OnePlus Nord Buds Are Ready To Jam With Dolby Atmos And A Budget Price
A premium set of earbuds can set you back hundreds of dollars. Whether they ultimately live up to the price tag is debatable, and obviously depends on the specific model. On the opposite end of the spectrum, however, OnePlus is shooting lower (much lower) in price while claiming to still deliver a premium audio experience its new Nord Buds.
The Nord Buds arrive right on the heels of the launch of the OnePlus Nord N20 5G in the US. You can see our OnePlus Nord N20 5G review for our full thoughts, but the truncated version is that it's a brilliantly designed handset that's comparatively low in price and big on value. That's also what OnePlus is promising with its Nord Buds.
Packed inside these wireless earbuds are 12.4mm titanium drivers that OnePlus claims its acoustic engineers hand-picked "for their rich bass reproduction and razor-sharp treble." Like the OnePlus Buds Z2, they also support Dolby Atmos.
In our review of the Buds Z2, we weren't quite as impressed with the value proposition compared to the OnePlus Buds Pro (which we also reviewed), though we did find them comfortable with competitive active noise cancellation and solid battery life. The Buds Pro, on the other hand, impressed us with a blend of terrific features and tunable sound.
We haven't listed to the Nord Buds yet, but given our experience with how the company's previous earbuds tickled our eardrums, we're cautiously optimistic these will be good options in the budget realm (and hopefully punch above their price class).
You don't get active noise cancellation with the Nord Buds, though they do sport four microphones to filter out background noise during calls, as well as AI powered noise reduction. Other features include IP55 water and sweat resistance, a Pro Gaming Mode that enables a 94ms latency on select phones, and up to 7 hours of play time (30 hours if you factor in the charging case).
The best part though is the price—the Nord Buds cost a comparatively affordable $39.
