OnePlus Nord Buds Review: An affordable TWS for everyday audio needs

OnePlus has recently launched the first TWS product in their Nord line-up and officially named it – OnePlus Nord Buds. The Buds are placed in the under Rs. 3000 category and come with a different approach towards the TWS market. The Buds claim to give best-in-class features for an affordable price point and come in 2 basic colors- black and white. So, can Nord Buds be your choice as your first TWS product? Read our review to find out.

OnePlus Nord Buds Review: Design & Fit

OnePlus Nord Buds are in line with aesthetics prevailing in the market. The buds come tucked in a charging case similar to various other budgets TWS. The charging case has a boxy form and is devoid of sharp edges. It comes in 2 colors- black and white. I received a white marble color variant for review purposes and though it looks nice. The case is made of plastic and it is prone to scratches and smudges.

Otherwise, the case is lightweight, easy to carry around and feels good in the hand. The case has a OnePlus logo on the top of the case and a USB Type-C port for charging. It has a dedicated button to pair/unpair the earbuds to different devices. There is an LED light upfront that indicates charging or pairing.

Coming to earbuds, they have a stem-like design and a round capacitive multi-purpose button to give them a dual tone-like finish. Nord Buds have a white-silver shade with the silver trim is where the touch sensors are located. The buds have soft silicone ear tips adjustable as per ear size (3 sizes) which are soft and don’t feel uncomfortable in the ears. The buds are lightweight, each weighing 4 grams so they never feel bulky. Wearing them while indoor/outdoor workouts are convenient. The buds are IP55 rated for dust and water resistance which makes them apt for everyday use.

Overall, Nord Buds have a very functional design that works for someone who wants a TWS for everyday usage.

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OnePlus Nord Buds Review: Connectivity & Controls

The Nord Buds can be connected to any device using Bluetooth. It supports Google Fast Pair, so a pop-up comes on your phone’s screen to connect with Nord Buds. If not, you can download Hey Melody App to any android phone to connect these earbuds with any Android phone. The connection is process is smooth, quick, and works without any hassles. The Hey Melody App is simple and user-friendly.

The Buds don’t support multi-device pairing which is an important feature that we get to see in most buds that are priced north of Rs 5,000. The individual pairing works as advertised. You may use a single bud while others remained in the case.

Using buds is fairly simple too. The Buds Pro has touch-sensitive controls which are quick. A single tap plays or pauses media, a double tap is used to answer calls, while a triple tap will switch forward or backward in one’s playlist or wake-up voice assistant. The buds rarely miss any touch command and the gestures are easy to memorize as well. The only thing missing is the gesture to increase/decrease the volume levels via the buds. Since one has to reach out to his device to control volume, it is slightly annoying.

OnePlus Nord Buds Review: Sound Quality & ENC

One of the most important aspects of any TWS Buds is its audio quality. To test the audio quality of the Nord Buds, I used my regular Bollywood playlist first. It has songs that are a mix of slow and fast, lows and highs and an assortment of instruments are being used in them. The audio output was loud and clear most of the time. Even with the 50 percent volume levels, it managed to impress us with its loudness. However, when the volume was pushed above 80, the audio did sound cacophonous to the ears.

The earbud’s in-canal design ensures they fit very well and isolate a good amount of ambient noise. In Nadiyon paar from the movie, Roohi needs a good bass to make an impact and its sonic signature ensured it delivers a good amount of bass. Whether it was dance beats in Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui or tabla and percussion beats in Jug Jug Jeeve (Shiddat), they all sounded crisp and melodious when heard at low-medium volume levels. The 12.4mm drivers give good bass output. The mids and highs are good too but they are not as pronounced as the lows.

Dolby Atmos support is present but it will only work with select OnePlus devices (OnePlus 7 or higher, but not the Nord series). Having said that, the Dolby Atmos support does make the audio experience better while watching compatible content. It is a surround sound experience, but do not expect a studio or movie theatre-like experience. In terms of audio codecs, the OnePlus Nord Buds support AAC and SBC which is enough for buds falling in the affordable category.

The Nord Buds can be used for taking phone calls as well. The call experience is strictly average though. There are 4 microphones for filtering out noise while one is on call, and they do a satisfactory job as the caller on the other end was not disturbed by the background noises from my end. The problem I experienced was with the primary microphone which frequently got disconnected if the distance between paired devices increased over 5 meters. Sometimes, it got disconnected in the midst of calls which led to hanging up and call lags.

OnePlus Nord Buds Review: Battery

Last but not the least, let’s talk about the battery of OnePlus Nord Buds. The company claims that the buds will last for 30 hours with the charging case and give 7 hours of playback on their own. During my usage, the buds lasted for around 6 hours when I used them as my primary audio device. The case charged the buds almost 4 times which makes it around 24 hours of playback time with the case. The battery performance is overall, very decent.

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Moreover, Nord Buds support flash charging. There is a red cable that comes with the buds, using which 10 minutes of charging gave 4.5 hours of backup. If you are using any other charger, then too, 10 minutes charge did give a battery life of 3-4 hours. The buds USB-C type charger.

OnePlus Nord Buds Verdict: Should you buy it?

OnePlus Nord Buds are meant to cater to the section of consumers who want an affordable TWS device for everyday use. At a time when such budget TWS devices are in high demand, Nord Buds makes a strong impression with its long battery life, quick charging, decent audio quality, and IP55 rating.

However, if you want something with good quality ANC or a device that gives the best audio experience at all levels of volume, then, you might have to shell out some extra cash, otherwise, OnePlus Nord Buds can be your smart pick.