OnePlus Nord Buds Review – Budget TWS Earbuds With Fast Charging

The OnePlus Nord Buds comes at a price tag of Rs. 2,799 in India. The earbuds are available in three different colour options: Black Slate, Blue Agate and White Marble.

The OnePlus Nord Buds packs the following items inside the box:

• Earbuds
• Charging Case
• USB Cable Type C
• Eartips
• User Manual
• Warranty Card

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Before we talk more about the earbuds, let’s see what on-paper specs look like:

• Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.2
• Supported OS: Android and iOS
• Battery: 480 mAh
• Weight: 46 grams

With their unique design and price point, the OnePlus Nord Buds set themselves apart from other earbuds that look like Apple AirPods. One of the best things about these earbuds is their aesthetics. For once, an entry-level pair of earbuds does not opt for a simple design and instead makes an effort to stand out.

A simple geometric body and flat sides give the OnePlus Nord Buds a new look. The charging case is shaped like a pill, but it has flat and clean sides with sharp edges, making it stand out.

After only a few weeks of use, the clean plastic bodywork is sensitive to picking up micro-abrasions.

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In addition to the largest sized oval-shaped silicone tips that come pre-installed on the buds, you also get small and medium tips in the box. Because of their lightweight design and small size, the Nord Buds can be worn for long periods of time without causing any discomfort to your ears.

The earbuds and the case both have a good level of build quality considering the price of the product. Additionally, the earbuds are dust and water resistant to IP55 standards and have a nano-coating to protect them from corrosion.

Now let’s talk about the real deal, audio quality. When it comes to sound, I think that for the price, OnePlus has done an excellent job of making sure that you get the best possible experience.

There is a 12mm titanium audio driver in the earbuds. The earbuds’ audio profile is automatically set to ‘Bold’ in the Settings. And regardless of whether I was watching videos or listening to music, I never had to adjust them.

The volume levels can also get pretty loud on the OnePlus Nord Buds. Even at a volume level of about 50 per cent, these earbuds delivered a loud and immersive audio experience. This was made possible by the in-canal fit, which was designed to provide a good level of noise isolation.

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Even at low volumes, the sound is pleasant and good to listen to, but it lacks in fine detail. When playing supported songs in Apple Music, the support of Dolby Atmos on OnePlus smartphones appeared to make a slight difference in the soundstage.

The call quality of the earbuds was excellent, and the other person could clearly hear what I was saying. It did occasionally pick up background sound, but that’s just the way that low-cost TWS earbuds work. Although I wouldn’t recommend using them in places with a lot of background noise, they do the job.

After putting these earbuds through their paces, I can say with confidence that they are well-balanced.

The OnePlus Nord Buds packs a 480 mAh battery inside the case, while each earbud holds a 41 mAh battery. OnePlus claims that the earbuds can last 7 hours on a single charge which can go up to 30 hours considering the case.

During my usage, I got about 6 hours of battery life on a single charge which is not far from what the company claims.

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The earbuds come with a USB Type-C cable which can fast charge the earbuds in just around 30 minutes. Note that there is no wireless charging support. You can only charge the buds using a wired Type-C cable. The company also claims that you can get 5 hours of playback with just 10 minutes of charging.

Overall, the battery life was pretty good and lasted long on the OnePlus Nord Buds. I am not shocked since there is no ANC which consumes more battery.

OnePlus’s in-house “Fast Pair” feature made initial set-up and pairing a breeze for OnePlus users. Whereas other Android smartphones will also offer a similarly smooth experience after downloading HeyMelody from Play Store.

The app was also available for iOS, but support for Nord Buds was not available during the time of review. The company may have done this in order to keep a few elements exclusive to its own phones, making the OnePlus Nord Buds and OnePlus phone experience somewhat better than other phones.

Your phone will show the battery life of both the case as well as each earbud when they are both connected. Additionally, you’ll find a menu called ‘Sound Master EQ,’ which includes RQ modes like Balanced, Serenade, Bold, and Bass.

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The touch sensors on the earbuds can be customised so that a single tap, a double tap, or a triple tap will activate the play/pause, go to the previous or next track, or voice assistant functions, respectively. You also have the option to turn off the gestures if you want to avoid accidental touches.

In addition, there is no on-ear volume control, so you’ll still need to use your phone to adjust the volume level. In addition to all this, you will also see a find my earbuds feature that comes in handy.

The Nord Buds do not have in-ear detection, which is a significant omission. This implies that the earbuds do not automatically play/pause the music when you put on or remove the buds for your ears.