Budget buds are seldom a delight. Many budget brands get the comfort and aesthetics right but may not always be able to deliver a well-rounded acoustic experience. The OnePlus Nord Buds range has always been an exception. The affordable range of TWS earbuds has always checked more boxes than competitors in its price range. I’ve been using the latest OnePlus Nord Buds 3 for a while and here’s how it fares.
Design
I got the grey variant of the Nord Buds 3, with a matte finish case. Popping out the buds, I notice the outer end of the stem sporting a matte finish while the inner side has a glossy finish, lending a slightly premium look to these budget buds.
The ear tips fit me well, and the buds stayed snug in-ear. I wasn’t too worried about them falling out or getting dislodged during my brisk walks around the neighbourhood.
Controls
The top edge of the stem features touch-sensitive controls that are fairly responsive. I could switch to the next track with a double tap and to the previous track using triple tap. The surface area for the touch sensor is small and at times I ended up missing just the right point to control the playback.
Sound Quality
The device supports Bluetooth 5.4 and supports basic audio codecs like AAC and SBAC. The multipoint feature is a bonus at this price point. Out of the box, the sound seems flat in terms of audio depth. But with a few tweaks to the equaliser settings using the HeyMelody app, I was able to get both the vocal highs and percussion lows of Rajinikanth’s Vettaiyan - Hunter Vantaar. With the Bass profile chosen, most tracks sounded well-rounded on the buds.
One can change the equaliser settings using the HeyMelody app, which has been the mainstay for all OnePlus audio accessories. It took a second or two to pair using Google Fast Pair. Post that, I could tweak equaliser settings, switch ANC modes and check the battery levels.
Noise cancellation
The buds deliver an average experience. On any given day, it could easily cancel out the low drone of the network hub in the background at the office but vehicles moving in the distance could still be heard. At home, the ANC is decent enough. It cancels the fan noise in a room but I could still hear birds chirp in the distance.
Similarly, with the transparency mode on, I heard more static white noise than a partially-sealed transparency mode that I’ve experienced on higher-end earphones. The difference between transparency and ANC-off mode was almost negligible.
The call quality was average with people being able to hear me clearly. As a listener, I’ve experienced better as voices sounded a bit flat and lacked vocal depth. These could suffice as an alternate solution to over-the-ear headphones to take calls on, if you don’t want big headphones on for a long time.
Battery
In the time I got to review the OnePlus Nord Buds 3, it delivered consistently around 30 plus hours with ANC on and around the 40-hour mark with ANC off. The battery took an hour or so to charge via USB-C.
Verdict
The OnePlus Nord Buds 3 is a great package for this price range. Priced ₹2,299, this TWS delivers on many fronts like audio quality and great battery life. If you can forgive the below-average ANC, this is the best TWS at this price point similar to the OnePlus Bullets Z2 ANC and the boAt Nirvana Ion.
