Xiaomi Buds 3T Pro Review: Best Value TWS

The Xiaomi Buds 3T Pro, much like other Xiaomi products, delivers excellent value for your money. It offers a compelling combination of premium features, such as outstanding active noise cancellation, all without breaking the bank. Over the past week, I’ve had the pleasure of using the Xiaomi Buds 3T Pro as my go-to true wireless earbuds.

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Design and Comfortability

When it comes to Xiaomi’s true wireless earbuds, many of them sport a bullet-style design. However, the Xiaomi Buds 3T Pro deviate from this trend, featuring a distinctive stem design reminiscent of Apple’s AirPods. If you have a preference, you can opt for the Buds 3T Pro in either sleek black or glossy white. In terms of comfort, I have no complaints whatsoever. The earbuds themselves weigh a mere 5 grams each, making them exceptionally lightweight and comfortable for extended use.

With true wireless earbuds, you typically receive a variety of differently sized silicone tips in the box, allowing you to find the perfect fit for your ears. This thoughtful inclusion ensures a snug and secure fit, and personally, I had no trouble finding a pair of silicone tips that suited me perfectly. I found them comfortable to wear for extended periods, often wearing them for three to four hours at a stretch. It’s worth noting that the Buds 3T Pro boasts an IP55 water resistance rating, providing peace of mind whether you’re caught in the rain or working up a sweat at the gym.

Setup and Bluetooth

When it comes to the Xiaomi Buds 3T Pro’s connectivity, there are no issues to speak of. It boasts Bluetooth 5.2 low-energy support, allowing you to effortlessly connect to up to two devices simultaneously. This feature comes in handy if you want to stay connected to your phone for music or podcasts while also linking to your laptop for impromptu Microsoft Teams meetings or a quick round of video editing.

Even in bustling city centers where countless others were using headphones, I found the connection to be remarkably stable without any distortion. It performed flawlessly. The only minor issue I observed in terms of audio streaming and connectivity was an occasional, tiny bit of distortion when my phone went into hibernation and then returned to my pocket. This was a sporadic occurrence and didn’t pose a significant problem.

Regrettably, the Xiaomi Buds 3T Pro lack a dedicated app, which is quite disappointing given that many true wireless earbuds come with companion apps. These apps typically offer convenient features like firmware updates, detailed battery life tracking, and customization options for audio output and noise cancellation.

However, there’s a silver lining if you happen to own a Xiaomi smartphone. You can access some additional tools and features through the Bluetooth settings menu, allowing you to toggle noise cancellation on and off.

Touch Controls

The Xiaomi Buds 3T Pro offer touch controls directly on the earbuds themselves to navigate through noise cancellation modes. These controls are activated by squeezing the stems, rather than tapping the buds, a design choice I found to be quite effective. It minimizes the risk of accidental control activation, especially when adjusting the earbuds.

A quick squeeze will pause your music, and another squeeze will resume playback. To skip forward a track, you can perform a double squeeze, and if you want to go back to the previous track, a triple squeeze should do the trick. It’s worth noting that getting the hang of double and triple squeezes may require a bit of practice, as they need to be executed at just the right pace. Occasionally, some squeezes may not register correctly, but the design ensures you won’t accidentally skip tracks while enjoying your music or podcasts.

One limitation to be aware of is that you can’t control the volume directly from the earbuds. If you need to adjust the volume while listening to a podcast or music, you’ll have to reach for your device to do so manually.

On a positive note, the Buds 3T Pro support auto-pause and auto-resume. If you need to remove an earbud for a moment, simply tap it back in when you’re ready to continue listening. This feature allows for seamless interruptions when someone approaches you for a conversation, and when they leave, you can pop the earbuds back in to resume your audio.

Active Noise Cancellation

Similar to many premium true wireless earbuds, the Xiaomi Buds 3T Pro feature active noise cancellation (ANC) to effectively block out the surrounding noise, allowing you to immerse yourself in your audio content. You can toggle through different ANC modes by performing a long press on one of the earbud stems. These modes include ANC off, ANC auto, and an awareness mode that amplifies your surroundings, which can be quite handy for quick conversations without having to remove your earbuds.

