There was a time when great audio was tied to premium products and getting a pair of budget earphones meant compromising on sound quality. That doesn’t seem to be the case anymore. Look at the Indian Gadget Awards 2023 winner – the OPPO Enco Air 3 Pro. Today these TWS’ are priced at about 3.5K and pack quite the punch regarding sound quality, comfort and battery life. Today we have with us the OnePlus Nord Buds 3. These TWS are priced at Rs 2,299, boast up to 43 hours of listening time and come with some fancy features such as ANC, Bluetooth 5.4, dual connection, and Google Fast Pair, along with an IP55 Rating. They also support fast charging. Too good to be true or a steal deal for the price? Read on and find out.
Design
The OnePlus Nord Buds 3 comes in two colour options – Black and White. I have the white ones for review and the TWS are housed in a glossy white case that is prone to scratches. Flip open the case and you are greeted with the buds which have a design in line with what we’ve seen from budget TWS in the past, with a small stem and the in-ear housing at the end. I am not comfortable with touch controls on TWS buds and resort to my phone to make changes to the track, volume or even switch on/off noise cancellation. However, your mileage will vary based on your comfort with touch controls. There is no wireless charging for the case and that’s expected at this price point.
In the box, you get three options for the ear-tips and for me, the medium one fits the best. I have unusually shaped ear canals and there are only a handful of TWS that fit me well. The OnePlus Nord Buds 3 medium tips fit well, but not well enough. A strong shake of my head, and the buds pop out. Again, this may not be the case for you.
Overall the design of the case is functional and it fits easily in the pocket. The buds too are compact, have a decent fit and the glossy white colour will stand out in your ears if you have a dark complexion.
Specs and features
Below is a list of some of the features that the OnePlus Nord Buds 3 offers.
- 12.4mm dynamic driver
- 20 – 20,000Hz frequency response
- Weight – Headphones: Approx. 4.2g each, Charging case: Approx. 46.2g
- Water & Sweat Resistance IP55
- Bluetooth Ver.5.4
- Supported codec: AAC, SBC
- ANC up to 32dB
- Google Fast Pair
- Dual Connection
- Microphones 4 (2 per earbud)
Sound quality and ANC
Let’s kick things off with the ANC. It is quite good. I sat in the room with my wife watching TV, my daughter running around the room singing songs and while I could make out what they were saying, when the audio of the song or movie kicked into full gear, it drowned them out quite easily. I heard the doorbell ring and also some of the louder noises around me, but not to an extent that disturbed me. Also, this was more audible during the silent moments between songs or the sombre moments in TV shows, but nothing distracting or intrusive. I personally like to keep ANC off for extended use of TWS (I get nauseous when using ANC for more than an hour at a stretch).
Moving over to the sound quality, the TWS sound really good, especially when you consider the price point. Listening to Sabrina Carpenter’s Espresso or Starboy by The Weeknd, you can make out that there is a slight bass bias to the TWS and this isn’t a bad thing as a majority of Indians prefer a slightly elevated bass in their music. I prefer a more neutral sound signature. Even when listening to some Diljit Dosanjh or even classics like the Beatles or Michael Jackson, the TWS sound fun even with their flaws, again, when you look at their price point.
Switching over to movies, the voices are clear, the background score is distinguishable and channel separation is good. Watch the race at the 13-minute mark in Ready Player One or even the final action sequence in Top Gun Maverick and you can distinguish the conversations from the action and the swishes of the channel separation sound immersive.
Battery life
The OnePlus Nord Buds 3 has a claimed battery life of 8 hours with ANC on and 12 hours with ANC off with the case offering a tad over three charges overall. I used the TWS for about 3-4 hours a day and charged it only on Sundays and through the week, I had no issues with battery life.
Verdict
It’s fascinating the audio quality and features that a pair of budget TWS like the OnePlus Nord Buds 3 bring to the table. The fit is comfortable, the battery life is long and the audio output great when you consider the price point. I am personally not a fan of touch controls, and the glossy finish means the case gets scratched easily. But apart from that if you need a pair of TWS as an impulse purchase for your daily needs, then you can consider the OnePlus Nord Buds 3. It is good if you listen to podcasts too and the IP55 rating is a cherry on the cake for those outdoor runs.
Editor’s rating: 7.5 / 10
Pros:
- Good audio output
- Lightweight and comfortable
- Good battery life
- IP 55 Rating
- Supports Bluetooth 5.4, and Google Fast Pair
Cons:
- Glossy case gets scratched easily
- Noise cancelling could have been better
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