OnePlus Buds Pro Review: Is This The Best Wireless Earbuds You Can Buy?
OnePlus is one of the most talked-about brands lately (due to new phones and the OPPO merger). They launched earphones a while back and their entrance into the TWS industry was chaotic. OnePlus worked very hard to come back into the industry with their latest – the ‘OnePlus Buds Pro‘.
Premium-quality true wireless earbuds are some of the best options on the market with aggressive pricing and many features for their price. Some of these include ANC, wireless charging, water & dust resistance. When I first read about the OnePlus earbuds pro on TechRadar, I immediately felt the need to get them! Their features seem awesome and if they live up to their promises my life is going to be so much more enjoyable. Also, check here OnePlus Buds Z2.
Design
The OnePlus Buds Pro earbuds do have a cuboidal case that’s been given a matte finish, but there’s a little anachronism with the glossy text emblazoned across the front. This can be annoying as it gathers dust and fingerprints easier than a standard matte finish. The back of the case is home to a USB-C port, which handles wired charging – or wireless charging – depending on which adapter you use.
Like other truly wireless earbuds, the OnePlus Buds Pro has a similar design but comes with two stems that extend from each earbud. The stems are quite chunky and you can see this clearly because they also act as receivers to its touch controls.
And like most headphones of this style, they weigh around 4.35 grams at once, which is quite light actually! What’s more, is that the company claims to use an ergonomic design with its teardrop-shaped construction (the white version however is said to be ergonomically designed for better fit) which I think looks quite nice.
Furthermore, the earbuds are sturdy and reliable for use in active conditions like bad weather because the earbuds build has an IP55 water-resistant rating, coupled with an IPX4 case which means that your buds are still fully protected despite being made of plastic. It’s worthwhile to note that there are other options available that protect their components better while producing a similar if not superior sound quality.
Comfort
These OnePlus Buds Pro fully wireless earphones are remarkably ergonomic. Despite their overall design looking like most common TWS earbuds, manufacturers have thought of everything even down to the silicone tips that come with them. That’s because there are three pairs of different style of tips, but they didn’t fit my ears which were quite disappointing since I couldn’t wear them for longer periods of time without having one or both of my ears hurting.
They worked perfectly when it comes to keeping the buds in place while moving around vigorously, but it is very hard to use them for longer periods of time since the comfort level deteriorates quickly once you hit that two-hour mark.
While the buds pro earphones fit my ears nicely, they aren’t the most comfortable earbuds for anyone with large ears. But if you have smaller ears as I do, they will fit you perfectly and you won’t even know they are there.
Performance and Noise Cancellation
Does the company say that the drivers of this earphone were “tuned for bass reproduction”, but are they really? After using them, I can say that these buds are not bass-heavy at all. The bass reproduction is quite elegant and never overwhelming.
However, those that enjoy a lot of bass for their ears may not be happy with the lack thereof. While the OnePlus Buds Pro has a strong bass, it doesn’t have the unnecessary thump.
The overall sound experience is somewhat neat. There’s a slight push in the mids, which is quite normal for most TRULY wireless earbuds. Vocal and instrumental quality is sharp and distinguishable, and I do like my music better now that I have these on! All the earbud options come with a standard 3.5mm audio cable as well. That allows you to plug them into your phone and connect them with wired earphones or headphones through Bluetooth connectivity mode.
Regarding what codecs are in use, the devices with “Plus” branding don’t support any non-mainstream codecs like aptX or LDAC – they support the LHDC codec on supported devices. The OnePlus Nord 2 is the only 2021 device that has LHDC support. There are OTA updates for OnePlus 9 devices to add LHDC support. The Buds Pro comes with Bluetooth 5.2 connectivity. Devices without LHDC get SBC (for mono) or AAC (for stereo).
ANC and Transparency Mode
Although earphones are small, they are essential for our everyday life. Nowadays, earphones not only emphasize fine sound quality but also take into account fashion. Oneplus is definitely a leader in this trend. It uses artificial intelligence to judge the environment you are under to automatically adjust the level of noise cancellation according to your surroundings.
For example, if you are walking on busy streets or riding public transportation, the level will be increased, which does well to dampen ambient sounds around you. If you’re working in a safe place with no sudden noises or activities happening around you, try turning down the ANC level, so as to listen freely without disturbing others around you even at lower volume mode
Call Quality and Microphone
The OnePlus Bullets Wireless Z has some of the best mic quality you’ll find in earbuds today, and I’ve used them for an entire day without anyone complaining. The Buds Pro has the same mic quality, and I’ve used it for calls in noisy environments without issue.
