Hello everyone!
I've spent the last few days with my new OnePlus wireless earbuds, and I just had to share my thoughts with my favorite site. If you're like me and you're on the hunt for some great wireless earbuds, you're in the right place.
I'm rocking the OnePlus Nord Buds 3, and I have to say, I'm really impressed.
So, let's dive in and take a closer look...
▶️ Design
First things first, the packaging is pretty unassuming – a plain black box with some white earbuds printed on it. It's not the most exciting thing to look at, but that's not what matters here.
As far as I can tell, there are three color options for this model: all black, all white, and the lovely blue-grey hue I've got – which, I have to say, I'm absolutely loving. The blue-grey color is actually really soothing, and it's a nice change of pace from the usual boring black or white.
And inside that box, you'll find a white charging case with a soft pouch for the earbuds. The case itself is nice and compact, which is great for tossing into a bag or purse.
There's also a small black box with some documentation and accessories. The documentation is pretty standard, but the accessories are a nice touch – you get a few extra ear tips, which is always a plus.
The pouch itself is really nice – a beautiful, soft blue-grey color that I just adore. I've even got a book about The Hunger Games that features this exact shade – it's called grey dove, and I just love it.
I've got to say, the interior of the case is a nice contrast to the outside - it's a bright, lime-green color that I really like. It's a nice little surprise, and it adds a bit of personality to the overall design.
The earbuds themselves are a lovely, muted blue-gray color that's really soothing. Each earbud has a sensor on it that lets you pause or skip tracks, and even switch between tracks forward and backward.
The earbud tips are pretty unique, too - they've got a mesh pattern on the inside, which might be for better sound quality, or maybe just to let them 'breathe'.
Overall, I'm really digging the design - it's simple, stylish, and unpretentious. You get used to it pretty quickly, like it's an old friend.
▶️ What's in the box:
✅ The case with the earbuds
✅ Instruction manual and warranty card
✅ A little packet of extra ear tips in the same color as the earbuds
✅ A red Type-C charging cable from OnePlus
✅ A little orange sticker with a smiley face (I guess it's a nice touch from the manufacturer)
Overall, the packaging is pretty standard for wireless earbuds, but I enjoyed unwrapping everything - the charging cable was a nice surprise, and the extra ear tips were a nice bonus.
→ My Experience with Them
I'd heard a lot of great things about OnePlus from friends and online reviews - their phones and tablets are always getting rave reviews. But I'd never actually tried anything from the brand before. That was until I saw these earbuds and I just had to have them.
I've been using them for a month now, and I'm completely hooked!
First off, I loved the color scheme. And I was curious to see if the hype around OnePlus was real, and what specifically made their products so great.
So, I'm going to write down a few pros of these earbuds, and what I loved about them.
→ The Pros of OnePlus Nord Buds 3
➕ The design is super stylish and minimalist, but also really visually appealing.
I love how the combination of gray-blue and mint-green colors looks - it's not something you see every day, but it's really soothing to the eyes. Even the little details, like the color scheme, are thoughtfully done.
➕ They connect to my phone super quickly, as soon as I pull them out of the case.
➕ The initial setup was a breeze - it only took about 10 seconds.
For comparison, I had to spend 15 minutes setting up my mom's earbuds from Hoco (which I also really like for earbuds), and I even had to look up instructions online.
But with these earbuds, it was all super easy and intuitive. It felt like they were doing all the work themselves!
➕ They work within a 10-meter radius, and I've never had any issues with them disconnecting, even when I'm walking around the house with my phone in one spot.
➕ I've got to say, the case is super tactile and nice to the touch. It even lights up with a green glow when you connect it.
➕ Noise cancellation and 'transparency' modes are a game-changer. They switch on with a sensor on the earbuds and in the app.
➕ IP55 water resistance is a great feature.
➕ The earbuds fit snugly in your ear canal.
I can wear these things for hours without any discomfort. I've even watched movies and videos on my phone while lying down, and they stay put.
➕ And the best part? They last for up to 10 hours of usage. I can binge-watch movies, take online courses, and dance to music all day long. And that's not even counting the case!
Before this, I had earbuds that lasted only about 2 hours before needing to be recharged. Same goes for the Hoco earbuds I mentioned earlier.
These, however, last an incredibly long time. I only have to recharge the case every week or so, and even that's a rare occurrence.
OnePlus phone owners also mention that the earbuds come with the brand's signature animation when connected – a nice touch to ensure authenticity. I couldn't verify this myself, but it's a nice feature.
Even on my non-OnePlus phone, I get a readout of the battery level on both earbuds.
▶️ Earbud app control
There's also the HeyMelody app, which lets you control the earbuds in more detail. It's got an equalizer with three modes: balanced, serenade, and bass. You can even customize the equalizer if needed.
Screenshots from the HeyMelody app on my phoneI wasn't blown away by the BassWave 2.0 tech, to be honest, since I'm not a huge bass fan.
In the app, you can see exactly which earbuds you have (they even got the color right!). It shows the charge on the earbuds and case, and you can switch between modes.
Screenshots from the HeyMelody app on my phoneThere are three modes in total: noise cancellation, normal mode, and transparency.
In noise cancellation mode, the earbuds produce some sort of background noise. It's not like it completely blocks out the world, but it's definitely noticeable compared to the normal mode.
Transparency mode, on the other hand, lets you hear everything around you, even when you're wearing the earbuds. It's super useful when I'm working and want to be able to hear conversations or my coworkers. I don't use it that often, though.
The app also has a gaming mode switch. It's supposed to minimize the delay between the earbuds and your phone, so you don't accidentally blow up a virtual enemy because the earbuds are lagging behind. It's a nice touch, but I don't use it that often either.
There's also a find-my-earbuds feature, and you can even program each earbud to do different things on its own.
Screenshots from the HeyMelody app on my phoneI love that everything is controlled from one place. It's all super intuitive and easy to use.
▶️ That's it
These headphones I'd highly recommend, because I'm still totally stoked about them. My hand's been reaching for them nonstop lately.
And that's from someone who's been ignoring wireless headphones for years because I just didn't get the whole charging thing.
I mean, who needs to worry about battery life or carrying around a case when you can just plug in some good old-fashioned wired headphones and forget about it?
But, of course, most smartphones have done away with those headphone jacks now (I ended up buying an adapter, but that's a whole other story).
I think it's a bit of an evolutionary misstep, if you will – manufacturers were too quick to ditch that headphone jack because the wireless market's been flooded with earbuds that barely last a few hours on a charge.
That creates a bit of a hassle, if you ask me. But, if all wireless earbuds could last 10-12 hours on a single charge, that problem would be a thing of the past.
Again, I'll say it: I'm really impressed with these headphones. The thought did cross my mind to try out something else from OnePlus, but I'll need to think about that some more.
Thanks for reading the review! Hope it was helpful.