TWS true wireless earphones - $50 to $100
FOUR STARS - The OnePlus Nord Buds 3 Pro enters the most crowded wireless earbuds segment in 2024: Active Noise Cancelling earphones between $50 and $100. How does this cheaper sibling of the new OnePlus Buds Pro 3 fare?
OnePlus Nord Buds 3 Pro specs and features:
Bluetooth 5.4 with AAC codec
IP54 waterproof rating
6 - 9 hours playtime on a single charge (ANC on/off)
Charging case can charge earpieces fully 3 times
Has: ANC, Transparency, app support, multipoint connection, gaming mode
Doesn't have: spatial audio, wireless charging
Comes with 3 sets of ear tips, USB-C cable, English manual
Around $70 - See price on your Amazon country
In and underneath this OnePlus Nord Buds 3 Pro review, you will find comparisons of the OnePlus Nord Buds 3 Pro vs OnePlus Buds 3, Redmi Buds 5 Pro, Realme Buds Air 6, and Earfun Air Pro 4.
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Design, comfort and battery life
The $70 OnePlus Nord Buds 3 Pro is and looks like a budget version of the $150 OnePlus Buds 3 Pro. It features a similar oval charging case but lacks the premium sibling's shiny sides and wireless charging. Subtle speckles add some character to the black or mint green coloured case, though the matte top part easily shows scratches and fingerprints. It is slim enough to slide into a jeans pocket.
The new model is priced between the OnePlus Buds 3 and OnePlus Buds V and it shows: the older Buds 3 is more polished, while the cheaper V feels more toyish. The Nord Buds 3 Pro feels close to the Realme Buds Air 6, another new $70 model from one of BBK Electronics’ other brands.
The earbuds are easy to remove from the case and stand out with their cone-shaped stems. Although this is a unique design from my 400+ tested other earbuds, the matte finish and visible touch panel on top make them look less expensive.
The earpieces follow the very common oval shape that sits snug and secure in your ears. The rubber ear tips aren't too big or thick, and make these earbuds comfortable to wear for hours without taking them out in between.
The Nord Buds 3 Pro earbuds last about 5.5 hours on a charge with Active Noise Cancelling (ANC) on, which is average for their price, but plenty of battery life for daily use. A quick 10-minute charge in the case gives an extra 2 hours of battery life with ANC.
OnePlus claims 12 hours of battery life with ANC off, but that seems exaggerated. My calculations after using them for days, point towards 9 hours instead.
Apart from its cone-shaped stems, the OnePlus Nord Buds 3 Pro does little to set it apart. Happily, the earbuds are very comfortable.
Controls, connectivity and app support
The OnePlus Nord Buds 3 Pro offers multipoint connection, allowing simultaneous pairing with two devices, such as a phone and a laptop. It automatically switches audio when receiving a call or pausing playback on one device to resume on the other.
Sadly, it also has Google Fast Pair. While this gives a nice pop-up screen on Android phones, it forgets its connection after you've switched that phone off or after you've put it in flight mode.
Other than that, connectivity is good - with a strong Bluetooth connection up to ten meters from your device(s).
The touch panels respond well, but the default controls lack a play/pause (!) function and the option to change the volume.
Music pauses automatically when you remove an earbud, which works fine, but this feature cannot be deactivated.
The free iPhone or Android HeyMelody app is required to change controls. You can then add play/pause to a single touch. Adjusting volume requires holding the earbuds for 2 seconds. A strange choice, as holding for 1 second already changes the ANC mode. Changing the volume works well, but it takes a while.
The HeyMelody app offers more useful features, like:
Check battery life per earbud
Choose ANC strength or (de)activate ear-canal optimized ANC
Choose between EQ sound presets
Set the bass level
Create and save your own equalizers
Check the connected devices
Find an earbud by playing a sound on it
Update the earbuds
With an illogical control scheme, some Google Fast Pair issues, and the lack of an option to turn auto-pause off, this isn't the most user friendly earphone.
Phone and video calls
In video and phone calls on the OnePlus Nord Buds 3 Pro, your voice sounds loud and full, but has a subtle crackle too.
