These wireless earphones are so cheap, it’s hard to believe.
Even though OnePlus is best known as a smartphone manufacturer, the Chinese company has also established itself as an innovator in the field of truly wireless earbuds.
For the low price of $39, the OnePlus Nord Buds promise Dolby Atmos, a 30-hour battery life, and “crystal-clear” phone calls, among other impressive features. Pricing and release dates have not yet been announced, but that works out to about £30 / AU$55.
It’s hard to miss the new OnePlus Nord N20 5G, which resembles an AirPods Pro squished down to a more manageable form factor.
OnePlus claims that the 12.4mm titanium dynamic drivers inside the earphones will produce “rich bass output and razor-sharp treble.” OnePlus says that OnePlus Buds Pro-style audio performance and a wide soundstage should be on the table if they sound anything like the OnePlus Buds.
If you’re looking for active noise cancelling, you’ll have to pay more for the OnePlus Nord Buds. It costs more than three times as much to buy OnePlus’ noise-canceling earbuds than it does to buy the Nord Buds.
Stellar specs, bargain price
That the Nord Buds support Dolby Atmos is a surprise given their modest pricing. Spatial audio headsets, such as the AirPods 3, tend to be pricy – and the real audio engineering necessary for object-based virtual surround sound recordings surely requires a lot of money.
Dolby Atmos songs and movies will be an interesting test for the Nord Buds. In theory, if they perform as well as OnePlus claims, these earbuds may be excellent devices for listening to music and viewing movies.
With a 30-hour battery life, the Nord Buds are likely to be among the more durable true wireless earbuds on the market. The earbuds themselves last for seven hours of listening time, and the charging case lasts for an additional 23 hours. With the Flash Charge feature, you can also get five hours of playback from a rapid 10-minute charge..
This is due to the four microphones embedded into the earbuds and AI noise reduction as well as a mechanical design that reduces the sound of air movement, making phone calls clearer.
The OnePlus Nord Buds come with an IP55 dust and water resistance rating, which means they can withstand the occasional splash of sweat or rain. OnePlus claims that the hydrophobic coating on the earphones would protect them from corrosion.
No, I don’t think so. Earbuds connect through Bluetooth 5.2 and have an ultra-low latency of 94ms, which means you can use them while gaming on your smartphone and have audio and gameplay synced up perfectly in time.
OnePlus users will be able to link their earphones in a matter of seconds, while those without a OnePlus device will have to use the HeyMelody app.
All of these features sound impressive when compared to the price of the OnePlus Nord Buds. To see if they live up to OnePlus’ promises, we’re eager to put them to the test. If they do, we may be looking at some of the best affordable earbuds on the market today!