Realme Buds T300 Long Term Review: Unpleasingly Surprising

The demand for TWS earbuds for around Rs 2,000 has increased in recent years. There are several options available at this price segment in the market, out of which, we picked out the Realme Buds T300 to test because it also offers Active Noise Cancellation (ANC). We purchased them for Rs 1,999 in a sale on Amazon; however, at the time of writing, these earbuds cost Rs 2,199. 

We have been using them for more than six months and in this review, we tell you if the Realme Buds T300 is worth the price.

Build, Design and Fit

We received the Stylish black colour variant that has a matte finish on the charging case whereas the inside of it has beige colour which looks good. You can buy the white colour if you want a glossy finish. The earbuds have both – a matte finish on the stem and a glossy finish around the ear tips. The case and earbuds look similar to Apple AirPods Pro. 

In our rigorous usage of six months, the earbuds hardly picked any scratches however, the charging case is filled with a lot of scratches. 

The earbuds are made of plastic that feels robust; the hinge is also very sturdy. These earbuds are strong enough to last for a longer time.

These earbuds fit well in ears and don’t fall out on their own even while running. By default, the earbuds come attached with medium-sized silicon tips however, you can switch to other sizes of ear tips provided in the box. The earbuds have an IP55 water and dust resistance rating, which protects them from sweat while working out. 

Sound Quality

These earbuds have 12.4mm dynamic bass-boost drivers that have a bass-heavy sound signature by default. For some reason, these earbuds are too loud and when we say ‘loud’, it means a 50 per cent volume level is more than enough to listen to music. These earbuds focus more on bass and less on vocals. Thanks to the Realme Link app, you can choose between four music equaliser presets or make one yourself. The first two, Clear Vocals and Nature Balance, either eliminate the bass or keep it very low. If you are someone who listens to Indie or soothing songs, these modes are good for you. 

We found clear bass mode ideal for hip hop or Punjabi songs but would recommend you not to switch to bass boost mode because it has excess bass that ruins the whole music listening experience. 

These earbuds can cancel up to 30db of noise which we found working well. We used it during our metro and bus rides, and it cancelled out most of the chattering of other passengers. However, it was not able to cut horns and loud exhaust sounds. The transparency mode amplifies the outside noise inside but we use this mode very less.

Realme Link Support

The Realme Buds T300 earbuds can be customised using the Realme Link app. It offers features like a volume enhancer that increases the sound output and a Spatial Audio mode that offers a 360-degree surround sound experience. 

The earbuds can be controlled using touch gestures. Here’s how we use these you can customize them as per your personal preference:

Double tap: Play/Pause

Triple Tap: Next track

Quadruple (four times) tap: Enable find my phone

These touch controls work smoothly in our experience, and we haven’t faced any issues yet. You can also customise them on the app. 

Battery and Charging 

The charging case packs a 460mAh battery unit whereas each earbud has a 43mAh battery pack. Realme claims that the earbuds can provide a combined battery life of 40 hours without ANC, We used these earbuds with ANC enabled most of the time and got around 5 hours of playback in a single usage and 30 hours of playback with a charging case at 50 per cent volume level. 

Service Centre Experience

While we were happy with the Realme Buds T300 in our initial days, we also had an unpleasant experience. Within a month of using these earbuds, the right earbud started making a weird wind noise in both, transparency and ANC modes. We had to visit the Realme service centre multiple times and also waited for a week to get the replacement unit. The whole process was disappointing and took a lot of time. Thankfully, after our multiple requests, Realme agreed to replace our earbuds. 

Verdict

So, are the Realme Buds T300 worth buying at Rs 2,199? No doubt that these earbuds offer good sound quality, a decent build and a long list of features in budget. But, you can also take a look at other competitors in this price range. For example, the boAt Nirvana Ion claims to offer a massive battery life of 120hrs whereas the OnePlus Nord Buds 2r are feature-rich. Realme Buds T300's ANC comes as a trump card; hence, we would recommend getting these over their competitors around this price point.