme Buds Q2s check both boxes, or will its promises fall on deaf ears?
The realme Buds Q2s is available in three colors, Paper Green, Night Black, and the one that we have, Paper White. Included in the box are the realme buds Q2s, ear tips in Small and Large sizes (the Medium size are pre-installed); a USB Type-C cable; and some paper documents including a user guide and warranty information.
The realme Buds Q2s comes in a pebble-shaped charging case much like other earbuds, the difference here is that it has a transparent cover that lets you see the buds even before you take them out. The case is made of plastic and has a matte finish, so it doesn’t attract fingerprints but the white version gets dirty easily and if you are OC, I’d probably go for the black one, though the Paper green is probably the most unique color. The transparent cover also seems to be prone to scratches.
It weighs just 39 grams, despite its having a big battery. The USB Type-C port is on the back, but there is no button, so the buds don’t pair with the case.
The earbuds itself are likewise made of plastic with a matte finish, and are very lightweight at just 4.2 grams. What I do like about in earbuds is that you can swap the ear tips to find the best fit for your ear. The medium tip is already preinstalled but if you find them too tight or too loose you can easily swap them out.
The earbuds are quite comfortable to wear even for long periods and if you find the right fit for your ears they won’t fall off your ears easily, even when you are running or cycling. And to make sure you could use them for outside activity, it has an IPX4 water resistance rating to prevent splash, rain, and sweat in everyday use scenarios. Be warned though that this is not true for the case so don’t go splashing water on it or drop it in the pool.
Since the case doesn’t have a pairing button all you need to do is open the case with the buds still inside. Turn on Bluetooth settings on your and wait for it to show up in the list as realme Buds Q2s. Select it to pair and once it’s paired you can take it out and start using them.
For controls: Double tap on either the left or right buds to Play / Pause audio, Answer calls, Double tap to Reject calls, and Triple tap to go to the next track. Long press both earbuds for 2s to turn on game mode. Sadly there are no volume controls so you have to reach out to your phone to increase or lower the volume.
Download the realme Link app to your phone to further customize the controls and access more sound options.
You can customize the controls from the settings in the realme Link app on Android and iPhone. You can change actions for the double tap, triple tap, touch and hold one bud and also touch and hold both the earbuds easily, but there is no option for volume control.
As for the sound quality, the realme Buds Q2s packs a 10mm Bass Boost Driver with PEEK and TPU Polymer diaphragm. So those who prefer heavy bass will be satisfied with what they are going to hear. Audio quality is good with clear vocals and a good amount of bass, thanks to the 10mm driver that handles high, middle, and low frequencies well. There is also Dolby Atmos support if your device supports it. If you are into pop songs and dance tracks, you are going to love the sound quality of the realme Buds Q2s.
Gamers will appreciate the low-latency gaming mode which is very useful in competitive games since it reduces the latency to 88ms so there is no delay and you can hear what is happening in the background or when an enemy is coming closer. To enter the gaming mode all you have to do is long press on both sides of the earbuds.
The Buds Q2s also have a good amount of noise isolation and it can help reduce the background noise to a certain extent. This is important when you are in a crowded or noisy environment or when you are traveling, thanks to its ENC noise-canceling algorithm. The dual microphones meanwhile ensure that call quality and your voice will be heard loud and clear. Remember these are budget buds and for the price, it does a fairly good job.
The earbuds come with a 40mAh battery that realme says will last up to 7 hours and with the 400mAh charging case, it promises up to 30 hours of total battery life.
It also has fast charging support and you can get 3 hours of playback on just 10 minutes of charge (earbuds and charging case combined) which is useful if you are in a hurry. Charging the earbuds fully takes about an hour, and charging the case takes about 2.5 hours.
Overall, the realme Buds Q2s is a really good TWS earbud for its price of P1,490.00. It has a pretty good design and builds quality. Audio is also quite good for listening to music on Spotify, watching videos on YouTube, and even playing games because of its low latency feature. And if you spend hours plugged it the realme Buds Q2 will probably last until you need to rest those ears of yours.