 "OnePlus Nord Buds 3 Review: Value for money TWS earbuds for the Bassheads")
Pros:
- Good sound output for the segment after a few tweaks
- Functional ANC and dual pairing support in this budget
- Customisable controls, volume control on the buds
- Handy companion app for more tweaks
- Comfortable in-ear fit, IP55 ingress protection
- Impressive battery backup, fast charging
- Good call quality
- Great pricing
Cons:
- Default sound is extremely bass-heavy
- No wear detection sensors
Price: Rs 2,299
Rating: 4/5
A month and a half ago, we reviewed the OnePlus Nord Buds 3 Pro. The Pro variant appeared out of the blue with no prior history in the Nord Buds series. We now inspect its non-Pro variant which seems like a logical successor to the Nord Buds 2. Interestingly, the OnePlus Nord Buds 3 does not cut too many corners in comparison to the Pro and seems to offer even better value for money. But does it? Let’s find out.
OnePlus Nord Buds 3: Design and Comfort (8/10)
The design of the Nord Buds 3 is exactly the same as its Pro variant. You get the same, short earbud stems that are sort of tear-shaped. The oval case is similar too, sans the ‘tasteful speckled accents’ or the dotted pattern. You get an even matte finish here that makes the product look polished and keeps the charging case and the back of the earbuds pretty much smudge-free. They come in different colour shades though - (Harmonic) grey and (Melodic) white.
The case is still very pocketable. Battery capacity hasn’t been changed either with each bud holding 58 mAh charge and the case flaunting 440 mAh. A charge indicator LED is located at the front of the case, while a USB-C charging port along with a neatly camouflaged Bluetooth pairing/reset button are present at the bottom. This product is slightly lighter than the Nord Buds 3 Pro with the buds weighing 4.2 grams each and the case well under 40 grams.
The fit remains great with the earbuds sitting comfortably in the ear and not popping out even during a workout or a jog. The right-sized silicon tips offer decent passive noise isolation and eventually help in improving ANC. Yes, this one has ANC too! The touch zones at the back have a slight indentation to let you know where to tap. The touch sensitivity is good and the buds produce a small beep every time you tap in the zone. The earbuds are IP55-rated dust and splash-resistant, but the charging case does not have any ingress protection.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsOnePlus Nord Buds 3: Features and Specifications (8/10)
As I mentioned earlier, OnePlus hasn’t cut too many corners here as compared to the Pro. The three things worth mentioning are the absence of wear detection sensors to pause the audio when you take a bud out of the ear and resume when you put it back in, the reduction in ANC depth from 49dB to 32dB and two microphones in each bud instead of three. The company uses the same 12.4 mm dynamic drivers with titanized diaphragm in these earbuds too.
The Nord Buds 3 retains dual-pairing support which is great to see as it is quite rare in the sub-Rs 2,500 segment. These Bluetooth 5.4 earphones support SBC and AAC codecs. You don’t need to install any app if you use these buds with a OnePlus phone released in the past five years. You get access to various settings of the buds in the Bluetooth settings itself. For other phones, you need to install the HeyMelody app to access those features. The app is available for Android and iOS both.
The app lets you alter the sound output using a 6-band equaliser and a Bass Wave slider, toggle noise cancellation, configure the controls and update the firmware, among other things. You can assign play/pause, previous/next track, voice assistant or nothing to single-tap, double-tap and triple-tap gestures. Touch-and-hold lets you switch between ANC modes. Long touch and hold lets you increase or decrease the volume from the earbuds itself.
OnePlus Nord Buds 3: Performance (7.5/10)
The Nord Buds 3 are perfectly audible at around 60 per cent volume level even when outdoors. The latency is low enough when watching visual content, and there was no noticeable lag between the video and audio when streaming videos from OTT platforms. The wireless range is as advertised with a strong connection of up to 10 metres with a clear line of sight.
As for sound quality, it comes as no surprise that the default sound signature of the Nord Buds 3 on the ‘Balanced’ preset is distinctly bass-heavy, with other higher frequencies taking a back seat; even more so than the Pro. Of course, you have a Bass preset too if you need even more bass (if you do, you probably need to get your ears checked). The Bold preset is missing here too but Serenade does a good job offering clearer mids and prominent highs as compared to the other two presets.
If you have read our previous Nord Buds reviews, you know by now to not bother with the presets and create a custom profile for yourself using the 6-band Sound Master EQ (Equaliser). A good idea would be to lower the upper bass and boost the mids and highs as displayed in the image below. And then explore further till you get the best possible result that suits your taste. And you can create multiple profiles that can be used in different genres of music. Of course, if you like more bass, stick to the default sound; we won’t judge you.
