OnePlus Buds review

pgangwani35

Introduction


OnePlus is the latest company to join the TWS game. Surprisingly, OnePlus didn't use the Bullets branding for this product, which is simply called the "OnePlus Buds".


That's somewhat puzzling seeing how the Bullets lineup has quite a few dedicated fans, but OnePlus was seemingly very keen to underline that it's a completely different product. The company's latest pair of wireless earbuds don't hang around your neck, but they do still pack a punchy bass.




With the new Buds, OnePlus promises an elevated experience when paired with OnePlus smartphones. Outstanding sound and comfort are among the things promised with the Buds. Bass Boost, Super Low Latency, and 30 hours of battery life are all on the list of features, as well as "Environmental noise cancellation" which refers to the microphones for phone calls. We'll be testing all these claims.


OnePlus Buds specs:
Hardware: Smooth matte plastic case, smooth glossy earbuds; NordBlue, Gray, and White; IPX4 splash/sweat resistant
Dimensions: Earbud: (18.8 x 16.1 x 37.9 mm); Case: (52.2 x 59.6 x 37.9 mm)
Driver: 13.4 mm dynamic; 97dB (+-) 3dB @ 1KHz sensitivity
Microphones: 3X per Bud; Environmental noise cancellation for voice calls; -38 dB (+-) 2 dB sensitivity
Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.0; AAC (only)
Frequency response range: 20Hz - 20 KHz
Battery and charging: 35 mAh per Bud; 430 mAh for charging case; 10W USB-C fast charging (10-minute charge of the case = 10 hours of playback; 10 mins in the case = 100 minutes of music on Buds)
Battery life: 7 hours (music); 4.3 hours (phone call); up to 30 hours with charging case
The OnePlus Buds don't support wireless charging out of the gate, which honestly is a shame considering the OnePlus 8 Pro has reverse wireless charging. However, with the of the OnePlus Buds price set to $79 ($109 CAD), it's much lower than the Pixel Buds and the entry-level AirPods. Perhaps this is a nice setup for OnePlus to later introduce a more premium set of Buds or simply a wireless charging case down the line. One the other hand even now they do come with fast charging over wire.


Let's look at what's in the box and get these things paired up with the OnePlus 8 Pro.




You get the charging case with the buds inside, and a document pack which includes warranty info, a quick start guide, and a short USB-A to C cable. You can use this cable on either a OnePlus Warp charger, or any other 10W charger to achieve the advertised 10-minute charge time for 10 hours of use.


Design


The OnePlus Buds are undeniably inspired by Apple's Airpods: a small white charging case and Earpod-style tips with white stems. Even the charging case has a similar styling akin to a pack of dental floss. The distinct part of the Buds appearance is its exterior, which features the CD-accent also found on OnePlus' other Bullet headphones.


The case measures 52.2 x 59.6 x 37.9 mm while each buds comes in at 18.8 x 16.1 x 37.9 mm. The case is quite compact, but not compact enough to fit in a pair of jeans' coin pocket. I like that the case has a matte finish and the flip-up hinge design is very well-made. It has barely any play when wiggling it, so I'm confident that it can survive the thousands of actuations that it will endure through its lifetime.




There's a pin-hole at the front where an LED will indicate the battery life of the case and the Buds. It shows the amount of battery left in the case once you remove the Buds from it. At the bottom of the case is a USB-C port, and the back of the unit has a sync button that doubles as a way to check on the battery status of the Buds inside. The back of the hinge has a small silver metal plating that gives the white case a nice accent.




The Nord Blue OnePlus buds are the most playful of the three model colors (there's also a gray one). In person, this color is very much teal. The Buds and the case match while the interior of the case is green-tinted yellow, like the color of a construction worker's vest. The color scheme is playfu

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