Foreshadowing In Bud Not Buddy

Laptop Mag Verdict

Colorful, loud, and wirelessly powerful, the OnePlus Buds cater mostly to those who own a OnePlus smartphone.

Pros

+
Strong wireless operation
+
Sound better than expected
+
Great charging case
+
Gaming mode lowers latency

Cons

-
Customization and special features exclusive to OnePlus owners
-
Mediocre call quality
-
Touch controls demand more work
-
Zero noise isolation

Afterward weeks of leaks, the OnePlus Buds are officially here. These wireless earbuds from the dearest Android smartphone maker alloy intelligible controls and warm sound into an AirPods-esque pattern. OnePlus even took measures to ensure top-notch wireless operation past integrating Bluetooth 5.0 and the all-time quick charging we've seen on whatever model in the category.

All things said, the OnePlus Buds stand out as a work-in-progress that reserves their near practical features for OnePlus smartphone owners. This includes control customization and special modes, like Fnatic Mode that tin can be only accessed through the OnePlus ecosystem.

Our expert picks for the best wireless earbuds, per budget and style
Check out our Apple AirPods Pro review
…and our Samsung Galaxy Buds Plus review

Those with a OnePlus device won't find a lot to complain nearly, especially for the conveniently low cost, simply everyone else may want to consider more than feature-laden options.

OnePlus Buds: Availability and toll

The OnePlus Buds are available for $79 straight from OnePlus (opens in new tab). Whether there are plans to release this model at major online retailers remains unknown, although B&H Photograph Video (opens in new tab) lists them as "coming soon." You can buy these buds in iii colors: White, Grey, and Nord Blueish.

What's in the box?

OnePlus ships the buds with a charging case, USB-C charging cable, user guide, and warranty.

OnePlus Buds: Pattern

I won't dismiss the OnePlus Buds as just some other pair of AirPods fakes. Instead, I'll give the company credit for doing what it could to polish upwards the mainstream design, though many with true way sense volition withal find it as unflattering as the AirPods. The color selection is attractive, and spectators will be able to spot the buds from afar. At the same time, they stick out similar a sore thumb and White seems to exist the only color available correct at present on the OnePlus site.

Basically, OnePlus took the long stalk silhouette and sound port of the AirPods, forth with the round touch panels of Sony's wireless earbuds, to create the OnePlus Buds. Each bud is coated with a matte finish. The "difficult plastic" construction is IPX4 water-resistant and more durable than the AirPods, so you tin can exhale easy knowing these buds won't suspension and then easily.

On the ear, the buds are every bit calorie-free as a feather and weigh just .16 ounces per bud. The lack of ear tips will affect fit since the buds tin't form a proper seal on the ear. So once again, if yous're fine wearing AirPods, you might feel at home sporting these, just just know that lateral and quick head movements volition knock them to the basis.

Some other area where the OnePlus found inspiration from others is the charging instance. Google was clearly onto something with the Pixel Buds 2's pebble-shaped charging case, and the OnePlus Buds followed suit with a clone that feels nice in mitt and is lighter than its competitor, just non as durable. The magnetic closure is strong and keeps the buds stored safely. Information technology's too like shooting fish in a barrel to dock and pull out the buds.

OnePlus Buds: Bear upon controls and digital assistant

OnePlus programmed these buds with touch controls and on-ear detection, allowing you to intermission and resume music automatically when removing or placing the buds on your ears. I was impressed by how well the motion detection worked, as the buds instantly responded to move, while as well showcasing their intelligible capabilities. The feature works with YouTube, too, and there was no lag when watching videos either.

Affect gesture accuracy is 50/50, ane principal reason being the touch panels. They are too small and frustratingly difficult to locate at times. That's not even the biggest outcome. You're only given a small number of touch controls to utilize out of the box and unless yous ain a OnePlus phone (I don't), there is no mode to customize them. That meant all I could do was answer/end a call and skip a rails (2x tap) or switch to the previously connected device (long press). Why there aren't any one-tap or triple-tap gestures programmed into the OnePlus Buds is bewildering.

This also meant that for me to use the digital assistant, I had to manually pull it up on my device. How annoying is that? On the plus side, every exact command I directed towards my Google Pixel 3XL and MacBook Pro were registered and executed quickly.

OnePlus Buds: Audio quality

Honestly, the OnePlus Buds sound amend than what most critics are maxim right now. It's nowhere near as bully every bit the Sennheiser Momentum Truthful Wireless ii, just it'south surprisingly good for the price point. The bass-forward signature is clearly evident, simply it doesn't practice a disservice to those who love some extra oomph in their sound, although highs and mids do take a hit.

