The Chinese tech giant’s most recent high-end TWS earbuds, the OnePlus Buds Pro 3, use Dynaudio. With this one, OnePlus unleashes all of its capabilities as expected. The new design has a vegan leather finish to start with. Up to 50 dB of adaptive noise reduction is available with the OnePlus Buds Pro 3. According to the manufacturer, they have a battery life of up to 43 hours and come with two drivers—a 6mm tweeter and an 11mm woofer. These earphones have been with us for more than two weeks; during that time, we tested the ANC and took them outside for a few metro rides. We’ll go over everything in depth so you can determine whether these earphones are worth upgrading or not.
In This Article
OnePlus Buds Pro 3 Review: Design
First, let’s talk about the design.
There are two colourways: Lunar Radiance and Midnight Opus. We have the latter model with the vegan leather finish for review. We’ve never seen anything like this on an earphone case before, and we adore it. We also have extra silicon tips in the retail packaging; the sizes are big, medium, and small.
Let’s take a closer look at the earbuds.
The charging case has a stunning appearance. This faux-leather texture finish is incredibly pleasant to the touch and looks gorgeous. It simply fits in your palm because it is very light and tiny. The OnePlus logo is visible directly on top. You can tell that it was co-created with the Dynaudio logo as you get towards the back. It reads “co-created with the Dynaudio logo” as you move towards the back. A one-handed opening of the top is possible, which we find rather convenient, and the USB Type-C charging port is located towards the bottom. Two earphones have been carefully stored in their proper chambers.
These are stem and bud designs, and they appear premium. You have a matte surface on top and a glossy finish on the stem. If you look closely, you can see the microphones on the sides, which look quite amazing. It’s also worth noting that the left and right earphones have the letters L and R written on them; these earbuds are well-built.
The earphones have an IP55 certification, so moderate splashes and spills are acceptable. But keep the case dry and protected because it lacks any IP rating.
Regarding fit and comfort. We can tell you that they fit snugly and block the majority of the passive sound. Make sure you use the correct size ear tips for a better seal, which will contribute to improved sound quality. We conducted the app’s fit test, which assesses it while playing music in the background and provides the results. We then tried shaking our heads, which gave us a little headrush but did not cause the earphones to fall off.
OnePlus Buds Pro 3 Review: Performance
Longer reliable connectivity is also provided by Bluetooth 5.4. Better audio quality is also made possible by its speedier, high-quality audio transmission. For improved gameplay, it also features 94 ms latency. We get support for both AAC and SBC codecs for audio. We also get LHDC, which is identical to Ldac in general. These are two low-latency audio codecs that provide higher audio quality.
Next, we have Google Fast Pairing. All you have to do is open the lid, and your Android device will display a pairing notification saying, “Click to pair.” After that, launch the Hey Melody app, and the Buds Pro 3 ought to appear. After you click, you’re done. Later on, more on the app.
Also Read: CMF Buds Pro 2 Review: Greatly astonished us
Before we get into the audio, we would like to add that they have dual driver technology, which includes two magnets to the 11mm audio driver and a new ceramic-metal composite diaphragm. To guarantee that even the tiniest high-frequency details are heard by the ear, the 6mm tweeter is equipped with a 35-micrometre flat voice coil and an improved diaphragm. Similar to your home theatre system, which has separate speakers for the highs and vocals and a subwoofer for the bass, they offer sound separation for improved audio quality.
When it comes to sound, your choice of sound profile will have a significant impact. Speaking of which, let’s discuss the Sound Master EQ balanced mode. It is incredibly well-balanced and clear and has excellent highs and bass. Though it doesn’t provide the same loud, pounding sound that can overwhelm other musical parts and leave you with a headache, the bass is nevertheless rather deep. The BassWave feature in the app allows you to customise the bass level if you’d like it stronger.
Bold is one of the other options; it feels like every instrument has been improved and is ideal for jazz music. After that, you may listen to podcasts and classical music by switching to Serenade Mode, which amplifies the highs and vocals. We believe a lot of folks will really enjoy the extra depth that bass mode brings to the audio. This keeps the majority of the sounds very well while adding that really deep and powerful bass.
