After the huge success of the Redmi Buds Series from Xiaomi that includes the Redmi Buds 4 and Redmi Buds 4 Pro, the company is back with a new reduced version under the name Redmi Buds 4 Lite, where they change the design and packed it with useful features that make it a good choice for budget earphones.
These wireless earphones come with little tweaks here and there that make them unique from devices in the same category, with a new and radically different design and improved Bluetooth 5.3 that delivers a stable connection and preserves the battery for up to 20 hours of usage and equipped with a 12mm dynamic drivers For High Audio Quality, and low latency mode for gaming, AI Noise Cancellation for Calls, and more. All this at an attractively affordable price for anyone and it can challenge the best headphones in the under $20 category even Lenovo or Haylou. So, don’t miss out on this great deal, and check out all these and more features in this review.
Redmi Buds 4 Lite Features
- Lightweight and Comfortable
- Touch control, Easy to use
- 12mm Dynamic Drivers
- Bluetooth 5.3 Chip
- Low latency mode
- Up to 20h Playtime
- AI Noise Reduction for Calls
- Smart Quick Connect MIUI12
- IP54 water-resistance
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Design & Build Quality
Charging Case
From the aesthetic, Redmi adopts a new design its simple and elegant appearance. The charging case of the Redmi Buds 4 Lite has a rounded rectangle shape with curved edges that make it comfortable to hold in one hand, it comes in a small size and a lightweight only 35g with earbuds inside, so you can easily slide it into your pocket, and take it with you on the go. And its made out of ABS plastic in white (or black, orange) with a nice matt finish that keeps its new look for a long time doesn’t get scratched easily, and doesn’t leave fingerprints. In addition to having a logo of Redmi on the top.
The good thing is that the hinge doesn’t budge which gives me a good feeling about the durability of this device. So, the build quality is nice, it feels solid and well-built and you won’t notice any manufacturing defects, just like the rest of the Redmi products, even though it is a budget device, you can’t tell that just by looking at it because of the great build quality at this price range, fortunately, you won’t be alarmed by any defects or bad manufacturing, once I got the device in my hand, I was amazed by the lightweight and elegance of the design. And just like most products of this line, it’s nice to have a USB-C on the back at this price range.
The Earbuds
Looking at the design, The feel of the Redmi Buds 4 Lite Wireless Headphone is excellent and these are well-made with a compact ‘half-in-ears’ in terms of width at least they are much smaller than others on the market.
The body comes in white color with a glossy finish with a panel for touch control and with an Apple AirPods 3-like design. Most importantly the body is Lightweight at only about 4g to be comfortable on the ear while on the move and without silicone ear tips so it’s just one size fits of plastic like those used by Apple TWS earbuds. I find the Buds 4 Lite comfortable to wear and the fit feels secure and has a perfect shape; It is ergonomically designed to passively block out background noise and distractions.
Besides the touch control, there is a magnetic charging connector and microphones, which are responsible for reducing ambient noise for good and clear sound reception during calls and accurately distinguishing between the human voice and noise, it’s worth mentioning that this earbud comes with noise-canceling technology, so it’s impossible to hear your surroundings at a certain high volume.
Touch Control on Buds 4 Lite
The multi-function touch control area is located in the middle of the left and right earbuds, each side has a different set of actions, unlike other models, the Redmi Buds 4 Lite has a flat exterior, which makes the touch control area wider than usual which works in the advantage of the user experience by making the touches more accurate and less likely to miss, even if you are running or in a hurry, for example, you will be able to hit the touch area accurately, not to mention that the sensor in itself is precise.
- Tap twice: Music play/pause – Answer a call
- Tap three times: Skip to the next track – Reject/end a call
- Long press the touch area of the left and right earbuds for 1.5s at the same time: Enable/disable low-latency mode
Buds 4 Lite – Waterproof
The Redmi Buds 4 Lite has IP54 WaterProof, so they are protected from rain, sweat, and dust which helps you use the earbuds effectively in any sporting environment. However, it should not be completely submerged in water to avoid any possible damage and to stay with you in the long term.
