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Noise-canceling earbuds are seemingly a dime a dozen these days; even entry-level options come with ANC (Active Noise Cancellation) technology. However, hunting for the perfect noise-canceling earbuds can feel like an endless quest, especially if you’re on a tight budget. Fortunately, there are a few brands that offer audiophile-level sound quality and good ANC technology for under €99/$100, and Xiaomi’s latest Buds 5 is no exception.
Xiaomi typically launches its AIoT devices every autumn. This year, the company introduced the Xiaomi 14T series, the Xiaomi Smart Band 9, the Xiaomi S20 series robot vacuum, the Xiaomi TV Max 100, and the Xiaomi Buds 5.
Notably, Xiaomi did not launch the previous generation, the Buds 4, in the global market. However, this time, Xiaomi makes a comeback with its signature Buds 5 earbuds available internationally.
Consumers typically seek several key features in new earbuds: better sound quality, a durable build, decent ANC, and reliable battery life. The good news is that the Xiaomi Buds 5 surprisingly delivers on all these fronts.
I spent two weeks with the Xiaomi Buds 5 to see how they compare against stiff competition from the likes of Nothing’s latest CMG Buds Pro 2, Sony WF-C510, and Earfun Air Pro 4.
Price and Availablity
The Xiaomi Buds 5 earbuds have been announced in Europe, alongside the Xiaomi 14T series, Smart Band 9, and a range of smart-home products.
You can snag the Buds 5 for €99 (roughly $109, £83) directly from Xiaomi UK’s official website or other authorized retailers. There’s no news on the availability in the US just yet. To recall, Xiaomi usually doesn’t release much of its tech in the US markets.
Xiaomi offers three beautiful options for the Buds 5: Titan Gray, Graphite Black, and Ceramic White.
Pros
- Brilliant sound right out of the box
- Lightweight design with a durable build
- Good active noise-canceling
- In-app Custom EQ
Cons
- Mediocre battery life
- Buggy companion app
- Poor ear grip
Unboxing
Design and Build
At first glance, the Xiaomi Buds 5 case looks absolutely striking with its shiny reflective layer on top. The compact yet lightweight design with subtle curves feels very premium in hand and easily slips into any pocket without taking up much space. It has a durable plastic construction that feels quite sturdy and premium.
At the center of the lid, there is a signature “Xiaomi” branding finished in a classic silver color, giving a bold look to the case. The case weighs a mere 36.6 grams, making it super portable. On the bottom of the case, there is a Bluetooth 5.4 quick pairing button and a USB-C port for charging. On the front, you get a small LED indicator which denotes the battery life of the case. The case weighs a mere 36.6 grams, making it super portable.
Unlike other earbuds cases, Xiaomi doesn’t hide the stems in the body. Instead, the Buds 5 clamshell design case reveals the entirety of the buds, which allows me to quickly remove the buds without even fiddling with the case, bringing great convenience.
Xiaomi offers three eye-catching color options for the Buds 5: Gray, White, and Black. Xiaomi provides us with a shiny Ceramic White color that looks gorgeous.
When you open the case, you are greeted with sleek, ceramic white-finished open-ear design Xiaomi Buds 5 earbuds with a silver-coated layer on the stems. Weighing in at just 4.2 grams each, the Xiaomi Buds 5 earbuds feel relatively lightweight. Each earbud has a small cylindrical button on the stem that you can use for various controls with single pinch, double pinch, triple taps, and tap-and-hold inputs. More on that later.
I have a love-hate relationship with the open-ear design earbuds. The obvious reason behind this is the ear grip issue. The Xiaomi Buds 5 did offer a comfortable grip for my ear when I was seated or in a steady mode. But things went south when fast walking or running; I noticed the Buds 5 would slowly start to slip, resulting in my having to constantly push the buds back into my ears.
I tried the Buds 5 during my gym sessions, but unfortunately, the Buds started to fall out while performing jumping or running activities. If you do a lot of movement, I simply wouldn’t recommend these earbuds to you. Instead, look for silicone-tip earbuds that offer a more reliable grip than the open ear ones.
To wrap up the design elements, the Buds 5 come with IP54 water and dust resistance ingress protection, which means they can easily withstand normal splashes of water and ingress of dust.
Performance
Inside the Xiaomi Buds 5 are 11mm dual magnet dynamic sound drivers that bring true-to-life audio. You’ll get all the standard codec support, including SBC, AAC, LC3, Qualcomm aptX Lossless, and aptX Adaptive in the Buds 5. The Xiaomi Buds 5 use Bluetooth v5.4 connectivity with support for Bluetooth Low Energy and operate within a 10-meter range, offering a great listening experience without connection drops. Xiaomi also collaborated with the audio specialist Harman Kardon to squeeze the most out of the buds.
