It can be hard to keep track of the various TWS earphone offerings from OnePlus; after all, there is a flagship line-up as well as a budget-friendly ‘Nord’ line-up.

But even within these series, there are ‘Pro’ and base products that offer or hold back various product features, apart from building on past weaknesses. To see if the new OnePlus Nord Buds 3 carved its own niche, we tried out these TWS earphones for over a month.

Here is what we discovered.

Technical Specifications

• Battery: 58 mAh, or 440 mAh with the case
• ANC: Up to 32 dB Active Noise Cancellation
• Water/Dust resistance: IP55
• Microphone: Dual mics and AI Clear Calls algorithm
• Latency: Bluetooth 5.4
• Drivers: 12.4mm dynamic driver

Design

OnePlus goes right back to the basics with this one, opting for a plain pebble-shaped case that sits well in your pocket.

The product comes in the Harmonic Gray and Melodic White colours. The smooth plastic finish looks rather generic and quickly accumulates scratches, but the design will appeal to those who prefer neutral tech accessories. The pendant-like earbud stems are short but give you enough room to comfortably operate the touch sensor.

A small pinhole light shows the battery level of the case, while there are ‘R’ and ‘L’ cut-outs on the earphones.

We reviewed the Melodic White version of the OnePlus Nord Buds 3 but found that it collected dust and dirt easily. The case also began looking dull and heavily used in a matter of mere weeks.

However, it was durable and took a few accidental knocks and drops with ease.

The product quickly began to look used and dirty due to its finish | Photo Credit: Sahana Venugopal

Audio Experience

As soon as you put in the OnePlus Nord Buds 3 and play your music, you realise there is work to be done. This includes downloading the HeyMelody app on your device and setting up a custom audio profile with the equaliser, because the device defaults are disappointing.

While the OnePlus Nord Buds 3 sound presets will suffice for audiobooks, podcasts or calls, those listening to layered musical compositions or watching films will need to fine-tune the settings in order to get cleaner audio. Even then, the overall soundscape felt rather constrained and the musical elements lacked differentiation On the other hand, the bass was stormy and effective when turned up.

Taking a step back, we were flummoxed by the need for the OnePlus Nord Buds 3 (priced at ₹2,299) to exist in the first place. After all, the OnePlus Nord Buds 2 (priced at ₹2,299 at the time of writing) and the OnePlus Nord Buds 3 Pro (priced at ₹4,699) offer superior sound and ANC in their own ways. Adding to this, the OnePlus Nord Buds 3 Pro with more powerful ANC retails at just ₹2,799. By comparison, the OnePlus Nord Buds 3 feels underdeveloped, lacking its own identity in terms of design and sound. Simply put, the OnePlus Nord Buds 3 lacks a meaningful spot in its own company’s line-up, let alone the market.

Getting into the practical details, users should note there is no rolling volume sensor on the OnePlus Nord Buds 3 earbuds. You will have to set up tap controls yourself.

The earphones sporadically pause your music/media once taken out of your ears, but frequently start playing it again without being prompted, or they require a hard stop through your device. We ended up losing our place in a long audiobook because of this, and found it hard to operate the finnicky controls in crowded areas such as buses or trains.

Every now and then, the noise cancellation would “break,” so to speak, bringing external noises rushing back to us for a few seconds before sealing them out again. The ANC mode also sometimes muted or thinned out sounds in less-than-ideal ways, such as quietening the sound of traffic only to amplify the high-pitched music coming from an external loudspeaker. Office workers and commuters will need better ANC settings as well as sound configuration.

OnePlus TWS compatibility with Apple products remains an ongoing issue. Meanwhile, call quality was acceptable, but voices could have been far cleaner. Sometimes, the earphones led to glitches during calls.

The OnePlus Nord Buds 3 provided a middling sound experience and requires adjustment through the app | Photo Credit: Sahana Venugopal

Battery

Colour us impressed. The battery life of the OnePlus Nord Buds 3 lasted us for days on end regardless of whether we were using ANC or not. We only recharged the case every 4-5 days when the battery charging light turned red.

OnePlus notes that users can get 8 hours out of the earbuds, or 28 hours with the charging case even while ANC is on. This goes up to 12 hours with the earbuds and 43 hours with the charging case when ANC is off. These stats align with our experience.

Otherwise, a quick charging session of about 10-20 minutes was more than enough to get us through those times when the earphones spent most of the day in our ears. This marked a definite improvement when compared to other OnePlus TWS devices from the budget line-up.

Verdict

OnePlus had an opportunity to build a new and enhanced TWS earphones product priced at less than ₹2,500, but instead gave us the OnePlus Nord Buds 3, falling short in terms of audio, design, and ANC. The product lacks a meaningful spot in its own company’s line-up, but is saved by its strong battery life and ultra-fast charging time.

If you are looking for a pair of TWS earphones to hand over to a younger listener or use as a hardy spare, the OnePlus Nord Buds 3 should do the trick. But if you need a product with solid audio features, you have multiple alternatives at the same price point.