The latest affordable Realme Buds T500 Pro brings some interesting features to the table. Here's everything you need to know
The under Rs. 3,000 price segment in the truly wireless earbuds category is particularly chaotic. We have seen multiple brands fighting to maintain their position in this segment. Realme is one company that has been eyeing a sizeable market share in this segment with its Buds T-series, and with the latest Buds T500 Pro, the brand aims to further solidify its position.
The latest Realme Buds T500 Pro offers an interesting set of features, including 12.4mm titanium-plated drivers, 50dB ANC, LHDC 5.0, Bluetooth 6.1, and more. All this at a price tag of Rs. 2,799. So, the question here is, does it make sense to go with these earbuds? I have been using them for a while, and this is what you need to know.
The first thing you will notice about the Realme Buds T500 Pro is the charging case. Realme is known for adding a playful touch to its design, and the same is evident here as well. The candy box-inspired rectangular case is quite compact, which makes it easier to put in pockets comfortably. More importantly, the choice of colours is quite bold this time. We got the Lemon Cola colour option for the review, and it is also available in Chocolate and Orange Mint. Personally, I like the Orange Mint colour better, as bright colours aren't my forte, to be honest.
The Realme Buds T500 Pro are available in three colour options, including Lemon Cola, which stands out the most.
However, those who love poppy colours would definitely like this TWS. Moving on, the case itself feels quite sturdy and premium. The case has a plastic build, but you will see a vegan leather-like finish that surely looks different, if not premium. The company is also giving a lanyard with the TWS, which you can use to further accessorise it, though personally I like it without it.
The earbuds follow the stem design and are quite lightweight, with each earbud weighing only 4.5 grams. The silicon tips are soft and comfortable to wear, and you also get two additional pairs, one small and one large. The medium ones are set on the earbuds. The earbuds stay in place when you walk or run.
The earbuds also comes with IP55 rating, whcih makes them splash-proof.
Although the case lacks an IP rating, the earbuds have an IP55 rating, meaning they can withstand light splashes. You also get touch controls on each earbud for play/pause and other functions.
The Realme Buds T500 Pro comes with a companion app that lets you control multiple functions. You need to download the Realme Link application to access different features of the earbuds. The good thing is that the app is available on both Android and iOS. The app interface is quite easy to use, and you get the important information on the home screen, like the battery percentage of the buds and case, noise cancellation options, and more. However, you need to log in to your Realme account or sign up to use this application, which is a bummer.
The earbuds come with RealmeLink application through which you can control most of its features.
That said, the application also has different sections. The Noise Control section has different noise cancellation options: Noise Cancellation, Off, and Transparency. The Sound Effects section helps you customise the sound. It offers EQ, spatial audio, High-Res audio, and more. You can also configure gesture controls, turn on Game mode, connect to two more devices with triple-device connection, find my phone, and more.
There is MindFlow Mode, which offers different sounds of nature, like Warm sunrise, summer seashore, nighttime camping, stormy, spring, winter, sunglow, moonlight, meditation, coffee shop, and white noise. These sounds are good if you want to focus on your task or just chill.
Coming to the specifications, the Realme Buds T500 Pro offers some interesting features. The earbuds come with a 12.4mm driver and active noise cancellation up to 50 dB. The earbuds support LHDC 5.0, SBC and AAC codecs along with Google Fast Pair and triple-device smart connection. It also features Bluetooth 6.1, an AI live translator, an AI face-to-face translator, custom EQ modes, and triple microphones on each bud with AI noise cancellation.
The Realme Buds T500 Pro offers a decent performance at this price point. The Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) is quite effective, and you get three different modes: Noise Cancellation, Transparency, and Off. The noise cancellation works well in the indoor environment. Once you turn it on, the ambient noise is reduced decently, if not completely. In outdoor conditions as well, the performance was decent, and it was able to suppress the sounds of traffic or other environmental disturbances.
The earbuds also come with different EQ modes, which you can control via the application. You get Serenade, Original Sound, Clear Bass, and Deep Bass profiles to choose from. Moreover, you can customise the EQ with its 6-band support, which is a good feature given the price tag.
The Realme Buds T500 Pro offer some good performance considering the price tag.
Coming to the performance, the Realme Buds T500 Pro brings a balanced approach with emphasis on the bass. This means you will get a bassy sound while playing songs like ‘Bad Guy' by Billie Eilish. However, I noticed that the bass was overpowering the mids and highs in some cases. However, once you enable LHDC support, things improve drastically. The mids and highs were slightly clearer in I'm Yours by Jason Mraz.
I prefer using the Original Sound profile on the earbuds as it delivers slightly less bass, which helps open the mids and highs. There is also spatial audio support, but it is quite average; it's best to keep it off. That said, given the price segment it is targeting, you cannot complain much about it, as most products have a similar profile.
The earbuds also offer decent battery life. The company claims you can get up to 56 hours of backup with the case and up to 8 hours per earbud. During testing, I found that the earbuds delivered about 7 hours of battery life with ANC off. However, when you switch on ANC and LHDC 5.0, battery life drops significantly, and you will get around three to four hours of backup from each bud.
The call quality is good as well. The earbuds offer dual mics with AI-based ENC that provide good isolation from the ambient noise, but not the bustling roadside. The earbuds offer good clarity on both ends, which is a good thing. Moreover, you have some AI features that you can show off to your friends. AI translator and AI face-to-face translation feature sure make a good impression, though the usage is limited.
To conclude, the Realme Buds T500 Pro brings a good package in the affordable TWS segment. At Rs 2,799, the buds deliver effective ANC, decent sound quality, and impressive battery life. The segment also has some strong competitors. That said, if you are one of those who like bass-heavy sound and don't want to invest much in earbuds, then you can consider the Realme Buds T500 Pro. As for the competition, the Realme Buds T500 Pro will face strong competition from the likes of CMF Buds 2 Plus, Oppo Enco Buds 3 Pro+, and more.
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