I have a work-from-home job. It also means the headphones and earphones I have matter.
There is not a single day that I don’t have to be a part of 30-40 minutes of Teams calls. I had cheap Noise earbuds, but they died, and that was my cue to buy new earbuds.
With two laptops (one company-issued and the other personal) that I now have, a smartwatch, a mobile phone, a power bank, and brand new earbuds, it just means more electronics to charge every day.
That’s why I decided to buy a neckband that fits in my budget of 1500 rupees, mainly for good battery life. Other features I was looking for were a decentish ANC, dual device connectivity (for seamless switching between my laptop and phones), and most importantly, a USB-C charging port.
Three options that I found with the quickest delivery to my location were Realme Buds Wireless 3 Neo, Boat Rockerz 255 Pro Plus, and Boat Rockerz 210.
Realme Buds Wireless 3 Neo fits the bill (Why & how? More on that later.).
Now, here I am after using the neckband for almost a year with my Realme Buds Wireless 3 Neo Review. In this blog, I will talk about my experience with the neckband in terms of sound quality, ANC, build, battery backup, and comfort.
Hopefully, after reading my Realme Buds Wireless 3 Neo review, you will have clarity if these are the neckbands for you.
Realme Buds Wireless 3 Neo Review
Let’s start with the
Realme Buds Wireless 3 Neo Unboxing
Unboxing was pretty straightforward; you get the neckband inside the standard trademark Realme packaging with yellow accents.
Inside, you will find
- Neckband
- Manual
- Earbuds
Standard neckband packaging with no charging cable.
Realme Buds Wireless 3 Neo Sound Quality Review
Compared to other buds in this price range, Realme Buds Wireless 3 Neo has a lot to offer.
Talking about the sound quality, Realme Buds Wireless 3 Neo Features:
- 13.4mm Dynamic Bass Drivers: In this price range, Realme Buds Wireless 3 Neo features one of the biggest drivers, which results in crisp, punchy, and heavy bass sound.
From movies, music, audiophiles, and doomscrolling to YouTube videos. I delivered way more superior audio quality than various similarly priced products. - EQ Modes: Wireless 3 Neo features Serenade, Original Sound, Clear Bass, and Deep Bass modes that help you enjoy the sound without having to tinker with the settings. However, you can also create custom profiles to enjoy the music the way you like.
My Score: 8/10 (More Pre-Built Profiles Could Have Been Better)
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Realme Buds Wireless 3 Neo Connectivity Review
Connectivity can make or break your budget neckband experience. Pick a bad one, and you get audio breaking or lags at random moments throughout your day.
- Bluetooth 5.4 with Game Mode: Featuring one of the latest Bluetooth standards, these neckbands are capable of doing 45ms low-latency transmission in game mode.
I found them to be decent enough for my Call of Duty gaming sessions with my friends. These headphones support the AAC codec, which means you can enjoy high-quality music playback. - Dual Device Connection: You can connect two devices at once to these buds and take calls on any of them without having to play around with any buttons or tinker with settings. To enter into dual pairing mode, you simply need to press the multifunction button at your neckband two times to enter dual pairing mode.
- Google Fast Pair: Realme Buds 3 Neo features and supports the latest Fast Pair standard, which allows you to quickly connect to the buds. It saves you a couple of clicks when pairing to a new device, as buds instantly pop up on your screen.
My Score: 10/10 (Connects instantly, zero connection drops, and more than decent enough range. Game Mode and dual device connection work all the time flawlessly.)
Realme Buds Wireless 3 Neo Call & Quality Review
I purchased these neckbands with primary use of taking my office calls. It performed better than the previous budget alternatives, but are definately not the best neckbands money can buy.
- ANC (Sort of fake have it): Realme Buds Wireless 3 Neo doesn’t have built-in ANC: Instead, it comes with AI ENC, which has been subpar in my experience.
Most of the time, whenever I was on call, I had to switch to my phone’s receiver, especially in challenging environments.
So, if you are working from home while a plumber is using a drilling machine in the next room, these probably are not gonna work great for you.
My Score: 7/10 (Better than TWS in this price range, but still no match for premium or TWS, dedicated headphones with boom mics, earbuds, or headphones.)
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Realme Buds Wireless 3 Neo Companion App
It’s 2026, and if your XYZ gadget doesn’t have an app, is it even worth buying?
Just Kidding!
As is the modern trend, you can use and connect these budget neckbands with the Realme Link app.
You can use the said app to:
- Customise button functions
- Toggle Game Mode (Can be turned on using the multi-function button on the neckband manually as well.)
- Change music audio profiles or create a custom one as per your preference
- Turn on the Find My Phone feature (Once enabled, pressing the multi-function button four times rings your phone.)
