What do you expect from an inexpensive pair of wireless earbuds? Excellent sound… obviously. Decent battery life? Check. Noise cancellation? Check. Pulsating bass? Check? All this and more come together in the OnePlus Nord Buds 3. A few days ago we tried out OnePlus Nord Buds 3 Pro, which is one of the best pair of reasonably-priced sound cans. But the new one makes me wonder why would anyone pay more than Rs 5,000 for earbuds if these are meant only for casual use.
Good design but…
To be fair, there are some design compromises coming in at the price point. The case is glossy, attracting cat fur all the time. Okay, I have been told that a human being is at times judged by the amount of cat fur stuck to the clothes! Second, the letters ‘L’ and ‘R’ are designed in a way on each bud that may attract dust. Apart from this, I have nothing to complain about the design.
Enhancing the power of the extra-large driver is BassWave 2.0
The buds sit comfortably in the ear canals and even after listening to music for a couple of hours I didn’t suffer from ear fatigue.
Sound performance
It’s the technology supported by OnePlus Nord Buds 3 that matters. There is very good noise cancellation for most scenarios. It may not cut off all the background noise if you are in a crowded street but it certainly makes life bearable. Equipped with advanced feedforward technology, a flagship-level AI-based call algorithm, and Transparency Mode, the sound cans are smart. The buds offer up to 32dB of noise cancellation, allowing you to block the din at cafes or busy offices. There is a dedicated digital signal processor to generate anti-noise signals to cancel out incoming noises. There is good integration with the HeyMelody app and you can tweak quite a few settings from there.
Before coming to music, a few words on the performance of the microphones. It comes with a dual-mic system that draws on both the feedforward mic and the talk mic to capture your voice clearly. The voice is amplified in noisy environments to make it appear rich. But does it match the performance of, say, Nothing Ear (2)? Nope but given the pricing, it’s pretty awesome.
The transparency mode too works well, allowing sounds to filter through. It’s particularly helpful when you go for a jog.
There is customisable EQ, accessible via HeyMelody app
The aspect that pleasantly surprised me is the soundscape. Coming with a 12.4mm driver coupled with BassWave 2.0, a personalised Master EQ, and 3D Audio, you get a fantastic soundstage. Slightly partial towards bass-heavy music (yay to Orville Peck’s album Stampede and Kehlani with her emotional honesty on the new album Crash). The bass at times steps on the vocals but you can always look at the personalised EQ to get the right sound. With BassWave, OnePlus has doubled the level of precision from ±5dB to ±10dB, giving you more control of bass.
Should you buy it?
OnePlus has thrown in Bluetooth 5.4 to offer good connectivity. You can get around 12 hours of continuous music playback on a single charge without ANC. When paired with the charging case, the OnePlus Nord Buds 3 offers 43 hours of playback. If you want a quick charge, a 10-minute fast charge is all it takes for 11 hours of playback. And the buds are IP55-rated for water and dust resistance, so you can use this in a drizzle. OnePlus Nord Buds 3 offers excellent value for money besides boosted bass and vocal clarity.
At a glance
Device: OnePlus Nord Buds 3
Price: ₹1,899 (inclusive of offers)
High notes
l Good soundstage and bass
l There is some degree of app support
l IP55 rating and decent battery life
Muffled note
l Glossy finish; attracts fingerprints
