Redmi Buds 6 Pro Review: An Oddity from Xiaomi
The Redmi Buds 6 Pro do what Xiaomi does best: tick all the right boxes. LDAC codec? Check. Spatial audio with head tracking? Check. Very good Active Noise Cancellation? Check. For less than $80 a pop, we have technical specifications worthy of top-of-the-range headphones, which are normally sold for between $200 and $300. What about in real-life, everyday use? I will share all about it with you in this full Redmi Buds 6 Pro review.
Good
- Understated and elegant design
- Balanced sound
- LDAC codec
- Very effective spatial audio
- Good battery life
Bad
- Active Noise Cancellation is too uneven
- No wireless charging
Redmi Buds 6 Pro price and availability
The Redmi Buds 6 Pro has been available in various parts of the world since January 2025. The wireless earbuds are sold via Xiaomi's official store and a number of e-tailers such as Amazon, although they are officially unavailable for those living in the US at the moment, where you will have to find other third-party importers to get your hands on a pair.
Redmi Buds 6 Pro: Design
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The Redmi Buds 6 Pro feature a very classic design for wireless earbuds. They follow the trend of contrasting two coatings: one matte for the earbud and the other glossy on the stems. There is nothing original here, but everything is very clean. I really liked the review unit I received, which featured a nice shade of black. I just didn't like the yellow "Redmi" branding printed on each stem.
The wireless earbuds can be considered for sports with their IP54 certification for water and dust resistance. The fit in the ear of Xiaomi's wireless earbuds is also very good. The Redmi Buds 6 Pro didn't budge an inch during my very scientific test protocol involving a series of headbanging, hood donning, and chewing.
A word about the charging case, which is fairly compact with a solid hinge: the Redmi Buds 6 Pro charging case also features an LED bar in front. This LED bar has a very cool feature that I'll talk about later in the review.
Audio and microphone quality of the Redmi Buds 6 Pro
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The default audio quality of the Redmi Buds 6 Pro is decent. Xiaomi opted for a rather balanced rendering, which proved to be a pleasant surprise. Above all, it goes against the grain of other "affordable" wireless earbuds, whose audio signature is generally very/too bass-heavy. However, Xiaomi really went overboard with its triple drivers, so I expected better. The audio quality of the Redmi Buds 6 Pro is simply consistent for its price range, nothing more.
- Follow this guide to better understand the audio quality of your headphones
Another pleasant surprise is how Xiaomi's wireless earbuds support the Bluetooth LDAC codec. Personally, I'm unable to hear the difference with or without LDAC. I know there is one, factually. So, I figure it's always better to have an HD codec, even if you don't notice it. This also holds true for almost all users and reviewers, although they'd be cautious enough not to admit it.
On the other hand, I was impressed by the quality of its spatial audio. The Redmi Buds 6 Pro also offer head tracking. Even if spatial audio remains an extremely niche feature in my opinion, I have to praise Xiaomi in this respect.
Indoor microphone quality of the Redmi Buds 6 Pro
Outdoor microphone quality of the Redmi Buds 6 Pro
Active Noise Cancellation is Too Random
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The Active Noise Cancellation of the Redmi Buds 6 Pro was too uneven. At times, I found it worthy of high-end $300 headphones. In particular, this was when I walked down the street with the ANC set to its maximum intensity.
However, when it comes to airborne noise, Xiaomi's algorithm falls short. Wind noises and human voices aren't attenuated well enough. When Active Noise Cancellation was set to automatic mode, consistency problems became even more glaring, which is a real shame.
Transparency mode proved to be quite interesting. The Redmi Buds 6 Pro can focus either on amplifying voices or ambient noise. Depending on whether you want to chat with someone without removing your earbuds or avoid getting hit by a car while jogging, you can select either mode.
Personally, I preferred the transparency mode dedicated to ambient noise as I found it to be more natural.
Redmi Buds 6 Pro: Application and features
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The Redmi Buds 6 Pro work in conjunction with the Xiaomi Earbuds app, which is available on Android and iOS. The interface is fairly easy to pick up apart from one detail, which I'll mention below. There's bound to be an ad in here, but since it is an advert by Xiaomi, I suppose that's okay. Apart from that, all the basic features are here: multiband equalizer, dual pairing, wear detection.
A small asterisk when it comes to user-friendliness. Xiaomi has a fetish for hidden functions. I mean, literally hidden. I'm talking about the equalizer. The latter can only be found by entering "Audio Effects", "Audio Balance" and selecting the "Customize" option for it to appear. WTH?!
Controls on the Redmi Buds 6 Pro are purely tactile without making any accommodation for haptic pinch gestures. Personally, I'm fairly neutral on the matter. However, the controls proved to be rather unresponsive. There's always some lag, especially when swiping the stems to manage volume levels. Each earbud can recognize up to five tactile gestures, and the functions associated with each gesture can be reassigned.
Redmi Buds 6 Pro Battery and Charging
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Xiaomi announced an impressive battery life of 9h 30m for the Redmi Buds 6 Pro. This is an excellent score that can only be achieved by disabling Active Noise Cancellation and the LDAC codec.
Personally, I used the Xiaomi wireless earbuds under these settings:
- 100% charged
- Wear detection disabled
- No charging during my session
- Active Noise Cancellation is always on
- 50% listening volume
- Paired with an Android smartphone
- LDAC codec
I lasted six hours on a single charge. Again, I didn't use the head-tracking spatial audio feature during my review. I think Xiaomi should take these elements into account when talking about battery life. If ANC and LDAC are the primary points of its wireless earbuds, consumers need to be told how long they'll be able to use these functions on a single charge.
Despite such unscrupulous marketing, the battery life of the Redmi Buds 6 Pro is decent enough, placing it right smack in the middle for wireless earbuds in this price range.
I also appreciated being able to charge the wireless earbuds up to four times via the case. Competitors generally offer three or even two times only. The Redmi Buds 6 Pro's charging case does not support wireless charging, though. One last thing I teased at the beginning of this review was how I loved the LED bar in front of the case which indicates not only the remaining battery level, but also the remaining charge.
Conclusion: Should I Buy the Redmi Buds 6 Pro?
Would I recommend you buy the Redmi Buds 6 Pro for less than $80? No.
The Redmi Buds 6 Pro are no more high-end than they appear. They're good headphones for $80, no more, no less. However, the market has come a long way from its early days. $80 for a pair of wireless earbuds isn't exactly "affordable" anymore.
I really struggle with this sub-$100 segment. Personally, I'd either opt for a pair at under $60 or even $50, like the Nothing CMF Buds Pro 2 (review) or the Sony WF-C510 (review), as the difference in quality is almost negligible. Either that, or I'd invest a few dozen dollars more for a pair of really high-end wireless earbuds at around $150 a pop.
Especially as the manufacturer also sells the Xiaomi Buds 5 at $50 thereabouts. I wouldn't recommend them either, and they're not quite the same product category (they're not earbuds), but they do have the merit of a far more premium design and many more features than the Redmi Buds 6 Pro that is sold at the same price.
What do you think of the Redmi Buds 6 Pro after this comprehensive review? Am I being too harsh on Xiaomi's wireless earbuds?