How to Pair Redmi Buds 4 Lite
Thanks to the new and improved Bluetooth 5.3 technology chip integrated inside the Redmi Buds 4 Lite, it’s compatible with most Bluetooth-enabled devices and on a variety of platforms such as Android, iPhone, Windows, and MAC OS, it provides the most seamless and hustle-free pairing experience you can get on a device of this price range just as if you were using a mid-range device, the BT 5.3 is power efficient and plays a major role in the long battery life. The company claims 10m of the distance between the earbuds and the device, but tests have shown that obstacles such as a thin wall can cut that distance in half. Lastly, the Buds 4 Lite does support all the generic codecs, including the SBC, and AAC, but unfortunately, it’s not aptX, which is expected in this price category. AAC has a better sound quality but the SBC saves battery.
To pair the earbuds with your smartphone, you will have to follow these few steps:
- Make sure that the earbuds are charged enough.
- Take the Buds 4 Lite out of the charging case, they are now in pairing mode.
- Turn ON Bluetooth on your smartphone and search for available devices.
- Once you find Redmi Buds 4 Lite, click on it and the pair is done.
Keep in mind that this process is required only once when first pairing the earbuds with a new device, from that point on, you will only have to turn Bluetooth on your smartphone as well as take the Redmi Buds 4 Lite out of its case and the pairing will happen automatically between the two.
Quick Connection
quick connection with MIUI devices, its simply open the case for the first time and a handy pop-up graphic appears on the screen of your device letting you pair really easily and showing a picture and name of the product you’re connecting in a large pop-up window, it’s just like AirPods. Then, once you hit connect, you’ll see a confirmation telling you the pairing’s successful.
Easy pairing is just one advantage of Fast Pair, it also makes it easy to manage your Bluetooth earphones. At least, it does if you’re running Android 10 or later on your smartphone. When connected you can see the proper battery levels for wireless earbuds – the menu shows the battery level of each earbud plus the battery level of the charging case.
Redmi Buds 4 Lite – Sound Quality
In addition to the appearance design, the Redmi Buds 4 Lite also has a sufficiently excellent performance in sound quality, which have an acceptable amount of stereo effect and a powerful dynamic range for all types of music with excellent treble, mid-tones, and bass. Equipped with 12mm dynamic drivers that give you surprisingly clean sound with little noise when the ultra-low frequencies let you know where each singer was positioned, the intensity of their voice, and instrument discrimination was good and everything felt very balanced. So the Buds 4 Lite was great in that regard.
So, everything is fine from a technical point of view, the sound signature is warm, the earbuds produce a nice punchy bass, the mids are okay and the treble is a veil, which is the same profile on every cheap earphone, the good thing is that the sound is clear, you won’t be alarmed by any hissing or squeaking sound, and even at high volume, you won’t notice distortion, but the sound will leak and this might cause discomfort for others so we recommend you keep the volume at 70% since it is loud enough for most users. For the price of under $20, the sound quality of the Buds 4 Lite is good.
Redmi Buds 4 Lite – AI Noise Reduction
In addition to the sound quality, one of the outstanding features of the Redmi Buds 4 Lite earphones is the AI noise reduction technology that is able to create a really great mix because it reduces ambient noise, which means that it can filter out up to 70% of external noise. The downside is that there’s only a dedicated microphone for this feature, so it’s best to think of it as noise reduction rather than full cancellation. That’s why you can hear some minor noises and unnecessary low frequency, and this mode will not give you that dazzling impression with a fair impact on sound quality by providing you with a clean acoustic environment, which is acceptable in this category.
To keep it simple, the high end of the background noise will still be audible, which helps with directional identification, and it can’t be compared to expensive headphones from established brands, but it’s pretty cool in the lower price range.
Microphone Quality & Bluetooth Calling
Something that is little spoken of in the world of cheap wireless headphones is the microphone, even Xiaomi did not mention anything about the quality of their microphones on the official website or user manual, But when I checked the mic quality, it was fine, considering these are budget headphones. the Redmi Buds 4 Lite brings a good quality microphone to the table that you could count on for passing calls and being loud and clear for the other side to hear with minimal echo and distortion.
