[REVIEW] Xiaomi Mi True Wireless Earphones 2 Basic will pleasantly surprise you at a low price

The Chinese company Xiaomi also offers stylish and affordable Bluetooth earbuds in its lineup. The latest model is called Xiaomi Mi True Wireless Earphones 2 Basic. The earbuds come with a matte white plastic charging case with a magnetic connector and a universal USB Type C connector.

In the editorial office, we decided to test these “true-wireless” Bluetooth earbuds so we can evaluate what features they actually offer. This is our review.

Xiaomi Mi True Wireless Earphones 2 Basic: Where to buy?

Buying this device might come with a relatively simple controversy. After all, the earbuds are also sold in their Chinese version under the Xiaomi Mi Air 2 SE name, and the design is practically identical. However, we tested the global version, which is officially sold here in Slovakia as well.

You can find our global version of the earbuds in the listings of local Slovak/Czech and also international sellers under the Xiaomi Mi True Wireless Earphones 2 Basic name. We purchased them for the editorial office via the Datacomp.sk e-shop and delivery by courier took 3 – 4 business days.

If you want to save a few euros, you can also find the earbuds on AliExpress—both the Chinese and the global versions. With availability in a European warehouse, they can be with you in as little as 3 – 7 business days, and when importing from China, then after 15 – 20 business days.

Packaging: Xiaomi’s traditional classic

Xiaomi brings these earbuds in its global version under the name Mi True Wireless Earphones 2 Basic, in a compact box with a blue-and-white color combination. This smaller box features an image and the product name, plus selected technical specifications.

After unpacking, you’ll find a paper insert inside the box, and that’s where the earbuds and the charging case are placed, wrapped in protective film. In addition, the package includes a short paper manual in English and a USB Type C charging cable.

Design: Matte white

The design chapter can naturally be split into two parts – the charging case construction and the earbuds themselves. As for the case, it’s made from quality ABS plastic materials in a matte white color finish.

Paradoxically, once you open the case, the inside features a glossy surface finish. The case includes a quality hinge, and with a bit of cleverness you can even open it with one hand. The earbuds are then located in the corresponding connectors.

The earbuds charge via a magnetic connector located on the earbuds’ body as well. They are also made from ABS plastic materials, and the earbuds’ body includes the relevant openings for the speakers, microphones, and important sensors.

The earbuds have a “pedestal/knob” shape, which definitely won’t suit everyone. Their placement is well known: you basically hang them on your ear and they stay in place thanks to their weight in the ear area. We didn’t notice any problems during wearing, but issues may arise for users with smaller ears.

Compared to competing and more expensive models, these earbuds are noticeably thicker, larger, and more robust. Still, they’re fairly light (just 4,7 grams) and don’t overly burden your ears even during long wear for a few hours.

Layout of the device components

Right from the start, the way the actual case opens is interesting. The back has a hinge, and it opens very much like a cosmetic mirror—bottom to top.

Although the case is made of matte white plastic, on the bottom we can spot some product information and required recycling notices. The front side, in its lower half, has an LED that signals charging, as well as a cut-out section to make opening easier.

On the back of the case, you’ll find a modern and universal USB Type-C connector for charging. Once you open the case, you can see a glossy design finish and four charging pins that charge the earbuds themselves. The earbuds are placed separately in the original packaging, outside the case.

On the body of the earbuds, you can find not only a pair of microphones and a pair of charging pins in the case, but also a sensor that detects when you remove an earbud and put it back in. This ensures playback pauses and resumes from the speakers.

The “sticks” that protrude from the ear are fairly thick, and on some—especially smaller—ears they can look a bit funny. The build is solid, though, and the so-called “bone” hook in the ear won’t get in the way. Touch controls on the sides of the earbuds also help with handling.

Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.0 and USB Type-C

When it comes to the connectivity page, these earbuds perform very well—even considering their low price. Charging is handled via the USB Type-C connector (cable included in the package), and for wireless connection to your smartphone, Bluetooth 5.0 with a range of about 10 meters is included.

