If you pay less than fifty euros for a set of wireless earplugs, you can lower your expectations a bit. The OnePlus Nord Buds earplugs show that this does not have to immediately negatively affect the user experience. You can read more about this in the OnePlus Buds Pro review.
OnePlus Nord Buds
Recommended retail price € 49,-
Link bluetooth 5.2
Range 20 to 20,000 Hz
Compatibility Computers, smartphones, tablets, Nintendo Switch
battery life Seven to 37 hours
Other IP55, Dolby Atmos, Flash charge
Website oneplus.com 7 Score 70 
- Pros
- Value for money
- Fairly pleasant sound
- Flash charge
- battery life
- Negatives
- High tones get little space
- No noise cancellation
- No aptX support
- Microphone Quality
You may know the Nord series better from the Nord smartphone series from OnePlus. This is a range of affordable smartphones that generally work fine (but are not always recommended). Now OnePlus is also trying it with its earplug series. The company wants to undermine the competition by releasing a fairly good product for a relatively low price. It is clear what the manufacturer focuses on and we have to report somewhat surprised that it does not turn out so bad for this set. What can you expect for 49 euros?
Quite a few functions
The earbuds have drivers of 12.4 millimeters in size, which are clearly adjusted to the lower tones. They have bluetooth 5.2 (the most recent standard of today) and support the aac codec (for higher quality music). In addition, there are some built-in functions for OnePlus device owners, such as support for Dolby Atmos and OnePlus Fast Pair (which allows you to connect the earplugs to the phone within seconds). Users of other Android devices and iOS should use the free HeyMelody app for this.
In addition, as a OnePlus phone user, you can use the earplugs while gaming, thanks to the low latency mode. Unfortunately, this does not work on other smartphones. That’s a shame to see, but not a big loss in the broader picture. It is also striking that the OnePlus Nord Buds have an IP certificate of 55, which makes them somewhat resistant to water and dust. The company hardly ever gives these certificates to its smartphones, because they would be too expensive and it does not want to pass the costs on to users. But now that doesn’t seem to be a problem.
last a long time
The earbuds themselves weigh about 4.8 grams and are therefore quite light. They are relatively comfortable, although that is of course very personal. Over time, they do hurt the wearer’s ear canal a bit, as they are quite firm and non-slip. The standard silicone tips feel a bit cheap and don’t really help with comfort; but that may be different for you. The OnePlus Nord Buds also offer touch-sensitive controls. You don’t have to press hard for an action. So you don’t have to push an earplug into your ear to pause the music, for example.
Also read: What are the best earphones? 18 bluetooth in-ears tested
For OnePlus, battery life is quite important. We see that with his smartphones, but now also with his earplugs. The OnePlus Buds Nord last seven hours on a full charge. In the meantime, if you provide them with power from the supplied, sleek plastic box, you can stretch that number to an impressive 37 hours. With ten minutes of charging (via the cable, there is no wireless charging available), the earbuds last up to five hours. There is no noise suppression available, but you can hardly expect that at this price point.
Audio and microphone
In general, we are very pleased with the audio quality of the OnePlus Nord Buds. They lean heavily on the bass layer and thereby mask the lack of range, but the music doesn’t sound very bad. Especially not if you listen to simpler music or are a fan of digital productions. In both cases, the bass must be quite present, then you will not notice that you have the idea that you are dealing with a cheap set of earplugs. When the music has more layers or requires more from the hardware you listen with, you will notice some limitations.
The higher notes are cut off quickly. When you hear several voices, they come together in an unpleasant way, but those moments don’t last long. Vocals or instruments in the backgrounds stay there and rarely really come to the fore, so certain audio layers pass you by a bit. The low and mid tones come out well and give the OnePlus Buds Nord a slightly warm sound, but then they have to sit well in your ears. So take the time to choose the right caps for the best effect.
You can adjust the sound profile to your own hearing via the equalizer within the HeyMelody app or the built-in bluetooth menu of OnePlus smartphones. You can pull the higher tones forward and push the bass back a bit, but that doesn’t always provide a better experience. It is striking, however, that the earplugs do not sound muffled or really bad; they simply don’t have a wide range. The microphones are nothing to write home about, by the way; people who hear you talk will regularly complain about the creaky quality.
OnePlus Nord Buds – conclusion
Do the earplugs get a glorious recommendation? That may be asking too much. But if you as an Android user in general are looking for an affordable set of earplugs that have a fair amount of functionality and a reasonable audio quality (remember that you have not yet lost 50 euros), then you can not go wrong with this one. . The OnePlus Nord Buds sound great and offer some functions via (built-in) options with which you can personalize the experience. You may get more than you expect if you adjust your expectations.
You do have to take a few things into account. For example, you may get tired of them over time and they irritate your ear. In addition, high(er) tones do not come out well and there is also no noise suppression available. Furthermore, iOS users have to make do with somewhat less software support and it is a shame to see that there is no support for Qualcomm’s aptX codec. Fortunately there is aac, so the quality of the music is basically fine. Furthermore, the sleekly designed box is quite large, but it does feel solid.
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