VITAL STATS
WISHFUL LINKING
Xiaomi Buds 5 Pro Wi-Fi
Words Tom Wiggins
£190 /go.stuff.tv/Buds5Pro
Either grey…
Both versions of the buds look identical except for the colour: the Wi-Fi ones only come in this translucent black finish, while the Bluetooth types can be white or grey.
Xiaomi’s new earbuds are the first to offer Wi-Fi for lossless audio… but how much use will you actually get out of it?
● Sky blue Fi
The first pair of Bluetooth stereo headphones were released over 20 years ago, back when people spent countless hours using LimeWire to download dodgy versions of
Since U Been Gone
by Kelly Clarkson – so in a way, Xiaomi’s new buds feel overdue. They’re the first in the world to offer Wi-Fi connectivity, with Qualcomm’s XPAN tech enabling 24-bit/96kHz lossless audio at up to 4.2Mbps. They also have better battery life when using Wi-Fi rather than Bluetooth. Sounds great, right? Sadly, there’s a catch.