The REDMI Buds 8 Pro just launched alongside a plethora of its premium ilk, and it’s about time we threw out hat in the ring. Their latest offering came out just tad later than its supposed REDMI counterpart, but made in just in time to be partnered up with a beefy flagship. It’s par for the course, though–as with a coaxial triple-driver system, up to 55dB of active noise cancellation, LDAC support, Dolby Audio certification, and Hi-Res Audio Wireless certification, this is a pair of earbuds that has clearly decided it doesn’t want to stay in its lane.
All things considered, can it hang with the big boys, though? Well. we’ve been living with them long enough to tell you whether the performance actually holds up–and spoiler: it mostly does.
Geek-sthetic
At 5.3g per earbud, the Buds 8 Pro sits comfortably in the lightweight tier without making you feel like you’re wearing something cheap. The stems are slim, the ear tips come in three sizes out of the box, and the medium tips that come pre-installed hit the right balance of seal and comfort for most ear shapes.
The charging case is rounded and compact at 61mm wide, pocketable without being fiddly. On a more personal note, it’s pretty amusing how the REDMI logo is on the back.
Available in Glacier Blue, Obsidian Black, and ours–Cloud White, the Buds 8 Pro boasts IP54 dust and water resistance, which is a reasonable trade-off for the price. Intense sweat sessions and light rain are fine; don’t take them into the shower.
Sound to Binge To
This is where the Buds 8 Pro makes its strongest argument. The coaxial triple-driver setup is a configuration usually reserved for significantly pricier earbuds. This is mainly because it delivers a sound signature that’s detailed, balanced, and genuinely engaging across genres. It’s quite the premium experience.
The REDMI tuning here is confident: bass below 100Hz is measurably improved over previous installments, and it shows. Hip-hop and EDM have real weight without muddying the mids, and acoustic and vocal-led tracks benefit from the extra driver separation. K-pop–well, it’s what you’d expect.
LDAC support means high-resolution audio files actually get to breathe. If you’ve got a library of FLACs or a Tidal HiFi subscription, the difference over standard AAC is audible on well-produced tracks. Hi-Res Audio Wireless certification backs that up with third-party validation. Of course, we can’t forget Dolby Audio, which adds spatial depth and dialogue clarity that makes Netflix and YouTube noticeably more immersive. Enabling it via the Xiaomi Earbuds app or your Xiaomi phone’s Bluetooth settings is one of the first things you should do out of the box.
Dimensional audio with dynamic head-tracking rounds out the picture — turn your head during a movie scene and the soundstage moves with you. It’s the kind of feature that feels like a party trick until you forget it’s there and then notice its absence when you switch to a pair without it.
Locked In
Fifty-five decibels of ANC depth is the headline, and it earns the attention. To be precise, the 55dB depth and 5kHz frequency bandwidth are tested separately rather than simultaneously — but in daily use, the noise cancellation is among the most effective we’ve tested at this price tier. Office HVAC noise disappears. Commuter chatter fades. Airplane engine drone gets suppressed to a whisper. The real-time adaptive ANC samples your environment 32,000 times per second to adjust on the fly, and it provides quite an interesting experience for those who want to keep that spatial awareness.
Call quality holds its own adequately. The three-microphone array with Xiaomi’s self-developed AI algorithm delivers clear voice pickup in wind speeds up to 12 meters per second — that’s a stiff breeze by any standard. We tested it on a windy rooftop and callers reported crisp, clear audio on the other end. The AI noise reduction does the heavy lifting here, and it’s genuinely well-tuned.
Gesture controls are customizable via the Xiaomi Earbuds app, which also houses EQ presets, ANC mode adjustments, and firmware updates. As always, it takes a bit of getting used to. Don’t be discouraged if you find yourself tapping your earlobes for the first five minutes. Google Fast Pair handles first-time connection on Android with a single tap, and dual device connection lets you stay paired to your phone and laptop simultaneously without manual switching.
Final Geek Lifestyle Verdict
The REDMI Buds 8 Pro is one of those rare affordable earbuds that manages blur the line between budget and premium TWS price tiers. It’s not a perfect offering, but it’s a pretty sweet deal.
Coaxial triple drivers, 55dB ANC, LDAC, Dolby Audio, Hi-Res Wireless certification, dynamic head-tracking, and 33 total hours of battery life — with five-minute fast charging delivering two hours of playback when you’re in a pinch. That is a flagship-tier checklist at a non-flagship price.
The only genuine caveats are the IP54 rating (versus the IP57 on some competitors) and the fact that ANC depth and bandwidth figures are peak specs rather than simultaneous performance. Neither of those is a dealbreaker–especially at this price point.
The REDMI Buds 8 Pro is now available and priced at PHP 3,999. If you wish to snag one for yourself or peruse the full specs, check out the official website and Shopee page.