You'll get the nigh out of these buds when listening to EDM, hip-hop and rock records. The drum-and-bass attack on Outkast's "B.O.B. (Bombs Over Baghdad)" was impactful enough to stimulate some emphatic head-nodding. I was expecting serious distortion, but the low end held its own, allowing both rappers and the choir on the hook to be heard clearly. The iconic guitar riff on Guns N' Roses "Sweet Child O' Mine" was reproduced well, although I felt vocal clarity dipped a little; Axel Rose's screeching is crisper on the AirPods.

The OnePlus Buds aren't engineered to handle complex orchestral recordings. I pulled upwards Eddie Palmieri'south "Vamonos Pa'fifty Monte" and was met with faint mids and highs. The singers and horn section at the offset of the song lacked transparency and were outshone by the ring'due south infectious conga and drum play.

Information technology's a shame the OnePlus Buds just back up AAC, especially subsequently seeing the company's previous releases, the OnePlus Bullets Wireless 2 and Bullets Wireless, come up with aptX streaming. Audiophiles aren't besides addicted of the codec, only it's not a bargain-breaker. I noticed very little difference in sound when playing music on iOS/macOS and Android; my MacBook Pro provided a improve bass response.

Yous will need to be in silent settings to bask the best audio quality possible considering the OnePlus Buds provide zero noise isolation. In my function, I could hear whatever my fiancée was streaming on her iPhone, which pulled me away from Spotify-listening a few times. Common noises similar keyboard clatter and doorbell rings have a loud presence every bit well, even when listening to music at high volume.

OnePlus Buds: App and special features

Extended functionality is limited on the OnePlus Buds. It'south also reserved for OnePlus smartphone owners, leaving Android or iOS users stuck with the default settings.

Those with a OnePlus device can personalize the controls on each bud to fast forward, play/pause or launch the digital banana. Call me picky, but that seems similar a brusk list of controls. On top of that, the long-press gesture cannot be swapped out for another role.

The one major feature worth checking out, Fnatic Manner, is bachelor through the company's Game Space app. In brusque, it'due south a low latency style y'all can turn on to improve audio and video quality when gaming on your OnePlus smartphone. It also works with Spotify and YouTube. Since I didn't have a OnePlus device during testing, I couldn't share any feedback on Fnatic Mode, but I'g hoping to update this section once a unit is made available.

That's practically it for special features. No built-in EQ. No music presets. No ambient listening mode. No call quality enhancement options. You get the picture.

OnePlus Buds: Battery life and charging case

All that really matters these days is that your buds generate more playtime than any of the AirPods models. The OnePlus Buds reach this with battery life rated 7 hours on a single accuse, which is realistically 6 hours when factoring in loftier volume, streaming, and lots of Skype calls. I used the buds for 1.5 hours daily and didn't crave a charge until the fourth twenty-four hour period.

The charging case holds 23 extra hours for 30 hours in total. By comparison, that is higher than the AirPods (24 hours) and Samsung Galaxy Buds Plus (22 hours) charging cases. However, the real star is Fast Accuse, OnePlus' quick-charging applied science that generates ten hours of charge in ten infinitesimal, which is shared between the buds and instance.

If only the charging case was wireless. Information technology'south a missed opportunity given the company'southward flagship headset, the OnePlus eight Pro, supports the feature, along with opposite wireless charging to power up other compatible devices.

OnePlus Buds: Phone call quality and connectivity

As great as the mic organization is for vox commands, it doesn't offering the same feel for phone calls. According to my fiancée, my voice sounded deadened when taking her calls both indoors and outdoors, while friends noticed some dropout on video chats. Volume was loud on both ends, but I found voices on the reverse end lacked clarity.

Where the OnePlus Buds greatly make upwards for their weak call quality is connectivity. Bluetooth range was potent, offering up to about 40 feet of wireless listening before audio started stuttering. Pairing to devices was instant as well, and the switch device feature worked flawlessly, which made it a breeze to jump from my laptop onto my smartphone and vice versa.

OnePlus Buds: Verdict

For $80, the OnePlus Buds are an admirable debut and a no-brainer for OnePlus smartphone users. That's about it. They provide enough operation to brand whatever inexpensive wireless earbuds roundup but besides come with merchandise-offs.

Audio is lively and suitable for mod music genres, although the bass tin come on also strong and mask sonic elements on certain songs. The mics are keen and demonstrate strong speech recognition, but non-OnePlus users take to manually enable the digital assistant on their mobile device to call up Siri or Google Assistant. The charging case is ridiculously powerful, yet lacks wireless charging, which is disappointing since the visitor'southward newest smartphones support the characteristic. And while bombardment life is ameliorate than the AirPods, it isn't by much.

I say the one category where the OnePlus Buds don't compromise is connectivity, which is stable across all platforms. Unfortunately, the bear on controls aren't reliable and sought-later on features like Fnatic Manner can only be accessed through OnePlus smartphones. But even with such exclusivity afforded to the OnePlus faithful, the OnePlus Buds crave more to compete with the market's best.