Background sounds don't come through when you're quiet, but noise can clearly be heard when you talk. Others may need to concentrate on your voice.
Wind noise is audible too and can cause some dips in your voice, but unlike with surrounding noises, your voice can still be heard well.
The comparably priced Realme Buds Air 6, Huawei Freebuds 6i, and Earfun Air Pro 4, and also the OnePlus Buds 3 have clearer phone calls.
Video and games playback
The OnePlus Nord Buds Pro 3 has flawless synchronization in video apps like YouTube and Netflix.
With the gaming mode activated, the sounds in a challenging game like Call of Duty mobile synchronize well with the action on the screen. It's hard to locate where gunshots and explosions happen around you, however.
ANC on the OnePlus Nord Buds 3 Pro
The OnePlus Nord Buds 3 Pro has great Active Noise Cancelling (ANC), especially for the price. It filters out constant and sudden darker sounds very well. The darker edges of middle tones (distant chatter, door slams or typing) are filtered out well too. Higher tones (background radio, laughter, female chatter, and wet tire noise) are still audible.
Wind noise is reduced very well when you use ANC and doesn't interfere your music.
However, you hear your own breathing clearly when you're not playing any music.
As always with oval rubber tips, you need to twist the earbuds a little to get the most out of the ANC. You get the best effect by pushing the lower end of the stem forward, and the earpiece back a bit.
The sound effects you hear when you're switching between ANC on, Transparency mode, and ANC off, are too close to each other. It can be hard to figure which mode you selected.
The Transparency mode does a fair job of letting you hear traffic or follow a conversation, also when you're playing music on background volume.
You can activate a ‘Personalized’ ANC mode in the HeyMelody app, based on your ear canal. For me personally, this didn't make a difference. Your mileage may vary.
The Nord Buds Pro 3's ANC is on the same level as the Soundcore Liberty 4 NC, Nothing Ear (a) and Redmi Buds 5 Pro. It outperforms that of the OnePlus Buds 3, Samsung Galaxy Buds FE and Realme Buds Air 6 / Air 6 Pro.
Only the Huawei Freebuds 6i and Earfun Air Pro 4 reduce slightly more noise.
The Nord Buds Pro 3 is a great choice for ANC in the $100 price range.
Sound quality of OnePlus Nord Buds 3 Pro
The OnePlus Nord Buds 3 Pro has a warm and friendly sound with strong bass, comfortable treble, and a moderate amount of detail.
In James Blake's excellent test track Limit to Your Love, the sub-bass (darkest bass tones you can feel as much as hear) gives off of a round rumble that could be more textured, but the sub-bass appears impressively dark.
This OnePlus also adds a bit of rumble to mid-bass strikes, which gives the bass a deep feeling, but also makes the bass a bit bloated and imprecise. In certain songs, the bass can even crackle a bit because of this artificial boost.
Switching over to the Serenade EQ preset in the HeyMelody app, removes the bass bloat and tightens up the lows without giving in on bass power. It also takes away the crackle.
For me, it's the go-to choice for a more precise, audiophile sound.
But you can go the other way, if you prefer. The Bass EQ preset adds even more fullness and longevity to mid-bass strikes, and with the BassWave slider, you can set the bass manually from light slaps all the way to an ever-rumbling thunderstorm.
Changing the EQ presets, adjusting the BassWave slider or creating your own custom equalizer, does little to adjust the higher frequencies in the sound.
That's not a problem, because the Nord Buds 3 Pro has comfortable treble. Female and higher male vocals are forward enough to set themselves apart from instruments, have a subtle warm undertone and refrain from sounding bright or harsh - even Björks's screams in It's Oh So Quiet are in control. Claps aren't too intrusive, high hats and cymbals aren't too splashy.
The amount of detail is moderate. The rolled-off treble doesn't make for a whole lot of ‘air’ in the highs, so there isn't a big sense of space in the sound. Left-right separation and instrument placement is decent.
The Nord Buds 3 Pro can go from very low to high enough volume. On the highest volumes, treble is less comfortable as upper mid-tones get a bit of a bump.
On lower and moderate volume, music has a friendly and warm character. As lower tones are boosted and vocals aren't very prominent, it's very suitable for listening to music during your work or study.