- Enable auto answer
- Use the app to connect to a second device (the second phone can be connected manually using the multi-function button as well.)
My Score: 9/10 (You are not really tied down to the app; it’s convenient to have if you find button-specific design a hassle.)
Realme Buds Neo 3 Build Quality
During my Realme Buds Neo 3 review, I found that the build quality was exceptional with one major major downside (Hint, it’s Auto Turn On/Off).
- Auto Turn On/Off
Man, I hate the auto turn on/off function in the Realme Buds Neo 2 with a passion. I keep them in my office bag, and it turns on automatically.
I am on a hike or night out, and a slight nudge turns these earbuds on automatically. If you happen to have your Bluetooth turned off, then thanks to Google’s Fast Pair, your friend’s phone starts getting spammed with pairing requests.
I can probably rant about this for 5 mins straight on a YT video. - Water & Dust Resistant
Thanks to the IP55 rating, I was confident most of the time when I accidentally spat my water or had to deal with a slight drizzle. Still, it’s IP55 but decent enough for light sweat and dirt. - Fit
Overall, these are quite good in the ear unless you decide to lie down and relax in bed. For that use case, old-school wired buds or TWS would be better. - Magnatic Earbuds
You no longer have to deal with slipping neckbands, as is the case with most neckbands available in the market, with Realme Buds 3 Neo. These remain intact and firmly placed in your neck, whether you are at the desk or travelling on the metro.
My Score: 4/10 (I hate the auto-turning-on feature of the neckband; other than that, it’s fun and comfortable to wear.)
Realme Buds Wireless 3 Neo Review Battery Life
Claimed battery life for a fully charged neckband is 32 hours of backup. My experience with the Realme Buds Wireless 3 Neo review suggests that a full charge lasts 2 weeks with 2-3 hours of use per day.
I never had to run to my charger, as my neckband usually had more than enough charge.
My Score: 9/10 (Great battery life if you are tired of charging TWS daily.)
Realme Buds Wireless 3 Neo vs Boat Rockerz 255 Pro Plus Vs Boat Rockerz 210 Comparison
| Feature | boAt Rockerz 255 Pro+ | Realme Buds Wireless 3 Neo | boAt Rockerz 210 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Battery Life | 40 hours | 32 hours | 40 hours |
| Noise Cancellation | ❌ No ANC/ENC | ✅ AI ENC | ✅ 30dB ANC |
| Water Resistance | IPX7 | IP55 | IPX4 |
| Driver Size | 10mm | 13.4mm | 13mm |
| Charging Port | Type-C | Type-C | Type-C |
| Quick Charging Playback Time | 10 hrs Playback in 10 mins | 7 hrs in 10 mins (After 10 mins charging time) | 10 hrs Playback in 10 mins Charging |
| Full Charging Time | 1.5 hours | 2 hours | 1 hour |
| Google Fast Pair | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Bluetooth Version | 5.0 / 5.2 (conflicting information online) | 5.4 | 5.3 |
| Dual Pairing | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Low Latency Mode | Beast Mode | 45ms Game Mode | 60ms Beast Mode |
| Companion App | ❌ No | ✅ Realme Link | ✅ boAt Hearables |
| Impedance | 16Ω | 32Ω | 32Ω |
| Weight | 30g | 35g | Not specified |
Should You Buy Realme Buds Wireless 3 Neo?
If you need neckbands that have good battery life, playback quality, dual connection, IP55, and comfort fit, then these Realme buds Wireless 3 Neo in ear bluetooth neckband will be perfect.
However, if you can’t compromise on ANC and good mic quality or hate the auto turn feature like me, then steer away from them. Maybe I am being too harsh on Realme, but if I had the information I have now, I would still choose them over the competition.
FAQs
No, it does not have Active Noise Cancellation (ANC). It features AI ENC (Environmental Noise Cancellation) for calls, which is subpar and struggles to block out loud background or non crowd noises like drilling.
It is not completely waterproof, but it has an IP55 water and dust resistance rating. This makes it safe against light sweat, dirt, accidental splashes, and light rain drizzles.
The sound quality is exceptional for its budget price point, scoring an 8/10. It features large 13.4mm Dynamic Bass Drivers that deliver crisp, punchy, and heavy bass. It also supports the AAC codec for high-quality playback and offers four pre-built EQ modes via its companion app.
It takes 2 hours to fully charge the neckband via its USB-C port. If you are in a rush, a quick 10-minute charge provides 7 hours of playback time.
Yes. While the text notes it supports Android-centric features like Google Fast Pair, it connects via standard Bluetooth and supports the AAC codec, which is the primary audio codec used by Apple iOS devices.
Yes. The review states that you can customise button functions using the companion Realme Link app, allowing you to manage your settings manually if you want to avoid a hassle.