For the first connection, you basically just need to take the earbuds out of the case and put them back in. Pairing through your smartphone’s settings is then very simple. Thanks to the Bluetooth technology used, reconnecting is also very fast.

If you have a Xiaomi smartphone with MIUI 12, the connection is even faster. It’s also accompanied by an animation showing the earbuds, the case, their name, and the current battery capacity.

Because of the true-wireless design, you’ll also appreciate support for SBC and AAC codecs. Great news is the integration of smart voice assistants like XiaoAI, Google Assistant, Alexa, and even Siri. After initial activation with a gesture, you can give voice commands directly through the earbuds.

Sound: A pleasant surprise

During testing, the earbuds pleasantly surprised us with their low weight and sound performance. In this case, though, it’s important how you wear the earbuds. A perfect fit and the way the earbuds hang at the edge of your ears is key to the overall listening experience.

The Xiaomi Mi True Wireless Earphones 2 Basic come with 14.2 mm drivers and a DSP chip (Digital Signal Processing – modeled after Redmi Airdots S), which ensures output quality. Impedance is capped at 32 Ohms, and a very great feature is also binaural playback with minimal latency for watching videos or playing games.

In our case, we really enjoyed using these earbuds. They deliver a clean, quality sound with no unnecessary noise— even at 90% volume. There’s also a prominent bass section for listening to modern pop and rap music, along with suitable mids and highs.

It’s true that the earbuds are worse when it comes to blocking ambient noise, but that’s mostly down to their design. When listening to music outdoors, the ratio of music to surrounding noise is roughly 80:20. Still, we have to praise the microphone quality—the call quality through the phone was clear and understandable.

Touch controls + voice assistant

The design of the earbuds themselves includes a touch surface on the side for different gestures. By tapping these surfaces, you can pause and resume music playback, start binaural playback, but also answer a call or activate a smart assistant.

We most often used the gesture for pausing (by tapping the right earbud) and also to activate the Alexa smart assistant (double-tap on the left earbud). The dual-microphone technology ensures easy and precise command input using the smart assistant—for example to turn the lights on or set an alarm.

For testing, we also used an assistant from Google, and its performance was similar and equally accurate. Very good and functional is also the option to pick up the earbud to pause playback and restore it again when you put it back. This feature worked precisely and without any issues as well.

Battery life

When it comes to battery life on a single charge, the manufacturer lists values in terms of 5 resp. 20 hours as the battery life of the earbuds themselves without the case, or with charging in the case. This is definitely not a bad figure, especially for models this cheap.

Our testing showed lower battery life for the earbuds themselves, which ranged from about 4 – 4.5 hours on a single charge. However, with practical, ongoing charging in the case, the final battery life stretched all the way to 22 hours, which is more than the manufacturer claims.

We were satisfied with the battery life during combined use, and we charged the case via USB Type-C cable about once a week. With 1A charging, the case—along with the earbuds—is fully charged in roughly 90 minutes, which matches the manufacturer’s information.

Price and availability

You can also find the global version of the earbuds labeled Xiaomi Mi True Wireless Earphones 2 Basic in the range of Slovak and Czech e-shops. The price is roughly from 31,90€ / USD.

If you want to save a euro or two, you can also choose the Chinese version, which is even cheaper—and with the label Xiaomi Mi Air 2 SE it sells for about 20 € / USD.

Final rating: Xiaomi Mi True Wireless Earphones 2 Basic

The available earbuds labeled Xiaomi Mi True Wireless Earphones 2 Basic offer a very good price-to-performance ratio. Powerful bass sound is complemented by good audio detail quality, which fits not only music listening, but also watching YouTube videos or listening to audiobooks.

Bonus: a universal USB Type-C connector, which can be found in almost every high-end smartphone today. Despite the controversial design, we recommend buying these “true-wireless” bone-style earbuds—especially for users who find the traditional silicone design annoying.