Xiaomi is at it again. The firm has announced a new pair of earphones: the Xiaomi Piston Pro, also known as the Iron Ring Pro. Priced at 149 yuan (~22$/20€), the earphones are the latest in the Piston line – and seemingly those with a higher positioning, at least when it comes to price.
Also read: Xiaomi Piston Pro review
When I reported on the launch of the new Xiaomi Mi Sports Bluetooth Headset yesterday, I did not expect to write another article about Xiaomi audio products in less than 24 hours. The Xiaomi Piston Pro are the heirs to the Xiaomi Hybrid Earphones, from which they inherit the overall design and materials. Both use aluminium for the acoustic chamber and the housing, but the metal seems to extend further in the Xiaomi Piston Pro and replaces the plastic of the Hybrid Earphones in certain parts.
The earbuds are bent a 45° so that, according to Xiaomi, the listener gets better comfort and less chances of the earphones popping out of the ear. Talking about comfort, there are four different silicone tips in the box.
Much like the Hybrid Earphones, the Xiaomi Piston Pro feature two different drivers: one is a double-coil dynamic driver, the other is a balanced armature driver. The product page features an auto-playing track which should show the earphones’ capabilities in terms of resolution and detail, given all the different background sounds. It remains to be seen how they will fare in listening tests.
The cable is made of TPE and features a control box with three buttons and a microphone. The Xiaomi Piston Pro are earphones targeted at mobile users, after all.
The Xiaomi Piston Pro will go on sale on November 11 for 149 yuan, but there is no word on actual availability outside of China – they will probably be available through Chinese online shops in the coming days. Their main advantage is their price/performance ratio, which is especially good – especially considering the real competition starts at triple the price (e.g. ~60$/€ Meze 11 Neo).
