Xiaomi recently released the Mi Sports Bluetooth earphones at a very competitive price point on Rs. 1,499, adding to its already expansive list of affordable pieces of technology from the Chinese giant.

As the title suggests, Xiaomi has targeted the Mi Sports BT Basic earphones at people who want an affordable pair of earphones for a workout or just listening to music on the go. Let’s have a look at the earphones, and see if they’re worth your money or not.

Design

When you first take the earphones out of their packaging box, you will notice that they have a slight premium feel to them. The actual earpieces have been designed with precision, keeping in mind the shape of your ear. They fit nice and snug in your ear, acting as a passive noise cancelling unit. Talking about the earpieces, they are shaped like a pill, so they might protrude out from the bottom of your ear. The outside surface of the earplugs is made from a glossy plasticky material, which in my opinion feels a little cheap.

The wire, for me, was little bit too thin, giving the pair a fragile feel, as if the wire might break any moment. Just below the right earplug, you have an in-line remote with the volume rockers and a multifunctional central key. They weigh in at just 13.6grams. The remote also has the microUSB port for charging, which is covered with a tight cover so that water doesn’t enter.
 
In the box you get 5 pairs of earbuds with the standard small, medium, and large plus 2 drum shaped ones. You also get a clip that you can snap on the wire.

Connectivity

The pairing process was extremely easy and fast. You just have to long press the central key on the in-line remote till you see the LED blinking. Then you just scan from your device that you want music played from, and choose ‘Mi Sports BT Earphones Basic’ from the list.

The earphones connect with your device using Bluetooth 4.1, which needs just 3 seconds to pair up.

Performance and Sound

Audio is what defines any earphone, so let’s about the acoustic performance of the Mi Sports Bluetooth Basic earphones. When I first fired up the pair with some instrumental pieces from Apple Music, the sound was beyond what I expected. I expected heavy, overpowering bass and very shrill treble, but what I got was completely the opposite. The pair sounded like they were worth almost twice their asking price. The mid-tones very extremely clear and the treble was crisp, not hurting my ear even at high volumes. There was just the right amount of bass, enough to give depth to the music but not so much that it distorts the sound.

While listening to music with many instruments, all the instruments were clearly separated. The pair also had support for stereo sound, so you could hear different sounds in both ears, making you feel as if you’re surrounded with the music.

Though the earphones are not noise cancelling, they did a decent job of isolating me from the ambient noise from my surroundings. Though I was able to hear much of it.

They also come with IPX4 rating, which means the pair are sweat and splash resistant.

The Mi Sports BT Basic is powered by a 120mAh battery which the company claims can keep the pair up for around 9 hours while on medium volume and 260 hours of standby battery. But in my daily usage, the pair last 4 to 5 hours on an average. The earphones also went from 0 to full charge in around 2 hours.

Verdict

The Xiaomi Mi Sports Bluetooth Basic earphones make up a great case for themselves with the combination of a competitive asking price of Rs. 1,499 and fantastic sound. The only downside to the pair being its slightly cheap feel and awkward design. They would make a great pair for anyone looking for budget Bluetooth earphones under the Rs. 1,500 price bracket.

Do share your views about the Mi Sports Bluetooth Basic earphones in the comment section below. Cheers!