OnePlus Nord Buds review

Web Desk
June 5, 2022

OnePlus Nord Buds review

The OnePlus Nord Buds are the company’s first audio product in the Nord line.
They are the company’s most affordable truly wireless earbuds.
They have a wireless charging, fancy codecs, and even, an in-ear detection.

The OnePlus Nord Buds are the company’s first audio product in the Nord line. Adding to that, they are the company’s most affordable truly wireless earbuds. The Nord Buds start at $39. They are especially designed to be a no-frills set of earphones for individuals on a budget.

OnePlus cuts down the Nord Buds to the bare essentials, with no active noise cancellation. They have a wireless charging, fancy codecs, and even, an in-ear detection. However, you do get an IP55 rating, rapid charging, and four mics for calls with AI noise reduction. All of this is presented in a distinctive and intriguing design.

PERFORMANCE

ITS UNIQUE DESIGN

The OnePlus Nord Buds offer a modern appearance with clean, flat sides and basic geometric shapes. The charging cover is shaped like a pill, but it has flat sides and sharp edges that make it stand out.

The casing has a matte finish, low panel gaps, and tight lid tolerances. Even the pairing button on the rear is flush with the surface, and at first sight is scarcely discernible.

The flat, pill-shaped stem of the earphones continues the design trend. A concave, mirror-like region on the outside serves as a capacitive touch surface for playback motions. The stems are short, measuring approximately an inch in length.

SOFTWARE

OnePlus phones come with native support for the Nord Buds. When you open the case near the phones, they will instantly pop up a pairing dialogue, similar to the AirPods. Additional customization choices for the earphones can be found in the Bluetooth settings. Though, like the AirPods, this menu is buried far too deep and not straightforward to find.

Users with non-OnePlus Android and iOS devices must first download the Oppo HeyMelody app. It will then display the same options as those seen on OnePlus phones. The iOS app, however, is not updated to accommodate the Nord Buds at the time of publication.

AUDIO QUALITY

The OnePlus Nord Buds have a bass-heavy sound that is subdued in the upper mid-range and treble.

The mid-bass and upper-bass regions of the bass are over-emphasized, which tends to obscure the entire sound spectrum. The bass isn’t really good; you just get a lot of it, and it’s largely sloppy and muddy.

MICROPHONE

The microphone performance of the OnePlus Nord Buds is surprisingly good. Voices sound full-bodied and natural when recorded in a quiet atmosphere. The ambient noise reduction method causes some garbling, but it’s not too annoying.

The voice quality is acceptable in noisy surroundings to some extent. The earphones struggle to make the voice audible in excessively noisy surroundings. The background noise is kept to a bare minimum at all times.

BATTERY LIFE

On a full charge, the OnePlus Nord Buds are said to have a battery life of 7 hours. I was able to reach 6 hours, 52 minutes in my tests, which is quite close to the promised time.

After 10 minutes of charging from 0%, OnePlus claims 5 hours of playing. Some could only able to obtain 2 hours, 57 minutes, making it a respectable length of time. However, it contradicts the promised total.