This is TDS Studio’s 19th article on SSPAI, and as always, it’s a full-platform exclusive release. Although it’s coming out after the Lunar New Year, happy holidays to everyone!

Not long ago, we brought you our coverage of the Xiaomi Buds 6, and it’s fair to say we weren’t particularly impressed with the changes compared to the previous generation. In our previously published “Mid-Range TWS Roundup” on SSPAI, we also touched on the REDMI product lineup. At the time, the Buds 6 Pro performed somewhat more consistently than the Xiaomi Buds series, but it was still limited to a slightly bass-heavy, pop-oriented tuning and noise cancellation performance that merely matched its price point—hardly competitive with some of the newer offerings from other smartphone brands. After seeing some of the pre-launch media teasers, the question became: could REDMI’s latest TWS at least catch up with the current mainstream standards in its price segment this time? The good news is—it did. Though not in every aspect.

Package & Accessories

The Buds 8 Pro packaging features a laminated finish, making it more than just a simple white cardboard box. It reflects subtle iridescent colors under light. The included accessories are minimal: two extra pairs of ear tips and a USB-C to USB-A charging cable. No carrying case was included in this launch.

Design, Fit & Acoustic Structure

The REDMI Buds 8 Pro comes in three color options. In addition to the familiar black and white from the previous generation, the Jade Green has been replaced by a new flagship color, Mist Blue—the one we have on hand for demonstration. Visually, it resembles a lighter version of Sierra Blue, with a subtle pearlescent tone reminiscent of a sunrise sky. Most of the charging case and earbuds feature a matte finish which, combined with the color, gives an anodized aluminum-like appearance—though the material is still plastic.

The charging case of the Buds 8 Pro is largely similar in form to that of the Buds 6 Pro, including the same “Cloud Gap Light” indicator system—a subtle LED strip located at the lid opening. Overall, the case design is fairly straightforward, with the button placed at the bottom, offering clear and direct tactile feedback.

The earbuds themselves sit inside the case just like the previous generation, adopting the typical stem-style pod design with a polished glossy strip on the outer side. The acoustic chamber is shaped more like an oval rather than a flattened circle, with a controlled front-to-back length that may be more comfortable for users with shorter concha dimensions compared to options like the AirPods Pro 2. However, the matte surface may still result in a slightly slippery feel. The connection point between the chamber and the stem is positioned further back, allowing more clearance for the tragus but potentially introducing some pressure on the corresponding areas of the auricle. Users with medium to large ears who can comfortably wear AirPods Pro 2 should adapt well to this fit. Those with smaller ears are still advised to try them on in-store at a Xiaomi Home before making a purchase decision.

The REDMI Buds 8 Pro supports IP54-rated dust and water resistance, which is fairly standard.

Control & APP

Controls are implemented via touch input on the stem. The feedback tones are clear, supporting single, double, triple taps, and long-press gestures, all of which can be customized in the app (single tap is unassigned by default). With the current firmware, the recognition accuracy and response speed for long-press and triple-tap gestures are noticeably better than those of earlier firmware versions found on several Xiaomi flagship earbuds. Wear detection performance is also fairly reliable.

Through the Xiaomi Earbuds app, users can manage noise cancellation, switch sound modes, update firmware, record audio, and customize controls. Most Xiaomi and REDMI TWS earbuds from the past three generations—including limited editions—are supported. The app’s UI follows the HyperOS design language. Whether it looks good is subjective, but the logic is clear.

On standard Android phones, the find function can only assist by playing sound through the earbuds. In a quiet indoor environment, with the earbuds out of the case and unobstructed, it’s barely usable.

ANC, Transparency & Call

Let’s start with passive isolation. Similar to other pod-style earbuds, the Buds 8 Pro doesn’t offer any particularly noticeable passive isolation improvements—it mainly attenuates higher frequencies in a fairly typical manner. The default ANC toggle does not include an “off” option in its switching cycle, effectively encouraging users to keep ANC enabled or switch to transparency mode. Its ANC modes are quite complex, so let’s go through them one by one.

The basic ANC is divided into twenty fine-grained levels. Switching directly to the deepest level, the reduction of stable low-frequency noise is quite noticeable, essentially meeting the Skyline Level “threshold.” However, there is still a slight gap compared to mid-range low-frequency ANC benchmarks such as the vivo TWS 5 and OPPO Enco Free4—perceptually, the intensity is a bit lower. In the low-mid to mid-frequency range, however, the Buds 8 Pro performs on par with those models, delivering mid-frequency ANC depth in line with the median Skyline Level expectations. Its effective frequency bandwidth is similar to the previous Buds 6 Pro, generally covering the vocal range and performing well in lower fundamentals, though as frequencies approach the upper mids, the depth begins to lag behind the vivo TWS 5.

