The first “truly wireless” earbuds started to hit the streets a few years ago. And they were expensive. Samsung’s Gear IconX earbuds sold for $200 at launch. Apple’s AirPods sold for $159 at launch… and they still do.

Over the past year or so, we’ve seen a number of cheaper options… but Chinese company Xiaomi may have just unveiled the most affordable alternative to date.

The company’s new Redmi AirDots are a set of wire-free earbuds that sell for about CNY 99 in China. That’s roughly $15.

The AirDots support Bluetooth 5.0 and each one has a 40 mAh battery that Xiaomi says should provide up to 4 hours of battery life for listening to audio or making calls.

They also come with a charging case that packs a 300 mAh battery. Xiaomi says that you can use the case to recharge the earbuds twice before you have to recharge the case itself, which means you should get up to 12 hours of (non-continuous) battery life on the go.

Xiaomi’s new earbuds are touch-sensitive, allowing you to double-tap to launch Google Assistant (or Siri, if they’re paired with an iPhone).

It’s not clear if or when the Redmi AirDots will be available outside of China, but the company does sell some products internationally, including headphones. They typically sell for a little more in Western markets than they do in China.

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8 replies on “Xiaomi launches Redmi AirDots: $15 truly wireless earbuds”

  1. Can’t wait till the prices start dropping on Aliexpress, I’ll bite when they’re $25 or below. I have their single ear Xiaomi Bluetooth and it’s fantastic for the price and has never failed to pair.

  2. Too bad latency is so poor that it’s impossible to use these for watching movies. This goes for all current “truly wireless earbuds”

    1. Actually, with mx video player is you are using HW+ decoder or software decode (HW for video and SW for audio) you can set audio synchronization values, positive and negative, for up to several seconds. I often use it with a +0.25 value with my Trekz Air. You would just need to experiment to see what value is good for whatever truly wireless buds you use.

      Of course this only applies to videos you personally had and nothing from services like YouTube or Netflix (or at least not without some advanced services active).

    2. Just got my “old” Air Dots today, and to my surprise when I use it over BT5, the latency is negligible. I could watch movies with MXplayer and Samsung’s own videoplayer without adjustements, on Youtube and even in a browser without more than ~50-100ms delay. I did not try games yet, but it seems BT5 is a big improvement. Still not as good a wired thou, which is why I still don’t consider buying devices without a headphone jack.

      1. Just remember not all Bluetooth devices are created equal.

        Data latency on bluetooth isn’t just a problem for files, videos, and sound. It affect simple inputs from game controllers too. Perhaps bluetooth needs to die, they seem to have hit a plateau, and the plethora of wireless accessories need to start using Wifi protocols instead.

  5. Wow, reminds me of when Xioami started selling mi-bands for $10 when fitbits were over $100. 4 hours on a charge seems pretty good too (compared to 5 hours for airpods). I can’t wait for the reviews.

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