You spent over $ 200 on these brands, or bought cheap (and often nasty) nameless TWS (true wireless stereo) headphones from Amazon: emptor warning. The second wave really started when Chinese phone makers like Huawei / Honor, Xiaomi / Redmi, and Oppo / Realme / Vivo (BBK group) started making truly affordable wireless headsets to complement their phones. Economies of scale allowed these companies to make affordable (below $ 100) TWS headsets that didn’t suck, often beating the first wave in their own game.
Which brings us to OnePlus Buds, true $ 79 true wireless headphones that are downright cool, no buts or for the price In this regard, these TWS headsets were introduced on July 21 along with OnePlus Nord (coming soon in review), the company’s premium but affordable mid-range phone, and both are primarily intended for Europe, India, and Asia. While the new phone won’t make it to the U.S. (for now), the OnePlus Buds will be available worldwide soon in white or gray. A third color, Nord Blue, is reserved for Europe and India.
Watch our video and see the Nord Blue and White models here …
OnePlus Buds Design
The case doesn’t support wireless charging, but that’s to be expected for $ 79. What’s really fun though is the bright apple-green accent inside the lid of the Nord blue version. As for the earbuds, they’re largely knockoffs of AirPods (not Pro), albeit a bit thicker, with a flat, circular touch pad where Apple earbuds smoothly sharpen from the disk to the stem. This touch pad features a matching apple green circle in the Nord blue model (silver in whites). Another detail is the flat stain on the outside of the stems.
Like the AirPods, the OnePlus Buds have a silver rim on the end of the stem that hides the charging contacts. And although the case uses a matte finish, the headphones have a glossy finish. We are big fans of the Nord blue headphones and case. The images really don’t do them justice: they look and feel so much more refined when you see them (and handle them) in person. Of course, whites are nice too, but they don’t stand out as much, and that’s the point, right? Unfortunately we did not have the opportunity to test the gray version.
OnePlus Buds Sound quality and comfort
OnePlus Buds have a “half ear” design, which means they have no silicone tips. Basically, it doesn’t insert them into your ear canal. Just like AirPods (not Pro), you simply put them on your ear, deposit them on your shell where they are expected to stay. While this design is less invasive for many people, it doesn’t fit everyone’s ears properly either, and it doesn’t provide much (if any) noise isolation. They fit reasonably well and are quite comfortable, even after a few hours – they don’t fall off when we shake our heads.
Some people will find them too loose, others will find them too tight, and this will affect comfort and sound quality alike, especially bass response. Therefore, it is probably best to test OnePlus Buds before purchasing. And speaking of sound quality, we are very impressed. This author is (reluctantly) somewhat of an audiophile, and prefers a neutral listening experience rather than the muddy, serious presentation that’s popular with most headphones and earphones today. We just like it when the highs and mids have room to breathe.
Our hearing aids are $ 250 Etymotic Research ER 4SR In-Ear Monitors with custom earmolds, and our default hearing aids cost $ 150 BeyerDynamic DT990 PRO (250 Ohm). We’re also fans of Sennheiser’s HD 600, Sony’s WH-1000XM3, plus some Westone, Shure, Grado, and AKG products. And wow, the OnePlus Buds deliver! They sound surprisingly detailed and balanced, with a flat frequency response and a decent picture. There’s no need for EQ here, and the bass is clean and powerful without mastering everything.
There’s definitely room for improvement in the mids / highs, but in our hearing tests, the $ 79 OnePlus Buds outperformed Google’s Pixel Buds 2, Apple’s AirPods Pro, and Samsung’s Galaxy Buds +. Sony’s $ 230 WF-1000XM3 TWS headphones still offer better audio, but only after careful tuning / equalization. Obviously, OnePlus Buds don’t provide much in terms of noise isolation due to the “half-ear” design. As such, silicone tipped earphones and / or active noise cancellation will work best in noisier environments. There is also no aptX support here.
OnePlus Buds connectivity and configuration
The quality of the calls was also quite strong in our tests. Audio was kept loud and clear at both ends, and our callers reported decent noise cancellation in noisy environments like busy city streets. Each headphone uses three microphones to reduce ambient noise and seems to work. We also had no connectivity issues, unlike Google’s Pixel Buds 2, which was sometimes dumped at random. OnePlus Buds also allows you to easily switch between multiple paired devices (just touch and hold the circular touch pad).
Setting up OnePlus Buds is easy. Just enable Bluetooth on any recent Android phone and open the nearby case. You will receive a notification, which you can simply tap to pair the headphones. Pairing with an iPhone or other Bluetooth device is also fairly straightforward. Open the box, press and hold the pairing button until the charging LED flashes white, then add the headphones in the Bluetooth menu. We use the OnePlus Buds with the OnePlus Nord, a Pixel 4 XL and an iPhone 11 without any problem.
OnePlus Buds features and software
While Android devices can display the battery level for each earbud and for the case (see screenshot below), this doesn’t seem to work with iOS. And that’s it for the features of the software, at least for now. OnePlus 6, 7, and 8 series phones will soon get additional support for OnePlus Buds through a software update. This includes Dolby Atmos (OnePlus 7/8 series only), automatic OTA firmware updates, and the ability to customize what happens when you double-tap the circular touch pad on each headset.
As proven, OnePlus Buds don’t offer much in terms of functionality. You can double tap the circular touch pad to skip to the next track, or press and hold to switch between multiple paired devices. The headphones also feature in-ear detection that stops audio playback when removed and resumes when replaced (within 3 minutes). At this time, there is no way to activate the Google Assistant, skip to the previous track, or play / pause using the circular touch pad. The software update mentioned above will fix this.
Of course, that also means you’ll need a OnePlus 6, 7, or 8 series phone to get this software update and enjoy this new functionality. We asked, and the company does not currently plan to offer a separate Android or iOS app for those who use the headphones with a device other than OnePlus. Honestly, it’s a shame: the ecosystem lock sucks. Furthermore, the headphones currently support a wide range of Bluetooth devices and still offer great value as reviewed. Nothing prevents OnePlus from providing an app in the future. Fingers crossed?
OnePlus Buds battery life
Then there is the battery life. OnePlus claims up to 7 hours of audio playback, up to 4.3 hours for calls, and up to 30 hours for the case and headphones combined, which is pretty good, at least on paper. We were able to squeeze in just over 6 hours of continuous audio playback before one of the headphones turned off. Also, despite using OnePlus Buds a few times a day last week (for an hour or two per session, putting them back in the case every time), we haven’t loaded the case in 5 days and it still shows 40% left battery. We have no complaints
OnePlus Buds prices and verdicts
OnePlus Buds will be available on July 27 through the company’s website for $ 79, initially in white, then in gray. Should you buy the OnePlus Buds? If you have a OnePlus phone, absolutely. We also think it’s worth considering if you have another Android phone, assuming you can live with your current limitations. It’s a tougher sale for iPhone users as AirPods integrate seamlessly with iOS. On the other hand, we can’t think of any other TWS headphones that good for less than $ 100.
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