Oneplus BUDS

If You Love Oneplus Insanely

Oneplus has launched a new series of Earbuds which is a deviation from the regular bullet Bluetooth headsets from the company. The entry of Oneplus in the TWS game is surely going to make the competition real heated up as we have seen that in recent times the market has been flooded with Bluetooth Earbuds. So we will be providing you an insight into how the new Oneplus Buds differs from the bullet Bluetooth headsets from Oneplus and also we will be testing the claim of the company about the enhanced sound experience.

Design

The variant which we are reviewing today has the Nord Blue color which rhymes with the recently launched Oneplus Nord smartphone. The fashion in which the new Oneplus Buds are designed is very similar to that of Apple’s Earbuds. The distinct aspect of the design of the Buds is its surface, which includes the Cd-accent seen on the other Bullet headphones of Oneplus. The charging case of the Oneplus Buds looks very much similar to that of

Apple Earbuds. The case is very compact and possesses lightweight making it easy to carry around in your pocket. On the front is a pin-hole where an LED would signify the battery life of the case and the buds. This indicates the amount of battery left in the case after you remove the Buds. At the bottom of the case is a USB-C port, and there is a sync button on the back of the device which doubles as a way to test the Buds’ battery status inside. The hinged back has a tiny silver metal plating which provides a pleasant contrast to the white case.

Unlike the Bullet headsets, the new Oneplus Buds does not have interchangeable tips meaning you get a standard tip. The buds fit the average ear size quite comfortably and while reviewing it I did not come across any issues while wearing it as I was able to wear the buds for a longer period. The negative point of having no interchangeable tips is that the Earbuds might not fit in the ears of every individual because the anthropometry of individuals differs.

Performance

The Oneplus Buds has the touchpads where each bud

can recognize a double-tap command which can be further customized if you have Oneplus smartphones to connect with otherwise the double-tap only changes the song tracks. In terms of connectivity, the Buds supports multi-device connection meaning if you turn off the Bluetooth of the device with which it is connected then the Buds will get connected to the previously paired device if it’s in range. The Buds also allows you to take calls with and also you can activate voice assistant. One Plus Buds also has a unique feature of Find Device which becomes helpful when you accidentally drop the Buds. The company has not released any companion App to show the status of the Buds and for making adjustments. The only way to make some adjustments and to see the status of the Buds is through Oneplus phones only.

The Buds possess three microphones which enhances the call quality. There is an ‘environmental noise cancellation’ feature that cuts out any unwanted noise disturbances while making calls.

Oneplus Buds has a 13.4mm driver with 1KHZ sensitivity. The sound quality of the Buds is really impressive especially the Bass which it delivers and there is no overlapping of one frequency over others so you get balanced sound quality. The Buds also has IPX4 certification which means that it can easily endure water splashes or sweats which can turn out to be very useful when you are running or hitting the gym. The Buds offers a 10m range of connectivity and has Bluetooth 5.0. The company has also taken into consideration the need for better sound quality while gaming and for that, the Buds comes with low latency mode.

Battery

Oneplus Buds holds a battery of 430mah for the charging case and each bud has 35mah battery power. The charging case has a type-c port which means that the case supports fast charging. On a single charge, the Oneplus Buds can run up to 7 hours of music land 4.3 hours of voice calls. You get 30 hours of playback as you throw in the additional charging from the box. The Company also claims that putting the buds in the charging case for 10 minutes through a 10W charger can give up to 10 hours of listening time and while testing this claim we found out that the Buds not necessarily last for 10 hours straight but they can surely last 5-6 hours.

Conclusion

Oneplus Buds are companies first offering in the TWS category after wired Bullet earphones. The design is compact yet toughened of the case. The buds are quite similar to Apple Airpods and Vivo TWS Neo but, do not fit every ear. The noise cancellation and the sound quality are decent. The battery backup is suitable for daily wearers and those who commute to work. Available at Rs 4,990, Oneplus Buds do not offer an edge over the others and formidably lacks to compete with its own brethren Oneplus Bullet. ■

haider@mymobile.co.in