Product test
The Xiaomi Earbuds are OK, even if you don’t wear them properly
by Carolin Teufelberger
The Xiaomi Redmi Buds 4 Lite are perfect for sleeping
11/7/2023
Translation: Veronica Bielawski
Are you looking for cheap and good headphones to sleep in? The Xiaomi Redmi Buds 4 Lite could be right for you. In any case, my wife likes to wear them to fall asleep.
In case you missed my reviews on the junky sleep headband and sleep mask we tested, here they are:
My wife’s requirements
Before I go into more detail about the product, here are my wife’s requirements for sleeping headphones. They should:
- Be wireless, so she doesn’t end up strangling herself in the night.
- Feel comfortable even when she lies on her side.
- Not have active noise cancelling; she wants to be aware of her surroundings.
- Not necessarily have the best sound quality; it’s secondary.
- Be cheap.
In other words, the technological requirements are low. Ergonomics and comfort are more important. That’s why we had started out looking for headphones designed specifically for sleeping. But neither the sleep headband nor the sleep mask managed to meet these already low expectations, which is why we’re back to classic earphones.
My wife’s not a fan of silicone tips, so in-ear earphones are a no go; earbuds it is. My wife moved away from Apple products a few years ago, which is why AirPods aren’t an option (mind you, they wouldn’t have been either way due to their decidedly non-cheap price tag). After some research, I land on with the Xiaomi Redmi Buds 4 Lite. At first glance, they meet all the criteria.
Simple, no-frills operation
To pair, open the lid of the charging case and select the earbuds in your smartphone’s Bluetooth connections. Connecting is quick and easy. There’s no tedious faffing about like with the sleep headband and sleep mask. The earbuds support the modern Bluetooth 5.3 standard, which offers more stability and a lower latency than previous versions.
The buds stick magnetically to the charging case. If you recharge them in the case between uses, you’ll get up to 20 hours of battery life. On a single charge, you get 5 hours. That’s not much compared to other earbuds, but it doesn’t bother my wife, as she’ll mainly be using them at home.
The buds even have touch controls, limited as they are. A double tap resumes/pauses the music, while a triple tap skips to the next track. Pressing and holding the two earpieces at the same time, activates/deactivates low-latency mode.
Comfortable fit
The Xiaomi Redmi Buds 4 Lite fit my wife’s ears like a glove. At just under 4 grammes per bud, they’re lightweight and barely noticeable when worn. She can wear them for a long time without them pinching her ears. Even when lying on her side, the buds are hardly noticeable – perfect for sleeping.
Despite the lack of silicone tips, the Xiaomi Redmi Buds 4 Lite stay put in the ear, though a little less securely for my wife than for me. I can headbang with these things all I want and they stay in.
Surprisingly good sound
Sound-wise, my expectations aren’t high given the price. But the 12-millimetre drivers deliver more than expected. Now, you can’t expect any miracles from the bass. It’d be an exaggeration to speak of any real boom. Still, the buds don’t sound tinny. The lows are gentle, but still very present. What’s astonishingly clear are the highs.
Because my wife mostly listens to her Harry Potter audiobook, the mids are key. She’s happy with how Stephen Fry sounds on the buds. I agree. Overall, the sound quality is very good for the price. Mind you, there’s no comparison to my Sennheiser CX Plus – but those also cost about 100 francs / euros more.
The earbuds have built-in microphones. We didn’t test them; my wife just wants to wear the buds to bed, not hold gossip sessions. For those of you who do care about the microphone, here’s a short audio sample:
Finally! I can sleep without listening to Harry Potter
I can breathe a sigh of relief. After weeks of constant exposure to Harry Potter, there’s peace one more in the marital bed. At least for my ears. Thanks to the Xiaomi Redmi Buds 4 Lite, my wife can now listen to the tales of the young wizard all by herself. The earbuds are perfect for sleeping.
And even outside of sleeping, they’re a good, affordable pair of true wireless earbuds. If you’re into this style of headphones and don’t want any bells and whistles, I recommend them.
Header image: Kevin Hofer
Kevin Hofer
Senior Editor
kevin.hofer@digitecgalaxus.chFrom big data to big brother, Cyborgs to Sci-Fi. All aspects of technology and society fascinate me.
