🎧 Realme Buds Air 8 Review: Big on Features, but There’s a Catch
Price in India: ₹3,799
Category: Sub-₹4,000 TWS Earbuds
Overall Rating: ⭐ 8/10
The Realme Buds Air 8 is positioned as a feature-packed, value-for-money TWS offering. It brings powerful ANC, long battery life, balanced sound, and unique AI features, but also makes a few compromises to keep the price competitive.
🧩 Design & Comfort: Built for Long Listening Sessions
- Design collaboration: Designed with renowned Japanese designer Naoto Fukasawa
- Form factor: In-ear
- Water & dust resistance: IP55 (safe for workouts, sweat, light rain)
- Colours: Master Grey, Master Gold, Master Purple
Design Experience
- Charging case looks premium and minimal, but uses hard plastic, which scratches easily
- Matte rubberised lid gives a nice grip and premium feel
- Compact and lightweight – easy to carry in pockets
- Earbuds sit horizontally with strong magnets
Comfort
- Soft silicone ear tips provide a snug fit
- Can be worn for hours without ear fatigue
- Stable fit during workouts, jogging, and daily movement
✅ Comfort is one of the strongest points of the Buds Air 8.
🔊 Sound Quality & Features: Feature-Rich, Slightly Inconsistent Sound
Audio Specifications
- Drivers: 11mm dynamic drivers
- Codecs: AAC, SBC, LHDC
- Bluetooth: v5.4 (stable up to 10m)
- Companion App: Realme Link
- Controls: Touch gestures (tap)
Sound Performance
- Sound signature is balanced with slightly boosted bass
- Bass-heavy tracks sound energetic and punchy
- Vocals are clear at low to medium volume
⚠️ Main drawback:
- At 70%+ volume, clarity drops
- Instrument separation is average
- High notes can sound shrill
- Not ideal for instrumental or classical music lovers
Touch Controls
- Not overly sensitive (good)
- But sometimes too unresponsive, requiring repeated taps
🔇 ANC & Smart Features: Segment-Leading at This Price
Active Noise Cancellation
- Up to 55dB real-time ANC
- Works very well in:
- Traffic
- Metro rides
- Crowded environments
- Also includes Transparency Mode
AI Features
- AI Live Translation
- Face-to-Face Translation
📝 These AI features are interesting but feel gimmicky and may not always work perfectly.
🔋 Battery Life: Truly Impressive
Battery Capacity
- Earbuds: 62mAh each
- Charging case: 530mAh
Battery Performance
- With ANC ON: ~10 hours
- Without ANC: ~12.5 hours
- With charging case: Up to 58 hours total
You can easily go 3–4 days without charging, which is excellent in this segment.
📱 App Experience: Clean & Customisable
- Realme Link app has a simple and intuitive UI
- Custom EQ settings available
- Easy access to:
- ANC modes
- Touch controls
- Sound effects
✅ Pros & ❌ Cons
👍 Good
- Excellent value for money
- Powerful ANC
- Long battery life
- Comfortable for long use
- Custom EQ support
- Premium-looking design
👎 Bad
- Sound clarity drops at high volume
- Gesture controls can be unresponsive
- Charging case scratches easily
- AI features are not very reliable
🏁 Final Verdict
The Realme Buds Air 8 is a well-rounded TWS earbuds option under ₹4,000. While it doesn’t deliver perfect audio clarity at high volumes, it excels in ANC, comfort, battery life, and overall features.
If you want:
- Strong ANC
- Long battery life
- Comfortable earbuds for daily use
👉 Realme Buds Air 8 is an excellent choice and slightly better than rivals like CMF Buds 2 Plus and Oppo Enco Buds 3 Pro+.
