Cutthroat competition between audio makers becomes fierce day by day. Everyone is trying to make their products better with a lucrative price tag. The only moto to increase sales and dominate the market.
Mobile maker Oneplus is not behind in this race. In June 2022, Oneplus launched their entry-level tws bud in the USA. OnePlus Nord buds. I couldn't afford to miss this tiny audio gear.
Especially when we decided to review headphones under $50. OnePlus Nord buds are even cheaper than you think. They are just $34.
But how will you decide which one to buy when you have ample options in the same price range with more or less the same features? OnePlus Nord Buds have the same stem design as Apple AirPods pro and Tozo NC2. If so what's special that makes the Oneplus Nord buds different from others?. Let's review OnePlus Nord buds and find out if is this your perfect companion or not.Pros:
Cons:
Sound
Build
Battery
Value
Who should get Oneplus Nord Buds ?
- Those who want decent pair of earbuds for less than $40
- Those who want decent call quality they can think about Oneplus Nord buds
Whatβs in the box?
- Earbuds
- Charging Case
- User Guide
- 3 pairs of ear tips
- USB C charging cable
- Nord Emoji Sticker
Bottom Line:
When you test a bud that costs less than $40, you can't expect much. The same is true for OnePlus Nord Buds. The design and build point of view it's simple.
Simple stem design with touch controls on left and right, decent battery life, fast charging, and 5.2 Bluetooth. Call quality is up to the mark. It doesn't have an ANC feature but it blocks the Noise well but not great.
overall, it gives you what you pay for them. For the $34 it's not a bad deal. Just don't expect something extraordinary. let's compare them with Tozo NC2 and decide the winner.
- Tozo NC2 costs $40. Oneplus Nord Buds Costs $34
- Tozo NC2 has Hybrid ANC. Oneplus Nord Buds doesn't have an ANC feature
- Tozo NC2 has wired & Wireless charging. Oneplus Nord support only wired charging
- Battery Playtime for Tozo NC2 is 7 Hrs. Battery Playtime for OnePlus Nord Buds is 8 Hrs.
- Tozo NC2 has 5.2 Bluetooth. OnePlus Nord buds have the same Bluetooth version.
Overall, OnePlus Nord buds are a decent pair of headphones but don't have anything unique. but considering the price, it's a value for the money buds. thumbs up for the call quality and battery life.
OnePlus Nord IP55 rated TWS earbuds
How is the Design and Build Quality of OnePlus Nord Buds?
The design of Oneplus Nord is pretty simple like any stemmed design TWS earbuds. Though stems are slightly wider than AirPods Pro, They are easy to insert in ear canals. The complete plastic build makes Oneplus nord buds so light.
Both the earbuds combined weigh just 4.8 grams. While charging case has a weight of 42 grams. More or less every tws I reviewed has the same weight. These simple but elegant looking buds are available in 3 color variants. Blue Agate, Black Slate and White Marble. I have Black Slate.
Almost every true wireless earbud is either waterproof or water-resistant. These are dust-proof too. With the IP55 rating oneplus Nord buds can stand with dust and water drops.
Stemmed design earbuds don't have ear hooks, but these buds don't fall from your ears. Just make sure you choose the right size of ear tips. I tested the fit while running for a week, but they didn't come out even a single time.
Thanks to the design and silicon ear tips that come in the package. Oneplus Nord buds don't have a wireless charging feature, so the package contains a USB C charging cable along with a charging case, 3 pairs of silicon tips of different sizes, a Nord emoji sticker for adding fun elements, and a user manual. overall, the design is simple but elegant. 8 out of 10 for design and build.
How is the Sound Performance of OnePlus Nord Buds?
Oneplus Nord buds have 12.4mm, titanium drivers. This kind of driver has a unique characteristic. They have the highest Strength to weight ratio. It means the diaphragm in this driver can resonate high-quality sound with precise sound reproduction.
I was surprised to have such high-quality drivers at this price. Then I came to know that these are titanium-coated drivers and are not made from 100% titanium. But that doesn't mean they sound bad.
with the frequency range of 20Hz to 20Khz, You get a not-so-punchy but decent bass response. It's loud but at some point, you may feel some details are missing. It can happen with some premium buds too so you can't blame its low price for the distortion.
You can adjust the EQ settings with its HeyMelody app. You have three options for that. Bold, Bass, and Serenade. They said it has a special feature called Dolby Atoms but I didn't feel a noticeable difference. Maybe it works well only with OnePlus mobile.
Call quality
Call quality with Oneplus Nord bud is very good. Though it's in house or a crowdy place, I could hear the voice very well. It has 4 microphones and AI noise reduction technology does the job well.
Oneplus Nord buds aren't active noise-cancelling earbuds So you get the passive noise isolation with them. They didn't block the noise much. Choosing the right fit with the right ear tips can help up to some extent but don't expect the Great noise isolation with OnePlus Nord buds.
How is the Connectivity of OnePlus Nord Buds?
I observed a common thing from the last few reviews. All the wireless audio gears are packed with stable Bluetooth connections. And Oneplus Nord Buds are no different.
It has 5.2 Bluetooth with SBC and AAC format support. Makers claimed that they could stay connected up to 10 meters away. Though I didn't test them from such a long distance.
Oneplus Nord Buds has an added advantage over other TWS in the same price range. They have low latency, which makes your gaming experience better. Overall, they did what they claimed.
How is the Charging and Battery performance of OnePlus Nord Buds?
Oneplus Nord buds have great battery performance as well as charging considering the price. Unfortunately, they don't have wireless charging like Tozo NC2 but the USB C charging cable does the job well.
Total playtime with the charging case is 30 Hrs, while with the buds you get 6 Hrs of playtime. Makers claimed to have 7 hrs of battery life but we found it up to 6 hrs. It has fast charging feature which gives you 5 Hrs of playtime with 10 minutes of charging.
It has a decent but not something special to say in battery performance. You can compare them with Tozo NC2 and Tagry X08 but not with Apple AirPods pro. Airpods pro is far better than all of these TWS earbuds.