Xiaomi Mi True Wireless Earphones 2 Review

Mi True Wireless Earphones 2 Case Design

The Mi True Wireless Earphones 2 come in White color matte finish case which has a noticeably bigger footprint than the Realme Buds Air casing, and even all TWS earphones I have reviewed in past few months. Despite the bigger footprint, the case with buds inside weighs just 50g and can be easily carried around. Just to put things in context, the Realme Buds Air weigh 42g. Xiaomi's TWS case has sharper edges and a flat base whereas Realme's TWS case follows a more rounded and curved design making it more convenient to carry in jeans pockets.

 

Matte Finish Case With Type-C Port

My Realme Buds Air case which has a glossy finish has completely surrendered to scratches. This might not happen with the Mi True Wireless Earphones 2 as the charging capsule and the buds are constructed using ABS plastic and have been given a premium matte finish. This should offer some level of protection against scratches in daily routine.

The Mi True Wireless Earphones 2 case has a Type-C charging port at the bottom and an LED indicator at front. A physical button is positioned on the right side to help you pair the earbuds with smartphones and tablets.

Mi True Wireless Earphones 2 Earbuds Design

Xiaomi TWS earbuds have a magnetic pin that firmly holds them inside the capsule. The buds do not fall off even when the case is held upside down. The earbuds have an outer-ear fit design and are also made up of the same ABS plastic with a premium matte finish. They are very lightweight (4.5g each) but have a sturdy build quality and feel quite premium.

Just like their charging case, the buds also have a bigger design footprint than the Realme Buds Air, especially the stem that extends from your ears. It looks rather bulky and very prominent. The bigger drivers can be the reason behind the bulky design.

IPX4 Water-Resistant, Smart In-Ear Detection

The Mi True Wireless Earphones 2 can be worn during intense workout sessions. These TWS feature IPX4 water-resistant rating which makes them perfect for gym training and long-running sessions. The smart in-ear detection works really well on the Mi True Wireless Earphones 2. The inbuilt optical sensors are very effective at detecting motion and pauses music playback automatically when you take them off.

Wearing Experience And Gesture Controls

The earbuds do not offer the most secure fit but they do not fall off even when you are jogging or sprinting. I always felt that these will slip off from ears but it never happened, not even once. The fit can vary from person to person. The earbuds are fairly comfortable to wear for extended use.

As far as gesture controls are concerned, the Xiaomi TWS earbuds support touch-sensitive controls for playback and to invoke the voice assistant on your smartphone. Everything works with a double-tap, which eliminates chances of accidental touches. You can double-tap on the right earbud to play/pause music and double-tapping on the left earbud invokes Google Assistant, Alexa, or Siri as supported by your handset. Also, double-tapping on either of the earbud can pick-up and disconnect a call.

You cannot control music volume via earbuds though. I tried controlling volume by giving voice commands to Google Assistant. It says the ‘Media' volume has been reduced but there was no effect on the music playback.

Connectivity And Pairing

The pairing process is fairly simple. The Mi True Wireless Earphones 2 offers support for Bluetooth 5.0 and connects to smartphones in a jiffy. If you have a Xiaomi device with MIUI, the pairing process becomes even simpler.I tested the earbuds with both Xiaomi and non-Xiaomi products and did not face any connectivity issues.

You can follow the below-mentioned steps for non-Xiaomi devices.

• Press the button on the right side for two to three seconds to start the pairing process.
• A white LED will start blinking which means the TWS are ready to be paired with smartphones.
• Open the case lid and search for available devices on your phone.
• Select the Mi True Wireless Earphones 2 from the list.

Audio Performance

I played my favorite tracks on both Mi True Wireless Earphones 2 and the Realme Buds Air to get an idea of how the two TWS earbuds handle different elements of the music being streamed. The two truly wireless earbuds were tested with multiple devices and with on-device music and streaming services. Some handsets supported LHDC (Low Latency and High Definition Audio Codec) and some were simply SBC and AAC enabled.

The Realme Buds Air produces slightly louder audio output than the Mi True Wireless Earphones 2 despite having smaller drivers. This is probably because the highs peak out a bit too much and dominate other important audio elements. The sound output produced by the Realme Buds Air also emphasizes more on treble and vocals making them suitable for vocal-heavy music podcasts.

On the other hand, the Mi True Wireless Earphones 2 produce a balanced sound signature as the audio does not lean towards any particular frequency. Some may find it flat, especially people who prefer vocal and treble-heavy output. The Mi True Wireless Earphones 2 has a better sound stage than the Realme Buds Air. The Mi TWS better handles mids and highs as I was able to identify instruments distinctively with every audio file being played.

Moreover, the Mi TWS also perform a better job at producing the lower end of frequencies. The bass produced is deeper as compared to the Realme Buds Air. It will not overwhelm the bass heads but totally justifies the price-point.

The Mi True Wireless Earphones 2 is tuned very well for Indian music. You can stream audio at 100% volume and will not face any distortion. The audio produced has excellent clarity. Overall, the Mi True Wireless Earphones 2 managed to produce an overall immersive audio experience across the devices and streaming services.

Excellent Call Clarity But Audio Leakage Is An Issue

I did not face any issues while making calls on the Mi True Wireless Earphones 2. The audio sounded crystal clean. The other person on call was also able to hear my voice clearly, thanks to the dual-mic noise cancellation. One problem with half in-ear design is the audio leakage. A person sitting two feet away was able to hear the audio being streamed over these wireless earbuds. Sadly, you cannot do anything about it.

Battery Life

The bigger size of the capsule and earbuds should not be mistaken for longer battery life as the battery lasting capacity of the Mi True Wireless Earphones 2 is at par with the competition. The Mi True Wireless Earphones 2 lasted for 3 hours 40 minutes on one full charge with volume levels fluctuating from 80% to 100%.

The MI TWS earbuds get fully charged in around 60 minutes. The charging capsule has a 250 mAh battery, which can add up to 10 hours of music backup. Unlike the Realme Buds Air, the Mi True Wireless Earphones 2 does not offer support for wireless charging.

Should You Buy Mi True Wireless Earphones 2?

Xiaomi Mi True Wireless Earphones 2 are not perfect but they still come across as a good pair of true wireless earphones. The TWS earphones deliver balanced audio delivery and also works well for voice calling in daily routine. On the other hand, the battery life is decent if not the best and the earbuds fail to offer a secure fit.

If you prefer vocal and treble heavy audio, you should consider the Realme Buds Air. They are cheaper, support wireless charging and also have an advantage over the Mi True Wireless Earphones 2 due to companion smartphone app that makes things easier in daily use.