Then comes DynaAudio EQ, which functions similarly to balanced mode. The level goes up, and you can hear more details. You will either adore it or not like it at all, which makes it the most unique and controversial.
Now, let’s discuss the ANC. It has 50 dB of active noise cancellation, so the ideal places to test it were loud areas like metro stations, public transportation, or bazaar strolls (yeah, why not?). as not everyone takes flights or visits airports. Fortunately, it was able to provide pristine audio while simultaneously cancelling out any background noise. From the app, you may activate ANC and manually adjust the amount to max, moderate, or mild. Our fave feature, though, is the smart mode, which modifies the intensity based on its analysis of ambient noise.
The headphones blocked 80 to 90 percent of the train sound and announcements. There are no external sounds audible; all you can hear is pure music. There was a little vacuum effect at first, but the ears quickly adjusted and there was no discomfort at all. In order to increase your awareness of your surroundings, you can also activate transparency mode, which amplifies outside sounds. These earphones work quite well; you can even sort of hear the other person talk and converse.
We tried these with phone calls as well. The three microphones on each earbud completely block out outside sounds, making them perfect for both indoor and outdoor phone calls.
Instead of tapping actions, you use the squeeze gesture to change tracks, enable ANC and transparency mode, answer reject calls, and, yes, you can customise each earbud’s gesture separately from the HeyMelody app.
Swiping on the stem allows you to change the volume, which we found quite useful. You don’t need to reach for your phone to change the volume. By the way, they also include in-ear detection, so the music pauses when you remove them from your ear and restarts fairly instantaneously when you replace them.
Also Read: OnePlus Nord Bud 3 Pro Review: Good Sound Signature
Then we have dual device connectivity capabilities, which allow you to connect your laptop or tablet alongside your phone. For example, if you’re watching something on your laptop and get a call, you may answer it from the phone, and when the conversation ends, the audio from the laptop will restart on the earphones.
You may activate the game mode via the app, which is also included. You can effortlessly play games without any audio delay because of its dramatic reduction in latency. Similarly, there were no latency issues while watching films, and it synced well. It is recommended to use it for long journeys or binge-watching.
Then there is spatial audio support. When you open the companion app, you will discover spatial audio. The first is fixed spatial, which makes you feel like the music is coming from several directions. Turning this on enhances the experience. There is also head tracking, which causes the audio source to shift in the direction you are holding your device. It monitors your head, so if you move it, the audio source will follow. It truly resembles a very comparable theatrical experience in which the audio comes from several sources. It gives a new level to the audio, but it can’t be heard all day.
Now let us take a brief look at the HeyMelody app. This allows you to see the battery percentage of both the casing and the buds. Then you may turn on noise cancellation and adjust the level of the nose cancellation. Then you may turn it off and switch to transparency mode. You may also change the EQ. There is also a Golden Sound function, which conducts a few tests and adjusts the EQ based on your listening experience. You may also enable spatial audio, gaming mode, dual device connectivity, an earbud fit test, find my earphones, firmware updates, and adjust the gestures for each earbud. It’s an easy-to-use user interface.
Regarding the battery, the casing has a massive 566mAh battery, while each earbud has a 58mAh battery. According to OnePlus, you get roughly 7 to 8 hours of music playback without ANC, 5 to 6 hours with ANC, and approximately 43 hours with the case. However, you only get 35 to 38 hours, which we still believe is good. The case also allows wireless charging, which is always beneficial. It takes around 1 hour and 10 minutes to completely charge.
Verdict
So the OnePlus Buds Pro 3 are priced at Rs 11,999, which may appear expensive, but they give an outstanding quality sound element. It is quite high-quality. The ANC, comfort, and sound quality are excellent. The bass is incredibly well-developed without disrupting the mids and lows; it operates flawlessly. The fit and finish are just a step beyond the competitors. They appear to be of very high quality. Mic quality has been excellent, and we had no issues during calls. In our opinion, it’s worth every penny. Give them a try.
Buy Here
Pros
Excellent design
ANC outstanding
Superior call quality
Cons
Pricey