The Buds Pro is sweatproof, but the Bullets Wireless Z is not. If you’re looking to use them for workouts, the Buds Pro is a better option.
Software and Features
The OnePlus Buds Pro offers many different functions that will come in handy depending on your listening experience. However, if you’re using one of our older devices (before the 6 series), you’ll need to download the ‘HeyMelody’ app for extra features like adjusting the ambient sound mode or controlling which services or apps can read out notifications while connected. The pairing process is fairly simple even if you haven’t downloaded the app already, so you should check out this blog post about how to set up your earbuds.
Off the bat, you can use the Earbud Fit Test feature to set your earbuds each time you detach and remount them. The Fit Test will help you determine whether a specific bud needs readjustment or if another size tip is necessary. Most notably, this is a good option for first-time users because it helps them establish a OnePlus audio profile that they can adjust and boost as needed. I tried out the boost setting but quickly switched back to the original color tone for it to be better suited for my preferences.
Coming to the ANC feature, the buds have 3 ANC modes as I mentioned earlier. The three modes consist of Faint, Extreme, and Smart. All these modes pretty much abide by their name. As you can guess, the Smart mode tries to adjust the ANC level automatically by determining what sort of noise environment you’re facing and adjusts itself accordingly – it mostly works as it should.
The earbud controls bear some striking similarities with those on Apple’s AirPods, which means you only need to pinch the stems once to trigger a response – and they function differently too. You can program these earbuds as per your own preferences as mentioned above. A great feature of the earbuds is that they give feedback when your stem is pinched.
Zen Mode Air
To close off, we have the Tieba Mode Air earbuds. If you’ve owned a Matebook before, then you might know of the infamous Job Cat that comes preinstalled on these machines to help users relax and focus better. Similarly, Tieba Mode Air utilizes cat noises for shut-eye time to help soothe users so they can rest easier! Just press the “OK Baidu Assistant” button on your earbuds after attaching them to your ears and let our voice assistant take care of the rest by triggering the desired effects with its magical words!
Windows Support is Not So Good
In testing the OnePlus Buds Pro with Windows machines, I have noticed a few connection problems. Though the issue may lie with Microsoft systems, there is definitely a problem with the bud being unable to connect properly in some environments. The audio quality isn’t bad and seems to work fine in cases of listening to media.
However, during calls on both Microsoft Teams and Zoom, I have noticed stuttering when the ANC feature has been turned on. It could be that this is a software issue that can be easily resolved with an update, but until then it will hopefully not affect too many users.
Missing Pro’s Features
The Oppo Enco M31 allowed me to do all my work on one phone. It also comes with a 2-in-1 cable that supports connecting to your PC and phone at the same time. However one of the first things I noticed after using the OnePlus Buds Pro was that there wasn’t any multi-device connectivity. It’s a feature that most wireless earphones have and it didn’t make any sense to me because it’s such a basic
Battery Life
The battery life is truly extraordinary if you’re the kind of person who only uses earphones for a few hours in a single session. I managed to get up to 5 hours of battery life at 90% volume and ANC on Smart mode and an extra 23 hours with the case’s extra juice. These figures can extend up to the 38 hours that OnePlus claims about with ANC off. They are truly wireless, those two tiny earphones you now hold, and as such, the battery is truly amazing.
To clarify, you can use the earbuds once and then recharge them four times on a single charge. You can charge this case either on a wired charger or wirelessly via a Qi-supported charger. With the included Warp charger, you’ll get 5 hours of audio playback with just 10 minutes of charging.
Should You Buy it or Not?
In the end, I believe OnePlus is off to a great start with this premium pair of truly wireless earphones. Priced at $150 worldwide and Rs 9,990 in India, they are a great fit for any audiophile or music lover. If you’re a smartphone user of a fairly recent brand like OnePlus, then these earphones could be a good addition to your current accessory collection.
They have a fantastic sound that has excellent bass and comes with additional features of passive noise cancellation and reasonable battery life. So if you’re on the market for a new pair of earphones or considering getting one or two sets as holiday gifts for family or friends, this may be the right place to look!
OnePlus Bullets Wireless 2 earbuds are up against strong competition which includes Apple’s recently-released AirPods 2, original Galaxy Buds Pro, and Oppo Enco X. As you can tell by being in this category, they’re pretty pleasing! All I can say is that I can see myself using these daily drivers for quite some time.
