 "OnePlus Nord Buds 3 Pro review: Thumping bass, impressive ANC on budget")
OnePlus recently launched the Nord Buds 3 Pro in India, aiming to democratise premium features. The wireless earbuds from China’s smartphone brand boast active noise cancelling (ANC), dynamic audio drivers, and multipoint connectivity. For audio, the drivers are enhanced by its “BassWave 2.0” technology, which it said enhances low-frequency for a rich audio experience. But do these functions and capabilities actually make a difference in real life? Let us find out:
Design and Fit
The OnePlus Nord Buds 3 Pro features an oval-shaped charging case with a dual-tone finish. The bottom side of the case boasts a marble-like design, while the lid on top has a shiny metallic appearance, despite being entirely made of plastic. The front side of the case displays the OnePlus branding in a chrome-like finish and an LED indicator. At the bottom of the case, there is a USB-C port for charging and a pairing button.
Overall, the case looks minimal. The matte finish across the dual-tone design, coupled with its lightweight construction, makes it easy to carry around. Even though the case appears to be big, it is slimmer than most earphone cases, making it easy to fit into pockets. Although I did not test the case’s durability to its limit, it survived occasional drops without a scratch.
As soon as you open the lid, you are greeted with the buds, which fit vertically into their dedicated cavity. The magnet that holds the buds within the case appears to be quite strong, securely pulling them in as soon as you slide the stem in.
The buds have a stem-style design, becoming heftier at the bottom and slimmer at the top. The stem on both earbuds has a matte texture, while the lobes are glossy. They come with colour-coordinated eartips, with medium-sized ones attached and extra-large and small-sized ones bundled in the box. The buds feature a triple mic setup for each ear, with one mic at the tip of the stem, one at the back of the lobe, and one on the inside.
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The buds are lightweight and feel comfortable to wear, even for longer durations. However, despite using the correct fitting eartips, I found that occasionally the buds became a bit loose in the ear, especially when working out.
Connectivity and pairing
With the OnePlus Nord Buds 3 Pro, the company offers Bluetooth 5.4 with multipoint connectivity. Pairing with a OnePlus smartphone is quick and effortless; the buds start the pairing process the moment you flip open the case. For smartphones from other brands, you need to press the pairing button on the bottom to initiate the process, but it remains swift and hassle-free. The company claims up to 10 metres of connectivity, and I found absolutely no issues with the range, despite testing it with multiple devices. Additionally, I tested its dual-connectivity, and the buds seamlessly transitioned between devices without any issues of disconnection or sudden drops.
Regarding Bluetooth audio codecs, the Nord Buds 3 Pro supports the standard Sub-band Codec (SBC) and Advanced Audio Codec (AAC). While there is no support for any lossless codec, AAC still performs well. When connected to a OnePlus smartphone, the Bluetooth settings menu allows you to switch between SBC and AAC codecs, with AAC set as the default. Unfortunately, this functionality is not available on other smartphones, not even through the companion HeyMelody app.
Audio and calling
The OnePlus Nord Buds 3 Pro features a 12.4mm dynamic driver, delivering loud and crisp audio output while maintaining clarity throughout the volume range. The bass production is on the stronger side, even when using the Balanced equaliser preset. While the app includes a Bass preset, OnePlus has introduced a new BassWave option, which the company claims offers deep bass with clarity and fidelity. When the BassWave option is enabled, the earphones provide an enhanced thumping effect without compromising clarity. Additionally, similar to custom equaliser modes, you can manually adjust the strength of the BassWave effect.
For calling, the Nord Buds 3 Pro features three microphones on each bud, ensuring clear voice reception. OnePlus also claims that the microphones support the company’s noise reduction algorithm and wind-cancelling algorithm for calls, essentially mimicking Environmental Noise Cancelling (ENC). While it does reduce wind noises and some background noise during calls, in crowded environments, it can present the receiver with an artificial-sounding voice that lacks clarity.
Noise cancelling
The OnePlus Nord Buds 3 Pro offers Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) up to 49dB, effectively eliminating ambient sound for a more isolated listening experience. Through the HeyMelody companion app, OnePlus provides three standard modes: ANC On, ANC Off, and Transparency. The Transparency mode allows surrounding sounds to reach your ears for better awareness.
In addition to these three modes, there are four more ANC modes: Smart, Maximum, Moderate, and Mild. The Smart ANC mode automatically adjusts noise reduction based on the surroundings, while the other three offer manual control over the level of noise cancellation. There is also a Personalised Noise Cancellation mode that scans the ear canal and provides a more customised ANC level.
During my review, I primarily switched between the Personalized and Smart ANC modes, and I had a pleasant experience both indoors and in some outdoor conditions. While travelling or in crowded environments, I switched to the Max ANC mode, which significantly reduced noise more than the Smart mode. Although some noise still passed through, it was impressive given the buds' price point.
Battery
OnePlus claims that the Nord Buds 3 Pro offers up to five and a half hours of playback with ANC enabled, which extends up to 20 hours when paired with the charging case. During my testing, I mostly kept the ANC enabled, and the buds lasted for almost six hours. However, the battery drains significantly faster when on calls.
The case, with the buds in them, took about 45 minutes to charge completely. The Nord Buds 3 Pro also supports fast charging capabilities, as a 10-minute charge refuelled the case to 20 percent.
Verdict
While the OnePlus Nord Buds 3 Pro might not look or feel much different from standard wireless earbuds with a stem-style design, it offers quality sound, thumping bass, optimum noise cancelling, and a decent calling experience.
Priced at Rs 3,299, the Nord Buds 3 Pro emerges as a solid contender for all-round midrange earbuds. However, if you prefer a more balanced audio experience and do not require bass-heavy sound, there are other options available in the market.