Which is equipped with a microphone on each earbud to help you pass calls directly without the need to pull your phone out of your pocket. practically these microphones work like a charm in quiet places such as a room or an office, the other side can hear you fine without any lags or cutting off, now even though these do not have electronic noise canceling, once you get into a complex environment where there is background noise, the recipients will start to have issues hearing you, and depending on the level of noise around, it might be impossible to hear you at all, Keep in mind that even pricy wireless earphones face the challenge of offering good enough microphone quality for calls, let alone the cheap ones, so I think that Buds 4 Lite does a very good job in this department.
Redmi Buds 4 Lite Latency And Gaming
The Redmi Buds 4 Lite is not marketed as a headphone for only music but also for gaming, we have seen so many companies use this phrase for marketing purposes but not deliver, fortunately for us the Buds 4 Lite is one of the few headphones that kind of deliver on this promise, thanks to the fast Bluetooth 5.3 chip.
Buds 4 Lite it’s well suited for gaming in my opinion, especially on smartphones, but at this low price point we don’t expect much, And even in online games such as PUBG or COD, the delay is so minimal about 0.5 seconds, still a good result for a pair of low-cost headphones, but it does not reach the advertised value. However, you can’t notice it at all unless you pay extra attention, which is almost normal, and you can find it on most wireless headphones in this price range. So, for a regular mobile gamer and even pc gamers, this tiny bit of lag won’t be an issue at all.
As for content consumption, in addition to good sound quality, the Redmi Buds 4 Lite has no noticeable delay between the audio and the video with very low latency, for example when you watch Netflix, youtube, or HBO, the lip-synching is perfect all the time and you won’t be alarmed by any delays, which is the best we can ask for in this price range.
Redmi Buds 4 Lite – Battery And Charging
For a small and compact earphone like the Redmi Buds 4 Lite, the battery life it offers is above average, the charging case is equipped with a good battery that charges in about 2 hours with the USB-C cable, the charging case offers a total of 20 hours of continuous usage with calls and music playback, as for the Buds 4 Lite, they have a 35mah battery that provides around 5 hours of continuous usage at 70% volume. Thanks to the efficiency of the new Bluetooth 5.3 chip that consumes less battery than the previous generation and delivers better audio, this will allow you great autonomy, you don’t have to ever worry about your battery dying out mid-day, enjoy your music and calls freely, these headphones will be your companions for the longest duration possible.
Final Verdict
Honestly for very little money, the Redmi Buds 4 Lite performs very well indeed for music, video, gaming, and everyday uses. Thanks to Xiaomi, they make it really easy to recommend these earphones because they give you everything you need in any wireless earbuds, all their bases are covered with good sound quality, good battery life, and a good microphone. Also, the features of this product were amazing, they have made a good choice to adopt the Bluetooth 5.3 chip, for better latency and the stability of the connection, and the seamless pairing experience not to forget the very accurate touch control that almost never misses.
So, Buds 4 Lite is a very worthy option for anyone who is on a very limited budget and wants a good experience with wireless earphones. At a low cost of $20, the Buds 4 Lite doesn’t have a lot of competition, and these are easy to recommend over so many other options and introduce as one of the top 5 headphones in this price range.
Redmi Buds 4 Lite Price & Where To Buy
The Redmi Buds 4 Lite earbuds are currently available on the AliExpress Store and Amazon for a very good price. So, don’t miss out on this great deal. And to view its price or buy it, you can access the offer by clicking on the store icon.
What’s in the Box?
- Redmi Buds 4 Lite pair
- Charging Case
- USB C Charging cable
- User manual
Redmi Buds 4 Lite – Specifications
- Material: ABS
- Wireless connection: Bluetooth 5.3
- Charging interface： USB type C
- Drivers: 12mm large driver
- Communication distance：10 meters (barrier-free open environment)
- Single playtime： About 3 hours
- Total playtime: up to 16 hours
- Battery capacity：230mAh (charging case)
- Battery capacity：35mAh (earbuds)
- Charging time： About 1.5 hours (charging case)
- Charging time: about 1.5 hours (earbuds)
- Net weight of single earphones: about 3.9g
- Total weight including charging case: Approx. 34.55g
- Size: 32.24*18.22*19.63 mm(single earbuds)
- 55.6*47.3*22.2mm (charging case)
