Xiaomi Buds 5 in for review

This is the Xiaomi Buds 5 - a premium pair of buds with a lot of tech and a classy yet sturdy design. The buds ship in a small box with a USB-A to USB-C cable.

The case has an eye-catching semi-gloss-semi-matte finish. It's small and has a nicely rounded shape, making it comfortable to pocket.

The Xiaomi Buds 5 in the case

The Xiaomi Buds 5 feature an open-ear design - they don't have silicone tips that to invade your ear canal. These are generally more comfortable to wear for longer periods and are preferred by people who don't mind some outside noise passing through.

The Buds 5 still have active noise cancellation, which uses the 3-microphone array along with AI to cut outside noise. Wind noise reduction is rated at 12 meters per second, for what that's worth.

The buds employ 11mm drivers to deliver sound and you can enjoy AAC, SBC, and LC3 codecs, and both aptX Adaptive and aptX Lossless.

The buds (not the case) are also IP54 dust and water-resistant.

The buds have a subtle design

The Xiaomi Buds 5 just went on sale globally, retailing for €99. We'll get to reviewing them soon and report back with our findings.