Subjectively speaking, it’s difficult to distinguish clear differences between adjacent levels across all twenty ANC steps. However, lighter ANC levels do reduce ear pressure, while still maintaining practical noise reduction in certain indoor noisy environments. Overall ear pressure control is good, and the perceived low-mid ANC depth is better than that of the flagship Xiaomi Buds 5 Pro. It’s worth noting that in extremely quiet environments, enabling ANC introduces a slight increase in high-frequency noise, which may be noticeable to users sensitive to background hiss—though in noisy environments, it’s essentially imperceptible. During intensive testing in common real-world scenarios (excluding air travel), the adaptive ANC algorithm appeared to prioritize deeper attenuation whenever noise was detected.

Commute Immersion—this seems to be the first time Xiaomi has introduced such a feature in its earbuds. Essentially, it provides three scene-based presets combining ANC profiles with ambient “soundscape” effects. In airplane mode, you’ll hear wind chimes and aircraft engine white noise; in bus/subway mode, it resembles boiling water (or luggage wheels rolling across smooth ground—don’t ask why boiling water would be heard in a subway); and in high-speed rail mode, it’s forest birdsong. All three soundscapes are fairly clear and usable, but tightly coupling sound effects with ANC scenarios can interfere with assessing the actual ANC depth and bandwidth. Subjectively, the first two modes seem to hover around levels 14–17 of standard ANC, while the high-speed rail mode makes vocal fundamentals feel even quieter—possibly quieter than regular deep ANC. However, it’s difficult to determine whether this is due to actual ANC changes or a psychoacoustic effect introduced by the forest soundscape. You may wish to refer to objective measurements for verification.

In terms of wind noise reduction, at deep ANC levels, there is a detection process that activates after about two to three seconds of identifying a wind source. In practice, this reduces wind noise but also slightly lowers the overall ANC perception, indicating that deep ANC itself is adaptive even when no adaptive option is manually enabled. Wind noise impact on listening is kept quite low, with relatively clean suppression, though wind from behind takes longer to respond. All three commute immersion modes also feature adaptive wind noise handling, though the high-speed rail mode appears less effective in removing wind noise—possibly related to its deeper perceived ANC tuning.

For transparency mode, the REDMI Buds 8 Pro offers three options. In standard transparency mode, environmental sound reproduction is fairly accurate, with only minor attenuation in higher frequencies. The overall sound pressure is not drastically different from removing the earbuds entirely. The wearer’s own voice does not sound overly muffled, making it one of the better performers in its price range. Wind noise impact in transparency mode is minimal, though noticeable when facing away from the wind source. Adaptive adjustments reduce overall ambient sound pressure once wind is detected. In my opinion, this adjustment may not be necessary, as the baseline wind noise suppression is already decent—sudden shifts in transparency mode during normal use can feel slightly uncomfortable. The vocal enhancement and environmental enhancement modes perform largely as expected, though they do not result in dramatic perceptual changes.

For calls, Xiaomi claims up to 95dB of noise reduction—identical to the Xiaomi Buds 6. However, the actual performance of the triple-microphone system does not seem significantly better than that of the Buds 6. In carrier network call tests, overall call stability was solid and among the top in this price segment. However, voice pickup remains somewhat muffled, and capturing speech in high-noise environments can be challenging. Wind noise has relatively little impact during calls.

Overall, the REDMI Buds 8 Pro delivers the best ANC performance among Xiaomi earbuds in recent years. Compared to the Xiaomi Buds 5 Pro—which only just managed to qualify—it can now consistently enter the In-Ear Skyline Level of the TDS ANC performance hierarchy, sitting around the middle tier. Its strengths lie in overall ANC perception, adaptive capabilities, wind noise resistance, and the natural environmental sound reproduction of transparency mode. Its ANC bandwidth coverage and voice usability in transparency mode are also acceptable, though call pickup and background noise could use improvement. Compared with similarly positioned products such as the OPPO Enco Free4 and vivo TWS 5, its maximum ANC depth shows a slight disadvantage, while bandwidth coverage is comparable. Wind noise resistance, transparency naturalness, and adaptive performance are somewhat stronger. In our view, it finally gives Xiaomi ecosystem users a usable ANC TWS option—though it’s not quite the definitive choice at this price point.

Connection & Battery

As a device that supports LHDC-V, the REDMI Buds 8 Pro was able to successfully activate the 5.0 192kHz profile on our standard test terminal, LHDC One. Our primary signal tests were conducted using LHDC-V (LHDC One) and AAC (Xperia 5 III). Under an LHDC-V connection, near-field packet loss and stuttering were minimal. Even at a distance of 7 meters with a load-bearing wall in between, there was no significant increase in stutter. Packet loss and interruptions only began to appear beyond approximately 7.5 meters through a wall. Under AAC, interruptions started to occur at around 6 meters through a wall, which is relatively average performance and can become noticeably problematic in environments such as high-speed rail stations.

