Xiaomi TWS headset market this year can be described as a brand new one, both in its product design and product positioning. The Xiaomi FlipBuds Pro and Xiaomi Buds 3 Pro have been launched, as well as the Xiaomi Buds 3 true wireless noise cancelling earphones which will be reviewed this time. Relying on uniquely recognizable brand characteristics and rich functions, it is deployed in the mid-to-high-end market.
Xiaomi Buds 3 will be officially launched at the new product launch conference of the Xiaomi 12 series on December 28, 2021. The appearance continues the overall design language of the Xiaomi Buds 3 Pro, but at the same time there are certain discrepancies in details. In terms of functions, it still focuses on HiFi-level sound quality and ANC, supports 40dB deep noise cancelling (authoritative test by the Chinese Institute of Metrology), has three-speed adjustable noise cancelling and dual transparency modes.
In other aspects, it supports three-microphone call noise cancelling, pressure-sensitive control, bluetooth dual device connection, wireless charging and other functions. It has IP55 dustproof and waterproof, 7h/32h music playback battery life. With Xiaoai APP, it supports extended functions such as custom gesture control and headset fit detection.
|1. Xiaomi Buds 3 earphones unboxing
Packaging & Accessories
Xiaomi Buds 3 true wireless noise cancelling earphones uses a square packaging box design, Ink Jade Black color matching is a black background. The front product appearance rendering corresponds to the product color, and the “mi” brand LOGO and product name are also designed.
The back of the box introduces the product features, including three-speed adjustable noise cancelling, multi-device intelligent interconnection, bluetooth 5.2, 3-mic call noise cancelling, convenient pressure-sensitive control, and wireless charging.
Part of the product parameter information, model: M2111E1, CMIIT ID: 2021DP11087, earphone input parameters: 5V-0.08A, charging case input parameters: 5V-0.5A, charging case output parameters: 5V-0, 2A; and the contents of the box information.
The contents of the box include earphones, Type-C charging cable, three pairs of eartips (M size is pre-installed in the earphones), and a quick guide.
Two extra pairs of soft liquid silicone eartips of different sizes are included, and one pair is pre-installed on the headphone. There are a total of three specifications to meet the wearing needs of different groups of people. Eartips have their own mesh to place foreign objects into the sound cavity.
Appearance design
The Xiaomi 3 charging case uses an oval design. The Ink Jade Black color used in this review is matte material, and the look is a very deep blue. A single indicator light is provided on the front for feedback of the headphone power and bluetooth pairing status information.
The back of the charging case is the wireless charging receiving area, which uses an integrated shaft structure and is designed with the “xiaomi” brand LOGO.
The bottom of the charging case uses a Type-C charging interface, and is equipped with an oval-shaped function button. Click to view the remaining power, and long press to enter the bluetooth pairing state.
Xiaomi 3 true wireless noise cancelling earphones use a handle-like earphone design similar to a musical note. The earphone handle is flat, and the back continues the bright decorative belt design of the Xiaomi Buds 3 Pro. The lines are smooth and beautiful, which improves the product texture very well.
The position of the headphone call microphone has also been adjusted, from the bottom of the headphone handle to the outside.
There are only two silver metal contacts at the bottom for charging the earphones.
Headphone noise cancelling microphone hole, used for noise cancelling function to pick up external environmental noise.
The side of the earphone handle is a flat design, with pressure-sensitive buttons, and a tiny bar-shaped protrusion to facilitate blind operation to determine the position.
The sound outlet of the earphone is protected by the same silver metal mesh to prevent foreign objects from entering the sound cavity. A back-feed microphone is set internally for the noise cancelling function to pick up environmental noise inside the ear canal.
The earphone pressure relief hole is protected by a circular metal mesh, which is used to flexibly adjust the air pressure inside the cavity, reduce the vibration loss of the dynamic driver, and improve the sound quality performance.
After actual measurement, the overall weight of Xiaomi Buds 3 true wireless noise cancelling earphones is about 51.3g.
