On July 21, 2020, OnePlus announced its much anticipated OnePlus Nord device, alongside with it, it’s the OnePlus Buds. While the OnePlus Nord phone is limited to regions like India, China, and European countries, the OnePlus Buds is made available globally.
The market of true wireless earbuds has significantly grown over the years as major manufactures like Apple and Samsung both have their products in the market, the Apple Airpods series, and the Galaxy Buds lineup, respectively. However, a $150+ price tag is a little more to be desired for those budgeted consumers. And here comes the OnePlus Buds.
Price
The OnePlus Buds are priced at $79, which is significantly lower than almost all of its competitors. For example, the Apple Airpods without wireless charging case would cost $159.00 and the Samsung Galaxy Buds+ is only $10 cheaper than the Apple Airpods, not to mention the Apple Airpods Pro which costs $249.
Battery Life
Having a pair of long-lasting earbuds is important as it reduces the time, and times, that the earbuds needed to be recharged. When fully charged, the OnePlus Buds can be used to listen to music for up to 7 hours, combined with the charged case, users can enjoy a total of 30 hours of music time. On top of long-lasting battery life, it charges at an incredible speed. With just 10 minutes of quick charge, it will provide 10 hours of listening time.
Sound Quality
Many may expect that earbuds with $79 price tag would sound, “crappy”, maybe? Well, if you know OnePlus, the brand built its roots and became a game-changer in the smartphone industry by making flagship devices at affordable prices. So don’t be surprised if its sound quality is comparable with Apple Airpods, because it is. So in the “sound in the buck” department, the OnePlus Buds excels.
Design and IP Rating
The OnePlus Buds have a very “Apple-like” design: hard-tips that go into the ear canals; a relatively long stem; circular backs for tapping; oval-shaped case. It is overall minimalistic design. Also, with an IPX4 rating, the OnePlus Buds are safe from splashes so users can stay focused on an active life.
Customizability and Functionality
OnePlus Buds come with some convenient customizability, activable by double-tap and long-press. Users can configure double-tap to next track, previous track, wake up voice assistant, and play/pause. As for the long-press, a 3-second press would be used to switch between devices, and a 5-second press is used to receive phone calls.
The Conclusion
At $79, the OnePlus Buds is a great choice as checked all the boxes of being great wireless earbuds. From sound quality, battery life, design, IP rating, most importantly, at $79, it can easily dethrone premium offerings from Samsung and Apple.
