The Indian TWS earphones market is flooded with affordable options. Many brands offer products with different features. The real challenge, however, is in the high-end headphone market, which is a tough field to conquer. We say this because some high-end headphones are part of a larger tech ecosystem, such as Apple AirPods or Samsung Galaxy Buds, and cost more. Noise, battery life and build quality. Striking a balance between price point and features offered is both crucial and challenging.
OnePlus launched its first premium wireless earbuds in 2021 – OnePlus Buds Pro. OnePlus Buds Pro 3 It is priced at Rs 11,999. We’ve been using earbuds as our daily companions for a while now, and here’s our review.
design
The OnePlus Buds Pro 3 TWS earphones are available in two color options – Lunar Radiance and Midnight Opus. We got the Lunar Radiance one for review. The earbuds feature a stem-style design with a dual-tone finish. The handle of the earbuds is shiny, while the rest is made of plastic with a matte surface. They also carry the “Created with Dynaudio” branding. The stem supports pressure-sensitive gestures to control the music playing on the earbuds.
The new headphones come with significant changes in case design. The case of the OnePlus Buds Pro 3 is now pebble-shaped, with a leather texture on the front and back, and a metallic finish on the sides. We must point out here that the appearance of a case can be deceiving. Although it looks like leather, the moment you hold it in your hands you realize it’s plastic.
On the right side of the case is the pairing button, and the USB Type-C port for charging is at the bottom with an LED indicator. There is also the Dynaudio branding on the case. An LED light inside the charging case indicates pairing status, and we found the hinge of the charging case to be well-made.
OnePlus Buds Pro 3 headphones come with three additional pairs of silicone ear tips. The fit is secure and we had no issues with it. You can also do an earbud fit test in the HeyMelody app to find the perfect fit. All in all, the headphones are not uncomfortable to wear for long periods of time.
The OnePlus Buds Pro 3 have an IP55 rating, which means they are dust and water-resistant. The overall build quality of the earbuds feels good.
Performance
Let’s start with the HeyMelody app and what it can do for you. It is available for Android and iOS devices. As we mentioned above, you can use the app to perform an ear fit test. But that’s just one of the many things it can do for you. It can help you find lost earbuds, update firmware versions, customize earbud controls, and more.
For the purpose of this review, we chose to leave the default control settings in place. The valve stem features pressure-sensitive touch controls. You can squeeze either earbud to play or pause music. Squeezing twice will play the next song, while squeezing the stem three times will play the previous song. To control the volume, you can swipe up on either earbud. Each time these gestures are performed, a sound is emitted as a reminder that the earbuds have registered a command.
Next are the noise cancellation controls you can perform via the app. You can enable/disable ANC or select transparency mode through the HeyMelody app. The OnePlus Buds Pro 3 earphones feature adaptive noise cancellation, which means it automatically adjusts to your surroundings. We found the noise cancellation to be one of the best we’ve reviewed. ANC effectively blocks ambient noise; when noise cancellation is turned off, ambient sounds are partially audible, but still somewhat muffled.
Transparency mode significantly enhances environmental awareness, enabling clear perception of surrounding sounds.
Now talking about the audio quality, the OnePlus Buds Pro 3 has an 11mm woofer and a 6mm tweeter. The headset supports SBC, AAC and LHDC 5.0 audio formats. The device still lacks LDAC support. Like the OnePlus Buds Pro 2, the OnePlus Buds Pro 3 are tuned by Dynaudio. Although the Sound Master EQ preset is “Balanced,” you have four other presets to choose from. We specifically tested the capabilities of Dynaudio, which it claims provides balanced bass, mids, and treble.
We listened to songs like Jennifer Warnes’ “Somewhere, Somebody” in Dynaudio Signature mode and really liked what it produced. The vocals are rich and crisp, and the instrumentals sound balanced. Next is the Bass preset. To test it, we listened to a few songs such as Bad Guy by Billie Eliish, Manali Trance by Yo Yo Honey Singh and enjoyed them on the OnePlus Buds 3 Pro.
Then there’s Serenade mode for boosting vocals and Bold mode for symphonies on the earbuds. We listened to and really enjoyed instrumental songs like Abhijeet Bhattachary’s Mere Khyalon Ki Malika and Arijit Singh’s Enna Sona on the OnePlus Buds 3 Pro.
The spatial sound feature on the OnePlus Buds Pro 3 is another great addition. The output is truly immersive, with surround sound coming from multiple directions. With head tracking enabled, sounds feel more realistic. You can control it through the HeyMelody app. The headset also has a dedicated gaming mode, which will appeal to gaming enthusiasts.
Another feature worth mentioning is dual connectivity, which allows users to connect two devices through OnePlus Buds Pro 3. The call experience was equally great, and we didn’t face any issues during calls due to the earbuds. The microphones on the earbuds are also very well done.
Battery
When it comes to the battery life of the OnePlus Buds Pro 3, the device is a solid choice. OnePlus says the earphones can last up to 43 hours with the charging case. During our testing, we found that the headphones lasted 7-8 hours on a single charge with ANC on/off. You can easily charge the device five times using the charging case, which is pretty good.
Like its predecessor, OnePlus Buds Pro 3 supports wireless charging as well as reverse wireless charging. There’s also fast charging.
judgment
The OnePlus Buds Pro 3 TWS earphones are priced at Rs 11,999, which is the same as the OnePlus Buds Pro 2. Its superior aesthetics, comfortable fit, and solid build quality are other highlights of this earbuds. It retains the best features of its predecessor and takes them up a notch with advanced features. But all this without any price increase. If you’re someone looking for premium sound quality, good ANC, and battery life, the OnePlus Buds Pro 3 are a great choice.
