We reviewed the OnePlus Buds 3 recently. This is their flagship TWS in its third iteration, but this time there’s a huge difference: it costs just Rs 5,499. Comparatively speaking, last year’s buds were Rs 10,000 and upwards; this year, they are half that amount, and they are surprisingly amazing. So let’s quickly talk about these earbuds and determine whether or not they will be worthwhile purchasing.

OnePlus Buds 3 Review: Design

OnePlus is among the firms that are developing new technologies for audio devices in addition to smartphones. We found that the OnePlus Open, which retails for a reasonable price, outperforms the majority of folding smartphones. They also just unveiled the OnePlus 12, their flagship model, which is an amazing high-end phone that we can personally attest to. In a similar vein, their most recent OnePlus Buds 3 are excellent TWS at a very reasonable price. It might be the greatest value for earbuds under Rs 5,499, with some truly amazing features and sound quality.

So let’s talk about the actual appearance and design of the OnePlus Buds 3 before we get into the features. The OnePlus Buds Pro 2, which debuted last year and retailed for about Rs 12,000, have the same design and feel as these earbuds as well as a case. These are among the best TWS available. In fact, those earbuds were also reviewed by us. 

The case that comes with it is quite thin. The case weighs about 40 grams without the earbuds, while the earbuds weigh 4.8 grams. In the box, there are more ear tips as well. These are pre-installed with medium size by default, but you can choose small or large depending on which size best fits your ears.

The earbuds themselves have a design that is quite comparable to both the OnePlus Buds 2 and the Pro variant. Thus, this metallic finish gives you a comparable design. Additionally, the rubberized tip provides an extremely comfortable fit. The USB Type C charging connector is located on the back of the case, while an LED indicator is located on the front.

The TWS are nestled inside their allotted compartments when you open them up. A button to pair the earphones is also included. As previously said, the earbuds feature a metallic glossy finish that gives them a very upscale appearance, which we found appealing. It does, however, draw a lot of fingerprints, though this is not a huge problem.

If you look at the stem carefully, you will notice a matte-finished area where touch gestures can be used to operate the earphones. Additionally, the earphones have microphones for noise cancellation.

It’s impressive that these earphones are sweat-resistant and have an IP55 rating.
Let’s talk about the fit and comfort next. They are incredibly well-built and packed with features. These fit nicely into the ear canal and are fairly comfy. These earbuds are comfortable and do not slip out of our ears even after we wear them for daily tasks, walks, and work. Thus, even after wearing them for an extended amount of time, you don’t feel like you’re wearing them and the comfort level is excellent.

Also Read: OnePlus 12 Review: A True Flagship Smartphone

OnePlus Buds 3 Review: Performance

Within each earbud, there is a 10.4mm woofer and a 6mm tweeter. They also have microphones that cancel out noise. If your device supports Bluetooth 5.3, the earphones will connect easily. It does support Google Fast Pair, and when paired with a OnePlus handset, it will automatically show earbud settings and allow you to upgrade the firmware right from the Bluetooth menu.

Several options are available to you for controlling this, including what occurs when you touch the stem.

You now have extensive flexibility over the equalisation settings thanks to OnePlus. allowing you to have a personalised EQ setting. However, they also contain a feature called Golden Sound that enables the earphones to send and receive audio waves in your ears to better understand the shape of your ears. 

The music is then automatically adjusted based on this information. These will eliminate any issues you may be having with hearing at the lower or higher ends and adjust the frequencies to provide you with the greatest sound possible.

Noise cancelling has an on/off switch. Standard latency is set at 94 milliseconds, however, you can optionally have a low latency game mode that lowers it to 50 milliseconds during gameplay.

At this price range, the noise suppression is about 50 dB, which is quite impressive. It can filter out a lot of the background noise and does it fairly well. However, louder sounds won’t be greatly filtered.

Also Read: OnePlus Open Review: It can really open up to you

But how do they sound?

When we put them in our ears and activated the basic equalisation, we were shocked when we noticed that the sound quality was excellent. We at first thought that the mids were low, but after making some adjustments, we found that you had complete control over the mid-range in addition to being able to fully tune the bass. Additionally, excellent higher ends are available.

Thus, you may tweak the Equaliser to suit your taste in music. You may not get a whole Dynamic EQ layout, but you have plenty of exquisite control, so you can hear it coming through in your headphones as you adjust. But many users will find that the default earphones sound excellent right out of the box when they have a balanced EQ.

In case you enjoy listening to songs with a lot of bass, you may also use the built-in bass booster in the EQ to get extra bass.

These have a somewhat stronger bass response already, much like the OnePlus Buds Pro. Both the vocal quality and sound clarity are excellent. Bass enthusiasts will undoubtedly adore these earphones because of how well the sound separation works.

A few more unique features have also been added by OnePlus, such as the ability to double press the stem to capture images and use the earbuds as a remote shutter button when in camera mode. Although you could take shots with your headphones in, this can be helpful. Though we are unsure, if that is what you are searching for, then it is an option.
The settings panel menu allows you to adjust the noise cancelling and make customisations.

Thanks to its interactive design, the earbuds allow you to answer and end calls in addition to controlling music.

iOS devices can also be used with OnePlus Buds 3. To get started, simply download the Hey Melody app. Additionally, you have the ability to connect two devices at once; again, your linked device must have an LHDC 5.0 codec for you to get high-resolution audio. The battery life will undoubtedly suffer if you switch to high-resolution audio, but the sound quality is still excellent.

Depending on the music app you’re using, you can obtain high-resolution audio on an Android device, especially if you’re using the OnePlus 12 phone we reviewed, which has the ldhc 5.0 codec.

Also Read: OnePlus Nord CE3 5G Review: A no-nonsense smartphone under Rs 30,000

Another type of spatial audio that is built in is called 3D audio; while it does slightly enhance the audio listening experience. The inclusion of a version means that future updates will only be made to it, and it’s a welcome step back at a price point of less than Rs 6,000.

Regarding battery life, each earbud contains a 58mAh battery, while the case has a 520mAh battery. The earbuds have a 6.5-hour noise cancellation rating with the case, and a 28-hour rating when without it. Another noteworthy feature of the earbuds’ excellent audio quality is their roughly 10-hour battery life when the noise cancellation is turned off. You may therefore enjoy up to 30 hours of music playback with only approximately three charges, which is fantastic.

With a 10-minute charge time, these earbuds can provide almost seven hours of music playback. They also charge quickly in the case.

Verdict

The price of the OnePlus Buds 3 is less than Rs 6,000 (Buy), and there are currently several sales and promotions going on. For that price range, they are therefore quite impressive. Overall, these earphones have left us impressed. Although the OnePlus Buds Pro were already really good, these are even better considering how many functions they include at a low cost. They are incredibly well constructed, with a tonne of excellent features and specs, and sound fantastic.

Keep in mind that not all smartphones support LHDC, however, OnePlus devices do, so you can enjoy high-res audio support.

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Pros

Premium Design

Affordable pricing

Fast Charging

Boosted Bass

Cons

Average noise cancellation