OnePlus Buds 3 review

OnePlus Buds 3 review – PhoneArena،

The OnePlus Buds product line is quite confusing, so when you look at the all-new OnePlus Buds 3, you might be wondering “Are they better than the OnePlus Buds Pro 2?” The answer is no, they are positioned as a mid-range solution, between the OnePlus Buds Pro 2, and the much more affordable OnePlus Nord Buds 2.

OK, so the OnePlus Buds 3 are launching at $99. They promise active noise cancellation of up to -49 dB, high-quality sound with dual dynamic drivers, and a total battery life of 44 hours. How good are they and do they deserve your money?

The OnePlus Buds 3 in a few words:

Dual speaker – 10.4mm woofer, 6mm tweeter
Active noise cancellation
LHDC 5.0 Hi-Res Audio
Low latency
Audio ID for a personalized listening experience
3D sound
Resistance IP55

OnePlus Buds 3 specifications

Color options	Splendid blue, metallic gray
audio	10.4mm + 6mm, LHDC high resolution codec
Style of controls	Touch, the pad also reads swipes
Noise cancellation	3 ANC levels, -49 dB, up to 4 kHz
Connectivity	Multipoint BT (dual device), Google Fast Pair
Latency	94 ms (low)
Battery life	ANC on: 6.5 hours from buds, +21.5 hours from case ANC off: 10 hours from buds, +34 hours from case Fast loading

Pretty good specs on paper, and we'll say it right now: the battery life is pretty reliable. But let’s dive in!

Design and comfort of OnePlus Buds 3

The OnePlus Buds 3 look a lot like the OnePlus Buds Pro 2 before them, but there are some very subtle differences in shape. OnePlus promises extreme comfort, and we'd say that's accurate. The OnePlus Buds 3 fit effortlessly into the ear, add no pressure, and can be worn for hours without discomfort in our experience. Compared to the OnePlus Buds Pro 2, they are slightly more comfortable, as the Pros add a bit of pressure.

The case is slightly larger – its tapered design gives it a sleek look and it's easy to slide in and out of pockets, but compared to an AirPods Pro or Galaxy Buds Pro case, it's a bit big.

Touch controls… our favorite! (Image credit – PhoneArena)

You control them via tiny touchpads on each earbud. And yes, we hate touchpads because every time you adjust an earbud, you pause or play your music. OnePlus knows this, so one-click typing is disabled by default. If you go to the HeyMelody app, you can choose what happens with a single tap, double tap, triple tap, as well as a swipe up and down on the earbud stems.

So, with the default settings where a single press is disabled, everything was fine from the start, provided that pressing the touchpads precisely takes a bit of learning. The swipe gesture for volume adjustment works pretty well though!

Cable, tips and manuals are what you get (Image credit – PhoneArena)

The OnePlus Buds 3 come with three full-size tips in the box, and you'll most likely find your place among them. The HeyMelody app offers a fit test, which will check if you're getting a good seal with the tips you choose.

We have the IP55 rating, which means limited protection against dust and resistance to water jets. So you can jog in them and sweat on them, but don't throw them in the pond.

Sound quality of OnePlus Buds 3

A dual driver and Basswave enhancement. Sounds promising, right? GOOD…

We can say that the OnePlus Buds 3 sound… good. The following paragraphs will be nitpicky, but we want to start with – we understand that these are $99 headphones with ANC, and we think they sound great.

They're not sharp, detailed, large, or stunning. OK, the bass sounds great. It's gentle, it can get loud, but not overwhelming or headache-inducing. We kind of feel like a lot of care was put into tuning the bass here, not to boost it to unreasonable levels, but to make it actually pleasant to listen to. I take my hat off to that.

But when we move to the mid-range and high-end, the OnePlus Buds 3 leave us wanting more. There is a dip in the mids, which leaves the details of the guitar riffs somewhat in the background. Even the vocals can seem buried in the mix at times. And the accompanying strings and synths lack good definition to allow you to appreciate their chord structures. And the treble will roll off early – it almost sounds like it's being compressed by something. We wouldn't say the sound of the OnePlus Buds 3 is muffled, but they don't ring or ring, they definitely seem very “safe.” There is a lack of air and a nice clarity in the sound.

