Poco Buds Pro are an ANC love letter to Genshin Impact

For its first foray into the world of true wireless earphones, budget smartphone specialist Poco has one particular target market firmly in mind: smartphone RPG sensation Genshin Impact superfans. Enter the Poco Buds Pro.

They share a colour scheme with cutesy character Klee, complete with carrying case that matches her in-game backpack. Red and brown with gold accents is an undeniably distinctive combination, and having the buds deliver voice lines taken straight from the game might baffle anyone that hasn’t played it before. Thankfully, there’s plenty here to keep non-gamers interested as well.

Instead of the familiar, Apple AirPods-style long stems, the Poco Buds Pro adopt a more traditional in-ear design, with 9mm dynamic drivers and multiple silicone tip sizes for a superior seal. Four dedicated active noise cancellation microphones promise to silence the outside world, and there’s a transparency mode. This amplifies ambient sounds, which should help prevent you getting splatted by traffic. In-ear detection automatically pauses playback when the buds are removed, and IPX4 splash resistance lets the tunes keep coming if you get caught out in the rain.

All-day listening between charges

When paired with the charging case, which supports both USB Type-C and wireless top-ups, you should expect up to 28 hours of listening time. The buds take an hour each to refuel, while the case takes two and a half if plugged into mains power. Dual-device connectivity is supported for quick swapping between gadgets without having to re-pair each time.

Poco has yet to confirm a UK launch date for the Buds Pro. European prices have come in significantly under that of one-time parent company Xiaomi’s Mi Buds 3T Pro, at €69. If you don’t mind flaunting your love of Chinese role playing games, these colourful creations could be a bit of a bargain.

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