Xiaomi Buds 5 Pro in for review

Xiaomi’s Buds 5 Pro slot in as the brand’s latest flagship earbuds, fresh off their global debut and following their announcement in China. We’ve already reviewed the non-Pro Buds 5 and we’re now bringing you our first impressions of Buds 5 Pro.

These are the €199.99 Bluetooth-only model, though Xiaomi also has a €219.99 version that debuts Qualcomm’s XPAN tech. Those connect to your Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 or 8 Elite phone via Wi-Fi and offer up to 96kHz/24bit lossless audio at up to 4.2Mbps bandwidth - double what you can get via Bluetooth.

Design-wise, the Buds 5 Pro share plenty of similarities to the Buds 5, with the main difference being the in-ear form factor. You get the proven silicone ear tips, which should help the buds stay in your ear better than the Buds 5 and their open-ear design.

Xiaomi Buds 5 (left) vs Buds 5 Pro (right)

In terms of fit, our first impression is that the Buds 5 Pro create a proper seal around your ear, which helps them stay put while also significantly decreasing outside noise.

So what do you get in the box? The usual set of spare ear tips and a USB-C cable for the charging case. The case also supports wireless charging, by the way, which is what you’d expect from a flagship pair of earbuds.

Xiaomi outfitted the Buds 5 Pro with a triple driver setup comprising of 11mm dynamic drivers, an additional planar driver and PZT tweeters. You also get dual DACs and a frequency response range of 15Hz to 50kHz, which is a bit wider than the Buds 5.

The 5 Pro are Snapdragon Sound certified and support the aptX Lossless codec for 48kHz/24-bit lossless audio streaming. Noise cancelation is now rated at up to 55dB, and you get improved wind-noise reduction. Xiaomi is also bringing head tracking, dual device pairing and customizable EQ profiles.

You also get a larger 570mAh battery inside the charging case and 53mAh cells inside the buds which should deliver up to 8 hours of use from the buds and a combined 40 hours of playback. We’ll make sure to test these claims in our full review.

The buds (and not their case) are IP54 water and dust resistant. Our full review is coming soon, so stay tuned!