Review: REDMI Buds 8 Pro

We have previously reviewed a good number of products from Xiaomi’s Redmi series, but those have primarily been budget-friendly phones (most recently the Note 15 Pro+) and tablets. So far, we haven’t actually tested any earbuds, but now it’s time to sink our teeth into the Redmi Buds 8 Pro.

The earbuds cost less than a thousand kronor and boast really promising specifications including ANC, multipoint, and LDAC support. But how good are they really in practice? We’re going to find out!

Design and Fit

In the box, in addition to the charging case and earbuds, we find a short charging cable (USB-A to USB-C for some strange reason—because who really still has USB-A chargers in 2026?) as well as extra silicone tips. The medium size comes pre-installed, and you also get small and large sizes included.

The charging case is small and compact. It weighs approximately 47 grams, and the rounded corners make it very easy to slip into a pocket.

The earbuds themselves fit well in the ears and weigh 5.3 grams each. The slightly oval silicone tips provide a tight seal and are very comfortable.

They also have an IP54 rating, so you can use them at the gym or during a run without worrying about a few splashes or sweat getting on them.

Sound Quality and Software

Under the hood, we find an impressive setup featuring an 11-millimeter dynamic driver combined with dual piezoelectric tweeters. And the earbuds sound good! The soundstage is engaging, and the bass is deep.

However, this only applies when ANC is activated. If you turn off the noise cancellation, they actually sound quite a bit worse. The sound quickly becomes thin and hollow, so we strongly prefer the sound profile you get with the feature turned on. Out of the box, the sound can feel a bit too bass-heavy.

Fortunately, you can easily solve this. The accompanying Xiaomi Earbuds app is actually very good and very smooth to use. It features an eight-band equalizer, allowing you to manually fine-tune the frequencies until you get a sound profile that suits you perfectly, if none of the presets are to your liking.

The app also provides an excellent way to customize the touch controls.

The earbuds support LDAC, which is always appreciated. However, the difference in sound with the feature activated was smaller than we are used to hearing, and something incredibly strange was that the range with LDAC is practically non-existent. As soon as you leave the house, it becomes noticeable. You can clearly hear the sound quality fluctuate, likely because the earbuds are switching bitrates up and down. The connection never drops completely, but in the long run, it is incredibly annoying.

We initially thought it was a problem with the specific phone we were testing with, but we tried with several different mobiles (including some from Xiaomi), and the problem is exactly the same. It works fine if you place the phone on the table in front of you and listen, but as soon as the mobile goes into a pocket or bag and you move outdoors among potential sources of interference, such as cars or other people, the problems start immediately.

If you turn off LDAC and use AAC or SBC, however, you won’t experience any such problems at all.

Multipoint is also supported and works excellently.

Noise Cancellation (ANC) and Transparency Mode

The ANC feature is effective in the right environments. It does a good job of filtering out low-frequency rumble, such as the hum of a bus. On the other hand, it is less effective against voices and sudden sounds in the mid-range, which slip through fairly easily. Overall, however, the noise cancellation is pleasant to use and doesn’t create a claustrophobic feeling. And as we mentioned earlier, the music also sounds significantly better when the feature is active.

The built-in transparency mode is unusually good. It sounds natural and works excellently if you need to interact with someone for a moment without removing the earbuds. A big bonus is that the wind-handling algorithms work unexpectedly well and dampen wind noise very effectively.

The app also features a background noise mode—think relaxing ocean sounds or similar—that you can turn on instead of listening to music. There are different profiles with specific sounds tailored to mask the noise from planes, trains, and public transport. With these sounds activated, background noise is dampened even further, and it actually works quite well.

It might not be something you use for long periods, but sometimes on the subway or a plane, it can be incredibly nice to just block out all the noise without necessarily having to listen to music or a podcast.

When it comes to calls, the earbuds are also good; the noise cancellation removes much of the sound around you, so the person you are talking to hears you well despite a noisy environment.

Battery Life and Charging

According to the specifications, the earbuds should last for approximately eight hours on a single charge, and a total of 33 hours including the charging case. However, this is measured without ANC and with the volume set to 50 percent.

When we tested the earbuds, they instead started warning of low battery levels just before four hours, and they died completely at around 4.5 hours. In reality, the total listening time combined with the case lands under 20 hours, which is on the low side.

Unfortunately, there is no support for wireless charging, but fast charging is at least offered. Placing the earbuds in the case for five minutes should, according to the specs, provide two hours of playtime. In reality, it only amounts to just over an hour, but it is still a very useful feature when the battery finally runs low.

Conclusion

At the time of testing the Redmi Buds 8 Pro, the price tag is 699 kronor, while the recommended retail price is actually 999 kronor. For those 699 kronor, these are actually a perfectly decent pair of earbuds.

The battery life could certainly have been much better, and the range with LDAC is currently unusable (something that doesn’t really matter if you use iOS anyway). On the other hand, the earbuds sound surprisingly good. They offer perfectly adequate ANC with an unusually good transparency mode, and they also fit very comfortably in the ears.

It is, of course, possible that the issues with LDAC will be resolved via a future firmware update, but it’s hard to say at this stage.

As long as you are aware of the weaknesses and manage to snag them for under 700 kronor, you’re actually getting a very good pair of earbuds for the money.

Xiaomi sent review samples for this test. The sender of the material has no editorial influence on our tests; we always write independently with you, the readers and consumers, in focus.