OnePlus Nord Buds 3 Pro Review: Budget-Friendly with Compromises
The world of wireless earbuds is more competitive than ever, with a plethora of options flooding the market at various price points. In the budget wireless earbud space, under $100, stands the OnePlus Nord Buds 3 Pro. Priced aggressively at $50 (originally $80), they offer a tempting proposition, especially when compared to its sibling, the $70 OnePlus Buds 3.
The Nord Buds 3 Pro boast features like a good noise-canceling mic, high water and dust resistance, and a long battery life. Their sound is decent for the price, and at $50, they’re undoubtedly a steal. However, if you’re seeking quality active noise cancellation (ANC) and intuitive controls, spending a little more might be worth considering.
Let’s delve deeper into the OnePlus Nord Buds 3 Pro and explore what they offer, as well as where they fall short.
Design: A Starry Appearance with Solid Build
The Nord Buds 3 Pro are available in two colorways: Soft Jade and Starry Black. While the jade option promises a refreshing hue, I received the Starry Black. Unfortunately, the "starry" element falls a bit flat. The specks on the case, meant to evoke a galactic look, appear more like dust caught in the case. Although the design is functional and sleek, it’s not as captivating as it aspires to be.
Beyond the starry theme, the charging case itself is impressive. It boasts a comfortable pebble-shaped design with smooth, curved edges. It easily slips into pockets without causing any awkward bulges. Considering the price point, the case is much sturdier than the CMF Buds Pro 2.
The Nord Buds 3 Pro are rated IP55 for water and dust resistance, making them suitable for even sweaty workouts. This high rating was evident during my review period. The earbuds held up well to splashes in the kitchen and occasional accidental contact with water in the bathroom. However, the charging case lacks a rating, so it’s important to avoid submerging it or exposing it to excessive water.
Fit and Controls: Snug, Secure, and Slightly Frustrating
Unlike many in-ear earbuds that struggle to stay in my ears, the Nord Buds 3 Pro provided a surprisingly snug and secure fit. Switching to the small ear tips included in the box ensured a comfortable fit for extended periods. Weighing in at a lightweight 4.4g each, they felt comfortable even during long listening sessions.
The biggest downside lies in their volume control scheme, which is quite convoluted. You can either assign long touch-and-hold gestures on the earbuds to "volume up" or "volume down," meaning you’re limited to only one of these actions. This requires constantly checking your phone to adjust the volume, defeating the purpose of using earbuds.
The tap-and-hold gesture used to cycle through different ANC modes further complicates the issue. The only distinction between volume control and ANC mode switching is a two-second difference in the tap duration, leading to frequent mistaps. The rest of the playback controls, like pause, play, forward, and skip tracks, function well with single, double, and triple taps.
Sound and ANC: Decent Separation, Weak Noise Cancellation
Initially, the sound signature was bass-heavy with a pronounced low-end response. While mids held their ground, the treble was the least prominent of the three. However, at higher volumes, the low end loses some of its initial punchiness, becoming thick, heavy, and muddy.
Despite this drawback, the Nord Buds 3 Pro deliver impressive sound separation for the price. They successfully differentiated various elements in the music, which is a commendable feat for a $50 device. However, the OnePlus Buds 3 still offer even greater detail, while these earbuds easily outperformed the CMF Buds Pro 2.
The Nord Buds 3 Pro support mono listening and wear detection functionality, allowing for listening with a single earbud and automatic playback pause/resume based on earbud insertion and removal. They also feature a "Find My Earbuds" feature in the companion app. While it’s simple, the charging case emits a faint beep that can be helpful when searching for the device in the same room.
The earbuds also allow for simultaneous connection to two devices. I connected them to my iPhone and Nothing Phone (2a) Plus and effortlessly switched between listening to music on both devices.
But here’s where things disappoint: the ANC is incredibly weak. It’s hardly noticeable and often feels non-existent. Whether it’s the tapping of running water, rustling of plastic bags, or even the hum of a bug spray, the sound is indistinguishable with or without ANC. Even with low hums from colleagues a few feet away, their voices remained clear despite ANC being enabled. While this might be expected in higher-pitched noises, it’s disappointing for such a ubiquitous feature.
Battery Life and Mic: Long Endurance and Effective Noise Rejection
The Nord Buds 3 Pro boast an impressive 44-hour battery life with ANC off. This is comparable to many competitors, including the OnePlus Buds 3 (44 hours), CMF Buds (43 hours), and even surpasses the Samsung Galaxy FE Buds (30 hours). You get 12 hours of playback with ANC off and an extended 44 hours with the charging case. However, enabling ANC reduces the total playtime to 20 hours.
While the lack of wireless charging might be expected at this price, the earbuds do offer quick charging capabilities. Ten minutes of charging provides 11 hours of playtime.
The Nord Buds 3 Pro feature an "anti-wind design" for the microphone, employing an "outer metal mesh and cavity structure to block wind noise and an internal acoustic mesh that further filters out wind and other noise." Testing this thoroughly with both real wind and artificial wind from a tower fan yielded positive results. My caller confirmed that even with the earbuds just two inches away from the fan, they couldn’t hear any wind noise.
Verdict: A Budget-Friendly Option with Notable Trade-offs
The OnePlus Nord Buds 3 Pro offer a lot for their price, but they also fall short in some crucial areas. Their snug fit, impressive sound separation, high water and dust resistance, excellent noise-canceling mic, and long battery life are all appealing features. The absence of quality ANC is a significant shortcoming, particularly considering its inclusion in similarly priced competitors like the Galaxy Buds FE and the OnePlus Buds 3. While the bass getting muddy at high volumes might be attributed to limitations in driver quality, the unintuitive volume control is a missed opportunity for a more user-friendly experience. Fortunately, features like mono listening and finding my earbuds add some welcome functionality.
Ultimately, the Nord Buds 3 Pro offer exceptional value for their price and are a solid choice for those on a budget. However, if quality ANC is non-negotiable, the aforementioned competitors from Samsung and OnePlus provide superior options. For a mere $20 more, the OnePlus Buds 3 offer far better ANC performance. Ultimately, the decision boils down to your priorities and how much you’re willing to compromise, especially regarding the ANC and control scheme.