I spent almost two weeks with the Xiaomi Buds 5, and honestly, it offers better sound than I expected in this price range. Despite the over-ear structure, the buds have great bass.
For testing the Xiaomi Buds 5 sound quality, I started with my go-to song – Vidya Vox’s “Be Free.” The Buds 5 produce rich and deep audio with crisp highs and solid bass that please my ear. The vocals sound crystal-clear, the high frequencies are crisp without being too sharp, and the bass response is just great. What I love the most about the Buds 5 is its instrument separation. You can easily distinguish the drum beats, piano, and guitar. I also enjoyed Otilia’s “Billionera” and The Knife’s “Silent Shout,” which sound equally good with rich and deep audio.
One thing to note is that I used the default audio balance, the Harman AudioEFX, to listen to all my favorite songs. Xiaomi offers multiple audio presets that you can choose directly from the companion app. I simply love the Harman AudioEFX’s mix; it’s clear, with a pure focus on vocals, instruments, and pitches. I would recommend you use the default audio balance, Harman AudioEFX, for a better music experience. I think the Xiaomi Buds 5 sound brilliant with the default configuration and will be enjoyed by everyone, from audiophiles to non-audiophiles alike.
I took out the Xiaomi Buds 5 to test its active noise cancellation – a distraction-free tech that offers a great music experience without any disturbance. Xiaomi offers 2 ANC levels: Balanced and Deep, with an adaptive mode that automatically adjusts sound based on your shape and environment. In busier areas like cafes and parks, the Buds 5’s active noise cancellation works decently but isn’t outstanding. On a bus, they did a decent job of cutting out most of the engine noise but not so effectively. The same is true for the busy cafes; they were just average at reducing the background noise. This might be because of the buds’ design, but I’m not sure; it is what it is. The Buds 5 have three microphones on each bud, which work fine during calls.
Software
The Xiaomi Buds 5 come with a dedicated Xiaomi Earbuds companion app – available on iOS and Android devices – allowing you to further tweak the earbuds’ audio and other settings as per your liking.
The companion app provides a 10-band equalizer between 62Hz and 16kHz, giving you most of the control over the sound. The software experience entirely depends on the type of phone you use. The Xiaomi Buds 5 work seamlessly with my iQOO 12 device, where you can access most of the important settings like spatial audio, head tracking, high-quality audio, and more directly from the Bluetooth menu.
You can easily switch noise cancellation and adaptive noise cancellation modes. Other standard features include toggling wear detection, setting up dual device connectivity, in-ear detection, taking calls automatically, and audio-based finding of the earbuds, and changing the gesture controls.
You can also activate Xiaomi’s Dimensional Audio from the audio effects. This feature basically makes audio sound like it’s surrounding you. Alongside Dimensional Audio, there are several audio effects you’ll find in the app including Harman AudioEFX, Enhance Voice, Enhance Treble, Decrease Bass, Classic, and a Custom option.
I found gesture controls really convenient; with just one pinch, you can answer calls, play/pause music, pinch twice to reject a call, change the music track, pinch three times to go back to the previous music track, use a slide gesture to set the volume level, and press and hold for 2 seconds to turn on/off noise cancellation. You can also customize the gesture controls directly from the app.
My experience with the app wasn’t great. Every time I connect the earbuds to my phone, the app simply won’t show that they are connected – I have to restart the app and connect it manually. The irony is you can’t use the features including ANC controls and other audio tweak settings until the app detects the earbuds. This is so frustrating. I hope Xiaomi will address this issue in its upcoming software updates.
Battery
Xiaomi rated the Buds 5 for 39 hours of battery life with the case and 6.5 hours for the Buds on a single charge.
During my testing, I found the Xiaomi Buds 5 lasted over 5 hours and 11 minutes with ANC on and 6 hours when ANC was off. While the case provides around 33 hours with ANC deployed. The battery life of the buds is just average compared to the other earbuds in this price range.
It takes around one and a half hours to fully charge the earbuds. The buds also have fast charging support; a 10-minute charge provides you with 2 hours of listening time, which is great.
Final Thoughts
The Xiaomi Buds 5 provide all the essentials that you’d want from affordable earbuds, including brilliant sound quality, decent ANC, a full range of features, a durable yet premium-looking build, and a companion app for further tweaking the music.
My only quibble is its poor fit and average battery life. This is where Xiaomi needs to improve. If you love open-ear design earbuds and can settle for average battery life, then these €99 earbuds are a compelling choice.
If you are someone who wants an excellent fit, solid battery life, and superior sound quality without spending a fortune, then consider Sony’s WF-C510, which costs slightly less than the Xiaomi Buds 5 and is available in most markets.
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