The ANC performance is quite impressive, especially for budget-friendly earbuds. It effectively reduces unwanted ambient noise, making it particularly useful in noisy environments like busy streets or public transportation. I’ve even used it on the subway, and it does an admirable job of cutting through the background clamor, enabling you to enjoy your podcasts without cranking up the volume.

In quieter surroundings, the ANC automatically deactivates to help conserve battery life. Compared to many other true wireless earbuds with noise cancellation, the Buds 3T Pro’s battery life holds up exceptionally well. This means you can comfortably listen to podcasts or audiobooks with clear vocals without needing to max out the volume, reducing the risk of hearing damage.

Audio and Mic Quality

In terms of audio quality, the Xiaomi Buds 3T Pro impress with their 10mm drivers packed into these tiny earbuds. The audio quality shines across the entire spectrum, from the bass to the highs. Each element of every track is faithfully reproduced, and the individual instruments and layers are delivered with remarkable clarity.

While these earbuds may not cater to hardcore bass enthusiasts like Beats headphones would, I thoroughly enjoyed listening to various genres, including rock, metal, hip-hop, and dance music. Even when simply relaxing with a podcast or audiobook, the vocal tones were rich, crisp, and clear—overall, an excellent audio experience.

Additionally, the Buds 3T Pro support dimensional audio, offering 360-degree surround sound with full head tracking support. The surround sound experience is genuinely impressive and adds depth to your audio.

The built-in microphones also perform admirably. I made calls while wearing a face mask, and the person on the other end could hear me clearly despite background noise, beeping sounds, and other people’s conversations. Although some ambient voices were audible, mine remained distinct, and there were no issues in communication.

Battery Life

Moving on to battery life, the Buds 3T Pro offer approximately six hours of usage on a single charge. When you turn off active noise cancellation (ANC), you can expect around five to six hours of playback. Personally, I often had the dynamic mode enabled because it enhances concentration in noisy environments, but it did reduce the battery life to about four to five hours, depending on how much time you spend in noisy surroundings.

Monitoring the battery life through the Android Bluetooth settings menu, I noticed that it didn’t initially decrease rapidly. I was impressed by how slowly it dropped, but it did speed up notably in the final 50-60 percent. So, it’s important not to solely rely on the remaining percentage as a measure of available battery life.

when it comes to true wireless earbuds with active noise cancellation, the Xiaomi Buds 3T Pro offer a relatively average battery life.

When you place the Buds 3T Pro back into their case, you can enjoy roughly three full recharges while you’re on the go, which is quite convenient and aligns with the standard you’d expect from true wireless earbuds in 2022. If the case’s battery is depleted, no worries, as you can easily charge it via Type-C on the go. Additionally, the case supports wireless charging, a feature typically found in more expensive and premium true wireless earbuds, making it a welcome inclusion by Xiaomi.

The case itself boasts a sleek and rounded design, resembling a pebble. It slips easily into pockets and doesn’t add much bulk. It also appears to be quite sturdy; I’ve had a few instances where it slipped off my desk, propelled across the room (usually with some assistance from curious cats), and it held up just fine. There’s a handy LED indicator on the front of the case that shows the case’s charge level every time you open it. When it turns red, it’s time to recharge the case, either by plugging it in or by placing it on your wireless charging pad.

Final Thought

The Xiaomi Buds 3T Pro are undeniably impressive premium-style earbuds, and their affordability is sure to leave you pleasantly surprised. While the absence of app support is a bit of a drawback, and you won’t have access to certain customization options, it’s genuinely challenging to pinpoint any significant faults with the Xiaomi Buds 3T Pro. They offer outstanding value for their price.

78%

78%

Best TWS Earbuds

Priced at $160, the Xiaomi Buds 3T Pro deliver impressive premium-style earbuds with outstanding value. While lacking app support and some customization options, their affordability is pleasantly surprising, making them a compelling choice for anyone seeking quality at a reasonable price.

• Design

  9
• Setup and Bluetooth

  8
• Touch Controls

  7
• ANC

  7
• Audio Quality

  8.5
• Battery Life

  7