Xiaomi Buds 3 Pro Review: New pinnacle of Xiaomi earbuds

Xiaomi has released many noise-canceling earbuds over the past year, such as the Air 2 Pro, Flipbuds Pro, and Redmi AirDots 3 Pro. We have also done their review videos, and they all have more or less some shortcomings. And will today’s protagonist, Xiaomi Buds 3 Pro, be able to wash away its shame and make up for its shortcomings to become Xiaomi’s most perfect earbuds?

Xiaomi Buds 3 Pro Review: Design & Fit

Based on Xiaomi’s pricing, the Xiaomi Buds 3 Pro is not as well-positioned as the Flipbuds Pro. The Flipbuds Pro looks more premium with its glossy piano finish. But it doesn’t mean that the Buds 3 Pro lags behind the Flipbuds Pro in terms of design. The Buds 3 Pro Case is smaller than the Flipbuds Pro while still keeping the wireless charging feature. The usual problem of the glossy surface being easily scratched also makes the frosted surface of the Buds 3 Pro more advantageous in long-term use. When stained with fingerprints, the Flipbuds Pro looks and feels more unpleasant. So if the Flipbuds Pro is all about beauty at the expense of actual usage experience, the Buds 3 Pro is a balance of beauty and practicality. I really like the design of the Xiaomi Buds 3 Pro this time, thumbs up.

The Buds 3 Pro is designed with more attention to detail than the Flipbuds Pro, and this attention can be seen when you open the lid. buds 3 Pro can pick up the earbuds and put them on directly, while the Flipbuds Pro requires the earbuds to be rotated one more turn before they can be placed in the ear. There is a small bump on the Buds 3 Pro earbud stem that allows you to feel which area you can press when you press to operate.

The Buds 3 Pro is also smaller than the Flipbuds Pro, and the earbud bar has been slimmed down. The problem of the earbuds being too big and causing the ears to be squeezed uncomfortably, as mentioned in our Flipbuds Pro review video, has also been completely solved with the Buds 3 Pro. The weight of the Buds 3 Pro is also lighter. I’m happy to say that the comfort problem that has plagued Xiaomi’s earbuds for three generations has finally been solved with the Buds 3 Pro. The comfort of the Buds 3 Pro is now top notch.

Xiaomi Buds 3 Pro Review: Sound Quality & Noise Cancelation

The Xiaomi Buds 3 Pro’s noise cancellation level is not quite the same as the Flipbuds Pro: excellent overall, but weak on windy days. It’s the same issue with wind noise resistance described in the Redmi AirDots 3 Pro review video. The wind noise immunity algorithm focuses on mitigating the effects of wind on noise cancellation by turning off the front-feed microphone, so when the wind blows, you’ll feel the noise cancellation suddenly become weaker. Of course, the Xiaomi Buds 3 Pro will still be better than the Redmi AirDots 3 Pro in terms of noise cancellation even with the front-feed microphone turned off, so don’t worry about that. From my personal point of view, the Buds 3 Pro is much better than the Flipbuds Pro when it comes to windy conditions where the front-feed microphone is not even turned off and your ears are buzzing. 

The Xiaomi Buds 3 Pro’s sound quality is excellent with the LHDC 4.0 protocol. The three frequencies are very well balanced and vocals and instruments are not mixed together. Compared to the Flipbuds Pro, which has more low frequencies, there are fewer unique, but more balanced. And these earbuds are the kind of earbuds that can restore any music very well. This is actually very rare, as each flagship earbud has its own tuning tendencies. buds 3 Pro’s balanced performance even has a hint of HIFI headphones. However, LHDC 4.0 is currently only supported by the Xiaomi Civi, so other phones can only use the AAC Bluetooth protocol for now.

The Buds 3 Pro also has a lot of new features this time around. We won’t go into the features that are also available on Flipbuds Pro like Ear tip fit test and Missing earphone alert, but I’ll introduce you to some brand-new features that are available on Buds 3 Pro for the first time. Noise Cancelation Mode adds the Adaptive option for the first time to adjust the intensity of noise reduction. There is also the Track head movement function. It can simulate the effect of the sound source position on the volume of the sound channel. This function is the Android version of Dynamic head tracking, but after opening the sound quality is more degraded, I do not recommend opening it in the daily listening time. There are also a lot of options for customizing Gestures. You can say that Xiaomi has added all the features that are available on the earbuds to Buds 3 Pro for you. We’ve also tested the compatibility with other phones for you. With Mi AI installed, the Buds 3 Pro works fine with all the features except Missing earphone alert and Track head movement. The only problem is the same as before, the Chinese only Mi AI will be very painful for people who don’t know Chinese.

Xiaomi Buds 3 Pro Review: Battery Life

Maybe because it’s lighter and smaller, the Buds 3 Pro’s battery life is shorter. The earbuds and earbud case last about an hour shorter than the Flipbuds Pro. However, it should not be a problem to finish watching a full movie.

Xiaomi Buds 3 Pro Review: Verdict

As you might expect, it seems that the Buds 3 Pro completely beats the Flipbuds Pro. smaller, lighter and more durable design, decent noise cancellation and sound quality, more comprehensive features and a top-notch wearing experience, and most importantly, it’s cheaper.

All of these make the Buds 3 Pro the best choice among Xiaomi earbuds to buy. If you are a Xiaomi phone user who needs an earbud, buying it is definitely the best choice.