The equalizer barely touches the “important” frequencies (Image credit – PhoneArena)

We tried Audio ID (Golden Sound in the HeyMelody app) to see if we can bring out the sound to our personal preferences. This added some effects, but didn't blow us away. There's also an EQ inside the app, which we really like, but it's a pretty basic 6-band EQ, which doesn't give us good control over the finer details.

The OnePlus Buds 3 come with a 3D audio feature, enabled by default. We can't say it sounds “better” when it's on… a little different, definitely more low mids and a slightly wider soundstage. We found that turning it off actually allowed vocals to shine through better and eliminated some of the slightly squeaky midrange.

OnePlus Buds 3 noise cancellation and transparency

The active noise cancellation here won't surprise you. In fact, you might not even think it's turned on. OnePlus promises -49 dB reduction, with a range of up to 4 kHz. What we can point out: it filters out low-level hums, but a lot of noise is still present.

Common sounds like people talking in the office, the rustling of clothes and paper, the clicks and clacks of pens and office supplies being knocked against desks – you'll still hear them, with slightly reduced bass.

Make sure they fit properly for optimal noise reduction (Image credit – PhoneArena)

The ANC has 3 intensity levels – from low to high – and there is an adaptive mode that chooses the right one. At the highest level, it sort of filters out the low level hum from my radiator (but I could still hear the higher frequencies from the fan).

If you listen to music through them, the outside world will definitely be drowned out. But if you're one of those who choose these buds to specifically block noise, this isn't it.

The transparency mode is pretty decent. There is some attenuation in the treble, but otherwise they seem transparent. Directional sound representation is generally accurate: some sound sources coming from your right will feed into the left earbud (and vice versa), but at a volume low enough for you to understand “Yes, that's to my right.”

OnePlus Buds 3 battery life

OnePlus State of the Buds 3 specs: At 50% volume and with ANC turned off, you get up to 10 hours with the buds and an additional 34 hours with the case. With ANC enabled and 50% volume, that's 6.5 hours from the buds, plus 21.5 hours from the case. Then you have fast charging: you should get up to 7 hours of listening time with just 10 minutes on the wire.

The specs page doesn't specify what type of charger you would need for this. But the OnePlus Buds Pro 2 needed a minimum of 5V 2A. We assume it's the same here: any modern smartphone charger will do. Don't worry if it has a power output much higher than 10W, USB C will regulate the power according to the needs of the Buds case.

So while we don't have an elaborate benchmark test for the earbuds' battery, we have tried them for extended periods of time. After a few days of using it for 6 hours straight, we have now charged them at 100% in the case, and the case is still at 30%. That's with ANC enabled, as well as pairing and swapping between different devices during testing. We're pretty sure they can hit the promised 28 hour mark (ANC on), or very close to it.

Summary of OnePlus Buds 3

OK, so the bottom line is that these headphones don't have stellar ANC and they won't let you indulge in your music on a deep level. However…they sound great and cost $99. Their real winning feature is the fit and comfort – take it from someone who has a lot of trouble using in-ear headphones for extended periods of time – they feel great.

However, if ANC or sound quality is the biggest priority, as of this writing, the OnePlus Buds Pro 2 are marked down to $130, and they're better in both of those areas. The $100 Samsung Galaxy Buds FE (usually marked down to $80), which we haven't reviewed yet, are also supposed to be great in both areas.

If you get what you pay for, the OnePlus Nord Buds 2 are down to $40, and I distinctly remember them sounding great for their asking price.

While we think the OnePlus Buds 3 are being cannibalized by OnePlus' own portfolio and the Galaxy Buds FE might be the better choice for some people, our final word is this: They're definitely among the best $99 earbuds you'll ever get. We have. I tested.