In terms of latency, under default settings with AAC prioritized on the Xperia 5 III, streaming video and locally stored video playback showed a delay roughly equivalent to more than half a spoken syllable at normal speech speed. Overall, the latency performance is not particularly outstanding.

It also supports dual-device connection and Windows Swift Pair.

For battery life, the official specifications state up to 4.5h/8.5h of continuous playback with earbuds only (AAC, ANC on/off), and up to 16h/35h in total with the charging case (AAC, ANC on/off). It must be said that the total battery life with ANC enabled is rather limited—even shorter than the single-charge earbud endurance of some competitors under similar testing conditions. In our standard testing process, using AAC with the Xperia 5 III, adaptive listening disabled, deep ANC enabled, other settings at default, and continuous playback of streaming music (Apple Music Lossless) and podcasts at 50% volume, the earbuds lasted 5 hours and 7 minutes (measured from a full charge), slightly exceeding the official claim.

Charging tests showed stable input at around 2.7W, which is relatively fast among TWS earbuds, with proper PD support. It also supports fast charging, providing up to 2 hours of playback from a 5-minute charge.

Spatial Audio

When we previously reviewed the Xiaomi Buds 6, we mentioned that its spatial audio had improved compared to earlier iterations. This time, upon entering the settings for the REDMI Buds 8 Pro, it appears Xiaomi has taken a more structured approach.

This seems to be the first time Xiaomi has separated its proprietary “Spatial Sound” from Dolby Atmos on the earbud side, allowing us to run our standard Dolby Atmos testing workflow. The following impressions are based on the following setup: Xperia 5 III connected via AAC, spatial audio set to Dolby Spatial Audio on the earbuds, paired with native Dolby Atmos sources from Apple Music and Dolby Atmos-supported videos on Bilibili.

In this mode, the spatial soundstage is relatively expansive, presenting an increased sense of height and a clearly defined spatial boundary. There is a reasonable amount of rear-stage information, and the space maintains a fairly regular, near-spherical shape. However, the sound still suffers from excessive reverberation, with low frequencies remaining somewhat boomy—though imaging clarity has improved compared to previous generations. We recommend enabling it for video content, but it remains inadvisable for music listening.

Switching to “Xiaomi Spatial Audio” when playing Dolby Atmos sources brings back the overly processed tonal character of earlier implementations—the “bathhouse listening” effect becomes quite pronounced. However, spatial performance is still generally better than that of past Xiaomi earbuds, with rear-stage information less severely compressed. We still consider this to be a stereo-based adjustment—a form of “spatialized stereo”—rather than true multi-channel rendering. In fact, stereo sources perform more naturally. This spatial audio mode also includes five scenario presets, though it remains unclear why spatial audio would be necessary for audiobooks.

Head tracking is supported only in Xiaomi Spatial Audio mode. Tracking speed is not particularly fast, and rapid head movements introduce some latency, though the tracking does not lose position entirely—an evident improvement over previous implementations.

Driver, Sound Modes & Codec

In terms of drivers, the REDMI Buds 8 Pro features an 11mm titanium-plated dynamic driver paired with dual 6.7mm piezoelectric ceramic units in a triple-driver hybrid configuration. Based on the rendered diagrams, the two piezoelectric ceramics appear to be placed between the dynamic driver diaphragm and the faceplate, as well as between the faceplate and the front acoustic chamber. Why they’re arranged this way—and whether they are actually arranged this way in practice—remains unclear. In any case, after evaluating several recent Xiaomi earbuds, this trend of stacking multiple drivers alongside somewhat mysterious driver placement diagrams is becoming a familiar pattern. We sincerely suggest better communication between the acoustic engineering team and the marketing team’s graphic design staff.

The default sound profile is called “Balanced Listening.” In addition, there are three preset modes that enhance specific frequency ranges, as well as a customizable EQ supporting ±6dB adjustment across eight frequency bands.

Supported codecs include SBC / AAC / LHDC / MIHC 2.0 / LC3. No bitrate limitations were observed for LHDC on general front-end devices, and LHDC-V works without issue.

Sound Description

Based on AAC codec + Balanced Listening mode, with adaptive features disabled, firmware version 1.2.3.6.

