OnePlus Nord Buds launched in late April in India. From the Nord branding itself, you can figure out that they are more in the affordable category. One thing that OnePlus has always tried to deliver with Nord products is quality. While the Nord products are identified as affordable OnePlus products, they are still quite good in performance. This is the first time OnePlus launched TWS earbuds with the Nord branding. I don’t want to take a lot of your time so let’s see how these Nord buds are.
OnePlus Nord Buds Design and Body Review
I got the white variant for review. The charging case is mildly taller than how I prefer it to be. However, you can still carry it in your pocket comfortably. The OnePlus Nord Buds charging case has a shiny finish. I would any day prefer the black variant over this one, but the white one isn’t bad either. The design of the charging case is slightly peculiar. I don’t know what to make of it. But, it will definitely grow on you once you start using it. Opening and closing the lid is an effortless task which can be done with a single hand as well. There’s a Type-C charging port at the back.
The LED light for giving indications about the status of the OnePlus Nord Buds is at the front. Once you open the lid, you will see two pieces of earbuds. The right earpiece is marked with the ‘R’ sign and the left earpiece with ‘L’.
Let’s examine the earpiece now. The oddly shaped flat stem definitely adds to the functionality of the earphones. The button on top of the stem is circular and is easy to press because of the flat surface. There are two speaker grills. One is near the magnets, and the other is, of course, from where the main sound will come from. The one near the magnets feels like it is made to help with noise cancellation.
These are, of course, pretty stylish and unique-looking earbuds. You should definitely walk up to a store and try them out if you are looking for affordable and stylish TWS earbuds. The dimensions of the charging case are – 67.9x35.5x28.68mm and the dimensions of the earbuds are – 27.76x20.72x23.49mm.
The weight of the earbuds is 4.82g, and the charging case is 41.7g. Let me walk you through the audio experience that you will get with the OnePlus Nord Buds.
OnePlus Nord Buds Review: Audio Experience and Performance
The OnePlus Nord Buds deliver quite a balanced sound experience. In every department, the sound is just at the sweet spot. There are 12.4mm dynamic drivers inside the earbuds with four microphones as well (2 in each earbud).
Honestly, I wouldn’t mind listening to songs day in and out on the OnePlus Nord Buds, even though I have the more expensive earbuds from other companies. The earbuds are IP55 rated, meaning they are water and sweat-resistant. This means that you won’t have to worry about taking them out on your next workout in the gym or an outdoor run.
There’s support for Dolby Atmos, but not with every smartphone. It is best to use with OnePlus phones for the Dolby Atmos sound support and a superior sound experience. The earbuds come with support for passive noise cancellation, which is just decent.
If you are a gamer, then pairing these earbuds with the OnePlus phones is again the best option. With the Pro Gaming mode on OnePlus devices, the Nord Buds will give as low as 94ms ping for low-latency gaming.
OnePlus Nord Buds Useful Features and Functions
The OnePlus Nord Buds are compatible with the HeyMelody app. Some of the special features of the Nord Buds are – OnePlus Fast pair support, Dolby Atmos Support, and Sound Master Equaliser. These features contribute to giving a better audio experience to the users.
The Bluetooth version that the latest Nord Buds from OnePlus can support is Bluetooth 5.2. OnePlus said that the supported audio formats by these earbuds are – SBC and AAC. The wireless range is 10 meters, which is just not enough.
Let’s talk about the functions a little. From either of the earbud pieces, you can single tap on the silver button to play/pause music or any other audio. With the double tap, you can go to the next track or answer a call or hang call. To play the previous track, users will have to tap the button three times. To reject calls or switch devices, press and hold for three seconds.
OnePlus Nord Buds Battery Review
OnePlus Nord Buds come with a 41mAh battery (each earbud), and the charging case has a 480mAh battery in total. OnePlus claims that with just 10 minutes of charge, users can get five hours of performance out of the Nord Buds. Of course, there’s a USB Type-C charging port at the rear for supporting fast charging.
When fully charged, the Nord Buds can deliver a music playback of seven hours, phone calls worth 3.5 hours, and a combined playback of 30 hours. To be honest, battery has never been an issue with any OnePlus TWS earbuds ever for me.
You can connect the charging case of the Nord Buds with your OnePlus charger or any other charger with a Type-C head.
OnePlus Nord Buds Price and Conclusion
The OnePlus Nord Buds are currently available in India for Rs 2,799 only. There are bank offers available with Axis Bank on Amazon and on the official website of OnePlus. These TWS earbuds are available in three colours – Blue Agate, Black Slate, and White Marble.
These are pretty good and responsive earphones. Bass is perfect, and the sound is also very crisp and clear. You can definitely go out and try them for yourself. The other OnePlus TWS earphones you can purchase from OnePlus right now are – OnePlus Buds Pro (review) and OnePlus Buds Z2 (review).