The weight of the two earphones is about 9.0g, which is lighter than the previous generation and provides a comfortable wearing effect.
Xiaomi’s true wireless noise cancelling earphones 3 currently has Ink Jade Black and Early Snow White two color schemes using different processes. Ink Jade Black is a matte material, and Early Snow White uses a smooth shiny surface process, which can be freely selected according to personal preferences.
Compared with Xiaomi Buds 3 Pro
Compared with Xiaomi Buds 3 Pro, Xiaomi Buds 3 true wireless earphones is relatively larger in design. The Ink Jade Black and Aurora Green used for comparison this time have the same texture. All are treated with a frosting process, which is not easy to stain fingerprints and scratches. In the spraying process, the former particle feels more obvious, while the Xiaomi Buds 3 Pro is relatively more delicate.
In the earphone part, the design language of the two products is also consistent, with a very high degree of recognition. The Xiaomi 3 earphone handle is relatively slender, and also uses a flat square design, which is more three-dimensional. The shiny decorative belt on the back of the earphone handle does not extend to the pressure relief hole inside the earphone. The metal tail plug at the bottom is replaced with metal contacts, and the texture performance is relatively poor.
|2. Xiaomi Buds 3 earphones feature review
Connect & Interact
Based on the Xiaomi ecosystem, Xiaomi Buds 3 have a convenient way to connect. Used with Xiaomi mobile phone, support pop-up mode is quick pairing connection. After the connection is successful, you can also view the charging case and the percentage power information of the left/right earphones through the pop-up window. Devices of other brands can be connected in the bluetooth setting interface.
Xiaomi’s true wireless noise cancelling earphones 3 multi-device intelligent interconnection function allows the headphone to be connected to two bluetooth devices such as mobile phones/tablets/computers at the same time. Realizing convenient and fast audio switching is a very practical function in daily use.
In terms of operation control, pressure-sensitive buttons are used to support multiple control modes of single, double, triple pressing and long pressing. Differentiate the use of left and right earphones, which can realize the control of pause/play, answer/hang up, previous/next, volume-/+, noise cancelling mode switching, and wake up the voice assistant. Various controls can be performed without a mobile phone. At the same time, it also supports the in-ear detection function, which automatically pauses playback when you remove the headphones, and resumes playback when you wear it again, which is very convenient to use.
Noise cancelling
Xiaomi Buds 3 true wireless noise cancelling earphones retain the excellent noise cancelling function of the Xiaomi Buds 3 Pro. Equipped with hybrid noise cancelling technology, it cooperates with the three microphones of feedforward, feedback, and talk that work closely in different combinations to easily respond to noise cancelling needs in different scenarios. However, the adaptive noise cancelling mode is cancelled, and the noise cancelling mode switching needs to be performed manually, which reduces the convenience of use.
In terms of active noise cancelling, Xiaomi Buds 3 support three-speed adjustable noise cancelling: mild, balanced, and deep. It can be adjusted freely according to different noise environments to achieve a more comfortable noise cancelling effect and avoid excessive noise cancelling to produce ear pressure. According to the authoritative test of China Metrology Institute, the maximum noise cancelling depth can reach 40dB. In terms of real experience, the depth mode can eliminate environmental noise very cleanly, and also has a significant inhibitory effect on mid- to high-frequency vocals, keyboard strokes and other sounds.
Xiaomi Buds 3 supports two transparency modes: ambient sound and vocal enhancement. Turn on transparency mode to easily obtain external information without taking off the earphones. It can be used in scenarios such as short-term communication, crossing the road, listening to the site, and so on. The vocal enhancement mode will attenuate environmental noise, improve the quality of vocals, and make communication clearer and smoother.
In order to meet the needs of more scenarios, Xiaomi Buds 3 true wireless noise cancelling earphones also support wind noise resistance mode. After turning it on, wear the headphones to use in windy weather, cycling, running and other scenes, which can well avoid the influence of wind noise and have a better audio experience.