The bass has slightly elevated quantity, with noticeable thickness and fullness. Elasticity is acceptable, but sub-bass extension is not particularly strong. Attenuation in the ultra-low frequencies causes energy to accumulate more in the transition zone between bass and low-mid frequencies. The decay is relatively slow, leaving a fair amount of lingering resonance. There is some atmospheric coloration and richness. The Buds 8 Pro’s bass differs from the typical “bass-heavy” TWS tuning—it features a roll-off below around 50Hz rather than a smooth transition into sub-bass, meaning sub-bass performance does not stand out in its price range. Instead, energy is concentrated around 50–100Hz, resulting in a sense of abundance that may not be the most balanced approach. Instruments with fundamentals in the low-mid region tend to sound slightly forward.

In the midrange, vocal positioning is not particularly close, but the mouth shape appears relatively large, with limited refinement. The Buds 8 Pro prioritizes texture over definition in vocal reproduction, making imaging somewhat difficult to perceive (a common issue among smartphone-brand TWS in this segment, though especially noticeable here). Lines are not particularly well-defined, giving vocals a slightly “fuzzy” texture. There is no obvious bias between male and female voices, making it suitable for vocal types that are not overly thick or heavy. Some grain is retained, and overall smoothness is acceptable. There is some tonal coloration, with a slight warmth that does not overly interfere with perception. Throat resonance sits slightly higher, with a noticeable proportion of breathiness. Lip noises and saliva sounds may be slightly forward. Sibilance is smoothed out and only audible in extreme tracks. Transparency is not particularly high, though vocal brightness is somewhat enhanced—compared to similarly priced competitors such as the OPPO Enco Free4 and vivo TWS 5 Hi-Fi, vocals may sound slightly brighter.

For instruments, most also prioritize texture over line definition. String instruments such as violin, guitar, and viola exhibit mild coloration, with imaging precision remaining average. Bowing and plucking details are somewhat emphasized. The cello lacks solidity in body and may appear slightly oversized in spatial proportion. Brass instruments have enhanced presence; brighter instruments such as trumpet carry some upper-frequency energy, though overall thickness is limited. Woodwinds also receive slight adjustments in airiness, with a somewhat rougher tonal character. Harmonic richness among instruments is acceptable for smartphone-brand TWS in this price range. Among percussion instruments, kick drums are prominent, snare decay is somewhat slow, and cymbals retain brightness with some suppression of harshness and metallic edge.

The overall brightness in the upper mids is slightly increased, though total treble energy remains limited. We believe the piezoelectric ceramics do not contribute anything that a single dynamic driver could not achieve on its own. As usual, the established tendency toward multi-driver configurations makes it difficult for Xiaomi’s audio team to fully realize the concept of “necessary” hardware improvements—after all, more drivers are often assumed to be better. Smoothness is average. Ultra-high-frequency extension is slightly improved compared to our impression of the Buds 6 Pro and Xiaomi Buds 5 Pro, but due to the rapid roll-off and boosted bass, it is difficult to perceive much presence in that range.

Due to its bass characteristics, the soundstage has a certain sense of envelopment, forming a moderately sized space with defined boundaries. Combined with a modest sense of height, the spatial presentation is somewhat spherical. Separation between vocals and instruments is average, with decent overall coherence. Resolution meets expectations for the price, with slight emphasis on perceived detail. Dynamics are acceptable, while transient response is average.

Overall Impression

The REDMI Buds 8 Pro serves as evidence that Xiaomi’s audio team is beginning to find its rhythm. While it’s difficult for an outsider to determine whether this is the result of more careful optimization on a single product or a broader shift in product philosophy, there are at least several positive changes worth noting. Separating Xiaomi’s proprietary “Spatial Audio” from Dolby Atmos, bringing ANC and transparency performance up to an above-average level for similarly priced new releases, and making control interactions more responsive are all welcome improvements.

However, the default tuning still leans toward a bass-heavy profile, battery life remains less than ideal, and the habitual multi-driver stacking strategy makes it difficult to recommend outright. Our IV-level Recommend rating is based on the visible progress and the fact that REDMI’s earbud lineup has not been particularly underwhelming to begin with. At the very least, in terms of overall ANC performance, Xiaomi users finally have an ecosystem-native option that keeps pace with current standards—and from that perspective, it’s worth a listen. We hope future firmware updates will continue to refine the product, and that Xiaomi’s flagship lineup can maintain momentum alongside the REDMI series.

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KT MARK for the model discussed in this article under current market conditions:

REDMI Buds 8 Pro: IV (Recommend)

TDS ANC Pyramid:

REDMI Buds 8 Pro: In-Ear Skyline Level

For details regarding the KT MARK rating system and the “non-interference evaluation principle” related to potential conflicts of interest, please search for TDS Studio Rating Standards and Content Description V202502 using any mainstream search engine.

KingTsui, TDS Studio.

Feb 2026

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Some screenshots are sourced from Xiaomi; all other content is independently created. Unauthorized reproduction or structural imitation is prohibited. All rights reserved.