You also get a BassWave slider, which is better suited to lower the bass than to bump it up. With the above tweaks, the Nord Buds 3 sounds a lot better than what they do out of the box and is quite similar to the Pro variant. They produce a punchy sound output with a better balance and sharpness but remain on the bass-heavy side. The soundstage here is not too broad and the instrument separation is average at best, but both are par for the course in this segment.
The active noise cancellation (ANC) figures for the Nord Buds 3 are modest at 32 dB. They may not be as high as 49 dB as on the Pro but still a significant jump from 25 dB on the Nord Buds 2. Numbers aside, the ANC here is a little better than its predecessor and similar to the Moderate mode on the Pro. Unlike the Nord Buds 3 Pro, you don’t get varying degrees of ANC here; it’s simply on or off and transparency mode, which is a good thing.
Anyway, I wasn’t too pleased with the implementation of Max ANC in the Pro variant as it tended to build a bit of pressure in the ears leading to discomfort. I preferred to switch to Moderate mode, which though not as effective, kept things a lot more comfortable in the ears. It does manage to reduce several low-frequency ambient sounds like the buzz of an AC or the sound of car engines, along with some background chatter in public transport.
The Transparency mode here is functional at best and could have done with a bit of boost to the vocal frequencies. It does keep you aware of your surroundings when crossing the street or at train stations or airports, but you often need to strain your ears to have a chat with someone with the buds in your ears. But let’s not forget, that we are talking about a highly affordable pair of TWS earbuds, and some shortcomings can be overlooked, if not all.
OnePlus Nord Buds 3: Call quality (7.5/10)
The call quality here is quite good indoors and perfectly acceptable outdoors too. People on the line were clearly audible to each other for the most part. When outdoors, the background noise is kept in check, though not eliminated entirely. The voice quality doesn’t get impacted too much even in noisy areas but you may need to speak a bit louder to be heard clearly. Nonetheless, the Nord Buds 3 is a pretty good option for calling among budget TWS buds.
OnePlus Nord Buds 3: Battery life (9/10)
One area where the Nord Buds 3 does better than the Pro is battery backup, especially with ANC on. Mind you, the Nord Buds 3 Pro already boasts of excellent battery backup figures, and to go past it is no mean feat. The company claims 8 and 12 hours of audio playback for the buds with ANC on and off respectively, and 28 and 43 hours overall with the charging case in similar operating conditions. With the loudness mostly around 60% during my testing, the earbuds actually managed to get close.
The earbuds lasted for a good 7 hours with ANC on and over 11 hours without ANC. With the charging case, you get an overall battery backup between 25 to 40 hours depending on your ANC usage. These are excellent figures with and without ANC. The fast charging figures are at par with the Pro with a 10-minute charge promising close to 11 hours of playtime with the buds and case combined without ANC, which is equally impressive. The buds can be charged fully in less than an hour, while the case takes another 20 minutes to get to 100 per cent.
OnePlus Nord Buds 3: Price and verdict
The OnePlus Nord Buds 3 can be purchased for Rs 2,299 with a one-year warranty. That makes it a good thousand Rupees cheaper than the Nord Buds 3 Pro, and the only worthwhile thing you will miss is wear detection sensors for which I wouldn’t want to pay that premium. Key features like sound quality, call quality and battery backup are at par, if not better. Thus, it offers better value overall and we would gladly recommend it over the Pro at its current price.
The Nord Buds 3 may not please the purists with its bass-heavy sound but the bassheads will love it. And realistically, you will find a lot more of the latter in this segment than the former. Also, you can pair these buds with two devices simultaneously; a rare luxury in this budget for now. Given its overall performance and extensive feature set, the OnePlus Nord Buds 3 is easy to recommend under Rs 2,500, but do consider the competition before you swipe your card.
There are a couple of options that come to mind. If you are looking for a like-for-like alternative in terms of features but with less bass and better ANC numbers, the older CMF (by Nothing) Buds now sell for under Rs 2,500. It would be a better choice if you prefer a more balanced sound. If dual-pairing is not a requirement, the Realme Buds T300 with Apple Airpods-like design, similar features and performance can be purchased for Rs 1,799, which makes it a very tempting alternative too.
The new Realme Buds T310 priced under 2.5K adds dual-pairing support and claims to improve ANC further, but we are yet to test it. The competition in the budget TWS earbuds segment in India is heating up. Stay tuned to figure out who takes the sub-Rs 2,500 crown among TWS earbuds this year.
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