We’re way past the point of wireless earbuds being a mid-range or luxury offering and the problem has evolved to deciding which pair would be the best bang for your buck — especially if you’re after something affordable.

One of the best ways to ensure you’re getting a quality product is to head to a known brand and realme has been one to make a name for affordable yet capable devices, accessories included. The company has a number of offerings in terms of audio peripherals but one of the newer and more affordable ones is the realme Buds Q2s. Priced at just PhP 1,490 (about USD $25), what can you expect from these budget TWS? Read on to find out.

No fuss pairing and connection

Imagine busting out your new TWS buds only to find that your first hurdle is connecting them to your device. That isn’t the case with the realme Buds Q2s.

From personal experience, some budget TWS buds are a bit finicky when it comes to pairing and it most often involves pressing a button and waiting for a good while for the device to appear on the Bluetooth menu. 

With the realme Buds Q2s, pairing is basically effortless. Flip open the case and it almost instantly appears on the Bluetooth menu. We were able to test pairing on both Apple and Android devices and neither showed any problem.  Once paired, we didn’t experience disconnections ant any point and controls were easy to use both in-app and using onboard.

Subtle and elegant design

One of our favorite aspects about the realme Buds Q2s is its size. It’s tiny, lightweight, and easily pocketable. 

The case offers a translucent cover, matte bottom, an indicator light up front, and USB-C charging port at the back. We have the black variant on hand which is the most inconspicuous color offering.

realme being realme, the company made sure to offer a case that exerts a bit of effort with its design and not just throw in the usual one-color, all-plastic shell. You may have to be a little bit careful, however, as the plastic material seems a bit prone to scratches. 

The buds themselves also exude subtle elegance. Matte plastic is the main material save for the center. For the black variant, we have a mirror-esque circle in the center which kind of makes you feel like you’re looking down into the Hogwarts Pensieve.  

But another thing that makes these budget TWS stand out is their fit. We were pleasantly surprised at how comfortable and natural the buds felt in the ear. And even using it for a few hours straight, we didn’t feel any strain. It provided a nice seal around the ear canal which helps in providing better-sounding audio and better noise reduction as well. 

We weren’t able to test these out during intense workouts, but we were able to use them while walking around the city. Since these buds offer a really good fit, it eradicates the worry of them falling off. 

Multiple and customizable touch controls

One of the things that we personally look for with TWS buds is the flexibility of its onboard controls. With the realme Buds Q2s, you’re getting plenty of options which made the buds extra easy to operate without a phone.

Preferences are set through the realme Link app. You can program different functions on the left and right earbuds individually. Controls offered included playing or pausing, skipping to the next or previous track, and activating the voice assistant.

For touch controls, there are single, double, and triple taps as well as touch and hold. Additionally, when you touch and hold both earbuds simultaneously, this will activate Game Mode which offers lower latency.

The only compromise realme makes is the lack of volume controls. You’ll have to use your phone for that. But considering how much it costs,  it’s really a small price to pay especially since it offers pretty good sound quality as well. 

Bass-heavy for a budget pair

Having gone through quite a number of TWS buds in the budget range, the most common complaint is the lack of bass. We suppose realme was aware of this pain point as the realme Buds Q2s is able to blast pretty heavy bass no matter if you’re listening to music or watching a video. 

The downside is that sometimes there’s just too much of it that the other details get lost in the mix. We found the best remedy for this is to stick to Bright mode (done through the realme Link app) which helps to push for a little bit more clarity with vocals and other instruments. 

In addition to that, it also supports Dolby Atmos for spatial audio. It isn’t as refined as other buds with this technology but for a pair under PhP 2K, you’re getting more than enough.

Since this is poised as the more affordable model in the series, realme does do away with Active Noise Cancellation. It instead opts for passive noise cancellation which counts on the fit of the earbuds to block off outside noise. But as we did say earlier, these buds do a pretty good job of blocking external noise.

Final thoughts

For its price, the realme Buds Q2s is an easy pick that we can recommend with confidence for a budget TWS. It offers a more interesting design than usual and can satisfy bass-hungry users. Though if you are after ANC, you may want to opt for the realme bus Q2 instead.