The OnePlus Nord Buds 3 Pro has a warm and friendly character with a highly adjustable bass, likely to please many. The most dedicated music listeners have better options for the price.
—> These are the best sounding wireless earbuds from $25 to $100
OnePLus Nord Buds 3 Pro comparisons
OnePLus Nord Buds 3 Pro vs OnePLus Buds 3
With the shiny stems and the beautifully finished charging case, the older OnePlus Buds 3 looks and feels more premium than the OnePlus Nord Buds 3 Pro.
While both models are equally comfortable, the older Buds 3 has an hour longer battery life and delivers clearer phone calls, both inside and out. It's multipoint connection also doesn't have Google Fast Pair and therefore works better.
The Nord Buds 3 Pro has (somewhat) stronger ANC and it controls better thanks to the touch panels on the top instead of the stems.
The cheaper Nord Buds 3 Pro has a fuller sound, with more weight in the bass and lower-mids. The OnePlus Buds 3 extends highs further, but can sound a bit tiring and metallic. The Nord Buds 3 Pro is easier to listen to.
Around $100 - Check Amazon US or other Amazon countries
OnePLus Nord Buds 3 Pro vs Realme Buds Air 6
The Realme Buds Air 6 is another brand new model from another one of BBK Electronic's brands. The case is almost the same as the OnePlus Nord Buds 3 Pro, and so are the fit and comfort. They also have the same battery life, multipoint connection with Google Fast Pair, waterproof rating and responsive controls.
The Realme Buds Air 6 is better for calling, as it focuses better on your voice.
The OnePlus Nord Buds 3 Pro has a better game mode and stronger Active Noise Cancelling. It reduces middle and higher sounds better than the Realme.
Perhaps because they're from the same mother brand, the sound of these two earphones is quite close. The Realme Buds Air 6 has slightly more mid and treble focus. It brings out brighter instruments better, but also adds a bit of hiss. The Nord Buds 3 Pro has a more dynamic sound with weightier bass.
Around $60 - Check Amazon US, your Amazon country or AliExpress
OnePlus Nord Buds 3 Pro vs Redmi Buds 5 Pro
The Redmi Buds 5 Pro shook up the $60 wireless earphone class with its strong Active Noise Cancelling, but now sees its ANC strength rivalled by more and more competitors, like the OnePlus Nord Buds 3 Pro.
These earbuds are highly comparable in battery life and waterproof rating. Both aren't the best choices for calls.
The Redmi gives you more options to tweak the controls to your liking, and more possibilities for the sound: more equalizers and spatial audio. In the default setting, the Redmi Buds 5 Pro sounds clearer. Higher vocals are more forward, and it also has a brighter tonality. The OnePlus Nord Buds 3 Pro gives you more control over the bass, but lacks the same spark in the treble.
Around $70 - Check Amazon US, your Amazon country or AliExpress
OnePlus Nord Buds 3 Pro vs Earfun Air Pro 4
The brand new Earfun Air Pro 4 is one of the best choices of earbuds under $100 and it's better than the OnePlus Nord Buds 3 Pro in several ways. Most noticeably, you get around 2 hours more playtime out of a single charge.
The Earfun Air Pro 4 has stronger ANC that blocks more higher sounds than the OnePlus. It also provides clearer phone calls with less background noise, and has a more capable gaming mode. The controls on both models take getting used to.
The Earfun sounds (even) warmer and bassier than the OnePlus Nords Buds 3 Pro, but it also has more forward vocals, it can go louder, and has a bigger sense of space in the sound - making it more engaging to listen to.
As Earfun uses bigger and rounder ear tips, the OnePlus is more comfortable to wear.
Around $90 - Check Amazon US or your Amazon country
Verdict: OnePlus Nord Buds 3 Pro
With the Nord Buds 3 Pro, OnePlus entered the overly competitive wireless earbuds market between $50 and $100 with a great all-around wireless earphone. It sounds good, has strong Active Noise Cancelling and is very comfortable to wear.
Sadly, mediocre call quality, gaming performance, and multipoint pairing issues, prevent it from conquering a place in between the best in class.
4 STARS - Good
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