Several brands are offering increasingly high-quality audio products at reasonable prices. Indeed, with all these advances, being able to enjoy quality sound, while being isolated from what’s going on around us, is now within the reach of almost everyone.
The OnePlus Nord Buds 3 Pro are among the wireless earphones that offer this quality at a reasonable price. For 70 euros instead of the initial 80 euros, you can enjoy quality sound, with enhancedANC . Let’s find out what it’s really like, in this detailed test.
Design and packaging
The design of the OnePlus Nord Buds 3 Pro is nothing out of the ordinary. Indeed, it has to be said that most Bluetooth earphones on sale these days appear with more or less similarities. There are exceptions, such as the Nothing Ear.
Before I really get into the aesthetics of the earphones and their casing, it’s worth mentioning what I found in the box they came in:
- OnePlus Nord Buds 3 Pro
- USB-A to USB-C cable
- Two tips of different sizes
It’s not much, but the fact that the brand provides the user with extra tips is an excellent point. Thanks to this attention to detail, everyone should be able to enjoy a good fit in the ear.
Let’s move on to the design of the OnePlus Nord Buds 3 Pro. I have to say that they remind me a lot of the AirPods Pro, the only difference being that the ones tested today are black, not white. Incidentally, another color is available for purchase: Soft Jade.
They are therefore rather small, measuring just 3 centimetres in height. On the temples, I can see the magnets that attach them to the case, along with the small charging ports. I also note the presence of microphones on each earpiece.
I almost forgot the little pressure sensors at the very top of the OnePlus Nord Buds 3 Pro stems. These will enable you to use certain shortcut commands, thus ruling out the need to touch your phone to do so.
The part of the earphones that will fit in your ears are quite imposing, improving the fit. They’re comfortable, too, since they’re backed by very smooth, soft silicone tips. Personally, I experienced no particular discomfort.
The case is also quite imposing. It’s black, like the earphones, and has small white specks on its body. It’s similar to the FreeBuds 5i case.
OnePlus Nord Buds 3 Pro specifications
| Model | OnePlus Nord Buds 3 Pro |
| Type of earphones | Bluetooth True Wireless |
| Connectivity | Bluetooth 5.4 |
| Codec | AAC/SBC |
| Waterproofing | IP55 |
| Earphone dimensions | Height: 29.9 mm Width: 20.3 mm Thickness: 23.8 mm |
| Case dimensions | Height: 66.6 mm Width: 51.2 mm Thickness: 24.8 mm |
| Frequency range | 20 Hz / 40 KHz |
| Microphone sensitivity | -38 dBV/Pa |
| Dual connection | Yes |
| Controls | Pressure |
Sound quality and HeyMelody app
The day I wore the OnePlus Nord Buds 3 Pro the most was a day of telecommuting, accompanied by noisy work in my yard. These were perfect conditions in which to judge its noise reduction capabilities, but I’ll come back to that in a dedicated section.
This section of the test concerns the audio quality delivered by this pair of headphones, and I have to admit that for 70 euros, I wasn’t disappointed at all. On the contrary, the earphones offered me hours of balanced, deep and clear listening.
I was particularly impressed by the quality of the bass. In audio, it’s common to emphasize bass to give the impression of better sound quality. But in this case, I found it had been done with finesse and subtlety, so there was no problem.
What’s more, thanks to the HeyMelody application, you’ll be able to enhance your sound experience with a variety of tools at your disposal. For example, there’s the traditional sound equalizer, equipped with several useful presets.
My personal favorite is BassWave. It’s this last one in particular that will enable you to obtain deep, present bass, but with delicacy, without saturation. I also note the presence of the Balanced, Serenade and Bass modes.
HeyMelody also lets you manage the headphones’ gesture controls. First, you can assign actions to the left earpiece, then determine different ones for the right earpiece.
Finally, there are other fairly standard settings, such as the search for lost earphones, or the earphone fit test. The latter will help you find the perfect size for your body type.
I’ve deliberately not mentioned all the parameters, as the next part of the test is dedicated to them.
OnePlus Nord Buds 3 Pro functionality
As I said just above, the OnePlus Nord Buds 3 Pro come with a number of very useful features, which are sure to come in handy on a daily basis.
The features include rather “classic” options commonly found on today’s wireless earphones. They include active noise reduction (ANC), a “spatial” listening mode and a dual connection option.
ANC mode
ANC mode, or Active Noise Cancellation, lets you isolate yourself in your own bubble by reducing ambient noise. As I said, I mainly used the OnePlus Nord Buds 3 Pro during a day’s work, and I was bluffed.
Indeed, having a rather thin door, the noise was really unbearable, but after putting on the earphones, nothing. Really, not even a slight background noise, it’s a success in that respect. Personally, I was using the Max mode, and here are the others available:
- Intelligent
- Max
- Moderate
- Soft
As a little clarification, the “Intelligent” mode analyzes surrounding noise in real time and automatically adjusts the noise reduction level, providing a smooth transition without distortion or sound interruption.
OnePlus 3D Audio
The OnePlus 3D Audio mode actually gives you the possibility of spatial sound. That is, by activating this setting, you’ll get the impression that your music or video is emitting a sound that floats around you.
Personally, I’m not a big fan of this mode. When it’s active, you can feel a slight difference, but I’m not particularly convinced. I prefer to have the ANC on at all times.
Dual Connection mode
The headphones I’m testing today can connect to two devices at the same time. Although they don’t play sound from both devices simultaneously, they automatically and intuitively switch between them.
For example, if you stop playing music on the first device and start watching a video on the second, the headphones will automatically switch to the second device. There is sometimes a slight delay, but nothing to worry about, and this could be improved with updates.
User-friendliness
I’ve given a few nods to the comfort of use of the OnePlus Nord Buds 3 Pro in previous sections, in a positive way. Now it’s time to elaborate, and explain why I wasn’t disappointed either.
These are in-ear headphones, and don’t dig deep into the ears. The subtlety is that they do go deep enough to provide passive isolation from outside noise.
What’s more, the eartips supplied, whatever their size, are soft and smooth, causing no discomfort to the cartilage of the ear. These are things that have happened to me in the past, so I was pleased to find this.
On the other hand, if you want to use them for sports, I doubt I’d recommend them for that. Personally, I sweat quite a lot, and I caught the OnePlus Nord Buds 3 Pro slipping out of my ears on several occasions, which annoyed me a little in the long run.
OnePlus Nord Buds 3 Pro battery life
The OnePlus Nord Buds 3 Pro offer pretty decent battery life, suitable for a variety of needs. The earphones themselves have a 58 mAh battery, while the charging case has a 440 mAh capacity.
With active noise reduction (ANC) deactivated and volume at 50%, the earphones offer up to 12 hours of continuous playback. Including on-board recharging, total autonomy reaches 44 hours.
On the other hand, with ANC or transparency mode activated, headphone autonomy drops to 5.5 hours. The case then provides a combined autonomy of 20 hours. These figures show that, even with ANC activated, battery life remains decent for everyday use.
OnePlus Nord Buds 3 Pro: Reviews
The OnePlus Nord Buds 3 Pro are excellent wireless earphones for the price they’re sold at. They’re comfortable to wear, the sound quality is top-notch, and they go everywhere. I must admit I was particularly impressed by the ANC, which proved very effective.
With HeyMelody, you’ll be able to manage a number of handy parameters, in addition to accessing a number of features. They’re not revolutionary, of course, but they’re good value for money.