When it comes to the best earbuds on the market, there are a whole range of factors to consider. Gone are the days when sound quality alone was enough to win the crown.
These days, earbuds need to have strong noise cancelling properties, work well on calls and hopefully look good to boot. That's a tall order, and can see a number of brands and models fall short.
Enter the latest model hoping to make its mark – the OnePlus Buds Pro 3. These earbuds are the latest release from the brand, and pack in all of the latest and greatest technology they have to offer.
Are they any good? Well, let's dive in and take a look.
OnePlus Buds Pro 3 review: Price and Availability
The OnePlus Buds Pro 3 retail at £199 (approx. $263; AU$387.50). However, at the time of writing, they can be widely found with a slight discount, selling for £179.
The buds were launched on the 20th of August 2024.
OnePlus Buds Pro 3 review: Features
Let's start with the sound. Here, users will find a dual driver setup, which fuses an 11mm woofer with a 6mm tweeter. Those have been custom tuned to offer fantastic sonic reproduction across the audio spectrum.
Of course, dual driver arrays are really nothing new. But that's also not the only part of it. The woofer gains a second magnet to increase the amount of power which the low end, while the tweeter has a flat voice coil built in. That's designed to accentuate the absolute finest of high-end details, increasing performance by 35%.
It's not just the drivers which buddy up, either. These earbuds also feature dual DACs – Digital-to-Analog Converters, if you weren't au fait – for converting digital signals into analog sounds.
OnePlus describe that as being like having a pair of Michelin star chefs in a kitchen. Because sure, you could just have one, but doubling up reduces the likelihood of something causing an issue which stops the whole system.
The audio is also crafted in association with the good folks over at Dynaudio. The Danish brand is renowned for top notch audio quality, making it a great pairing for a product like this.
As mentioned right back at the start of this review, though, decent sounding earbuds will only get you so far. These days, quality active noise cancelling properties are arguably just as valuable as a rich sonic profile.
Fortunately, OnePlus has us covered in this regard too, with a redesigned ANC system which has been specifically tuned to reduce background noises of different ilks. That's constantly analysing the world around you to reduce the noise which could be distracting, adapting to different environments as you go.
OnePlus Buds Pro 3 review: Design
When you're spending the best part of £200 on a pair of earbuds, it's also important that they look good. Sadly, this is where – for me at least – these buds fall down slightly.
While certainly not offensive in principle, the vegan leather-covered oval case bares a striking resemblance to a bar of Dove soap. It's actually something which I remarked on when I reviewed the OnePlus Buds 3 – seemingly, soap-looking earbud cases are the order of the day, there.
For me, the combination of leather and gold-toned sides is a little bit gaudy. It feels like the brand has gotten really close to something cool and sophisticated, but has ever so slightly missed the mark. These things are personal, though, so if you love it then you should be right at home here.
OnePlus Buds Pro 3 review: Performance
Where it really counts, though, these buds are excellent. Sonically, the profile is full and rich – perfect for manipulating to suit a variety of different audio types.
There's a wealth of bass response for those so inclined, but where the Buds Pro 3 really shine for me is in the high end detail. Seemingly ordinary tracks with guitars, pianos and raw vocals are given a new lease of life here, with that flat voice coil working overtime to ensure every detail is on show.
ANC is equally fabulous. There's a current crop of earbuds – so far I've used these and the JBL Tour Pro 3 – which have absolutely levelled up the ANC game. I'd say these fall ever so slightly short of what the JBL offering can do, but it's a marginal difference.
Ultimately, if you're not focussed on the absolute finer details, the ANC here is more than good enough. In fact, it's likely good enough to blow your socks off.
OnePlus Buds Pro 3 review: Verdict
If you want a pair of earbuds with top notch active noise cancellation and great sound quality, the OnePlus Buds Pro 3 could be the pick for you. They offer unquestionably great value for money, and are a simple and effective way to enjoy your favourite audio.
Sure, the case design won't be for everyone – and they do fall slightly short of their more costly counterparts – but if you're looking for some of that goodness on a tighter budget, this is the way to go.
OnePlus Buds Pro 3 review: Also Consider
If you're in the market for a pair of earbuds at around this price point, you're actually in a pretty sparse part of the market. Many are either cheaper with a more limited feature set, or more costly.
One of the closest direct competitors is the JBL Live Beam 3. Those offer a range of cool features like the Smart Charging Case, complete with a screen for accessing key features on the fly.
Alternatively, you could opt to save some cash with the Nothing Ear. While those aren't as well rounded as these, they offer decent sound quality and a comfortable fit for pretty much half the price.