In the call noise cancelling function, Xiaomi Buds 3 is equipped with a neural network call noise cancelling algorithm. Cooperate with three microphones to pick up sound, accurately eliminate environmental noise, retain human voice, and provide clear voice call effects in office, street and other scenes.
Sound quality
Acoustic configuration is the main part that distinguishes Xiaomi’s true wireless noise cancelling earphones 3 from the Xiaomi Buds 3 Pro. The speaker is replaced with a super dynamic dual magnetic unit, the spatial audio 360° sound field is cancelled, and the LHDC4.0 high-definition audio decoding is no longer supported. However, based on the super dynamic dual magnetic unit and the professional tuning of the Xiaomi Audio Lab, it still provides HiFi sound quality performance.
The ultra-dynamic dual-magnetic unit adopted by Xiaomi Buds 3 this time is composed of N52 dual magnets, Japan’s Daikoku CCAW coil and high-rigidity diaphragm, which can effectively reduce distortion, improve frequency response, and reduce high-frequency segmentation vibration. In the structure, an independent rear cavity is designed to avoid electromagnetic interference, and the metal mesh pressure relief hole can flexibly adjust the air pressure in the cavity to reduce the vibration loss of the dynamic driver.
The final audio effect has also been professionally tuned by the Xiaomi Audio Lab, and the HRTF tuning curve is used to restore a more realistic sound effect. In the sense of hearing, it can present rich audio details, the bass vibration is comfortable, and the middle and high frequency vocals are clear and crisp, with clear layers.
Xiaoai APP
“Xiaoai APP” is an ecological application of Xiaomi’s intelligent voice assistant. With the development of TWS headphone products, Xiaoai APP also carries the extended functions of Xiaomi TWS headphones, so that regardless of whether it is a brand of Xiaomi, you can experience the same functions through APP.
Click the Xiaoai APP to enter the personal center, and you can view the connected bluetooth devices in the bluetooth device menu. After clicking the product name to enter, you can view the charging case and earphones percentage power information, switch the noise cancelling mode, detect the fit of the earphone, and customize the gesture operation. There are also new functions in the laboratory to provide a richer user experience.
Charging & Battery life
Xiaomi Buds 3 true wireless noise cancelling earphones in terms of battery life, in addition to inheriting the convenient charging method of the Xiaomi Buds 3 Pro, the battery life has been further improved. In the fully charged state, the active noise cancelling function is turned off, 50% power, AAC format, and 7 hours of music playing time at a time. The combined battery life of the charging case reaches 32 hours.
Xiaomi Buds 3 use Type-C charging interface, compatible with the current mainstream Android mobile phone charging equipment. The charging case supports the Qi protocol wireless charging function and is compatible with a variety of wireless charging devices, including mobile phones with wireless reverse charging.
|3. Summary
Xiaomi Buds 3 true wireless noise cancelling earphones, as a sinking model of Xiaomi Buds 3 Pro, continues the unique style of this year’s Xiaomi TWS earphone family, with very high recognition and high texture. The two different color matching processes have enriched the user’s choice. The ear-shaped handle design is similar to the musical note, with smooth and beautiful lines, light and comfortable to wear.
In terms of functional experience, Xiaomi Buds 3 retains the excellent noise cancelling effect. Three-speed noise cancelling mode, dual transparency mode, 3 mic+AI call noise cancelling, multiple modes of anti-wind noise, and a maximum noise cancelling depth of 40dB, which meet the needs of most daily scenes. The audio experience is based on the ultra-dynamic dual magnetic unit and the professional tuning of the Xiaomi audio laboratory through HRTF, providing clear and transparent music and rich audio details.
Other aspects, such as in-ear detection, pressure control, dual-device connection and other functional applications, further enrich the product experience. A single battery life of 7 hours and a comprehensive music playback time of 32 hours effectively avoids the battery life anxiety of TWS headset users. With wireless charging function, it is convenient to use.
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