Chinese Tech company OnePlus are known for producing some fantastic, premium, yet affordable smartphones with the Nord 2 and the OnePlus 10 Pro.
Aside from the other tech they make, they have also made some quality earbuds - but recently they have released a budget-focused model that tries to merge some of their high-end tech into a cheaper form.
Those familiar with OnePlus will recognise the name Nord as the name of one of their midrange smartphones, and with the Nord buds they seem to be trying to do something similar by transplanting some of those higher-end features into a budget device.
The Nord buds come in only black, which doesn’t bother me too much although some people may be disappointed in the lack of colours.
At 27 x 20 x 23mm these are a very compact pair of buds, and at 4.2g they are very lightweight with even the case being incredibly light at only 41g, making these very easy to carry in your pocket without issues.
With a standard earbuds shape and silicone ear tips, the most notable detail is the strange, short but flat stems that make it easy to remove from your ear.
It makes them look distinct, and although they certainly aren’t going to win any beauty awards, the buds and case never look cheap or off-putting like so many in this price bracket.
Made from plastic they don’t exactly feel rugged, but it does ensure they are lightweight, making them comfortable to wear and easy to carry - although that does come at the cost of durability.
They are safe from some moderate water shenanigans as they feature an IP55 certification making them water, sweat and splash resistant, so they’ll be ok in a mild drizzle or at the gym.
The stem with a small also has a concave circular touch panel that enables playback controls, which is pretty impressive for the price range.
The case is a simple but elegant pill shape which made them a little awkward in a back or pocket when compared to the more standard square or rectangular shapes.
The external design has a matte black look with the OnePlus logo on the top and a small LED battery indicator, a pairing button on the back with a USB-C port.
THe buds are also magnetically held within the charging case to avoid you losing or dropping them.
They were surprisingly comfortable to wear for short to slightly longer amounts of time although I would need a few breaks if I tried to wear them all day.
The Nord buds connect via Bluetooth 5.2 making them fast and reliable they are also natively supported on OnePlus phones, meaning no apps will be needed but for non-OnePlus, android devices you can use the Hey Melody app to customise them.
From within the app or a OnePlus device you can change the equalizer settings, tap controls, update them or use “Find my earbuds” which is incredibly handy and also rare for a budget pair of buds.
Sadly iPhone users will miss out on much of the customisation functionality which seems a little unfair, but I guess if you can afford an iPhone, you can buy more Apple-specific buds.
The touch panels are simple to use with the standard One tap to play or pause, two taps skip ahead, and three taps go backwards.
Unfortunately, you can’t amend the volume with the touch controls and will still need to do this from your device.
Obviously, there’s no ANC but this just isn’t possible at this price range. They also don’t pause or resume play when they are taken in or out of your ears as they have no sensor but this won’t be a deal-breaker for most users.
The audio quality of the Nord buds was also punching well above its weight. The decent-sized 12.4mm titanium drivers do a great job but they aren’t exactly punchy or doing anything remarkable.
The mids and highs were clear but the audio is tinny if you have it at higher volumes. I found them great for video and gaming just slightly lacking detail on music but very well balanced and without the over-the-top bass that many buds have.
The mic did an ok job of picking up my voice clearly while I was indoors or somewhere quiet but as sound as the background noise became loud the output quality severely dropped.
Using Bluetooth 5.2 and ultra-low latency, means they stay perfectly in sync with films, video and even the fastest games.
The Buds provide around 7 hours of playback and with the case that’s 30 hours in total, this will vary slightly depending on your use and volume settings, but I found it to be pretty accurate giving me about 6 to 7 hours.
Like all modern wireless buds they charge from the case and the case be replenished via USB-C cable which isn’t always the case in this price range so it’s appreciated.
The buds take about an hour to be fully charged, however just ten mins of charge can give you about 4 hours of audio playback which is fantastic if you are caught short or forgot to charge them.
Verdict 4/5
The Nord buds have several features normally reserved for my more expensive buds and while compromises have been made, to build, audio quality and noise cancellation, they have a great battery life, and are comfortable and simple to use.
There aren’t the perfect buds for those who are very precise with the audio, nor are they a great fit for a loud office or being in a busy outdoors setting due to the lack of ANC.
Despite this, it’s hard to look past that phenomenal price of £39.99 which is an incredible price for a decent pair of wireless earbuds and puts them well above others in this range, making them a perfect gift and if you are on a tight budget I literally cannot think of a better option.
The OnePlus Nord buds are available now for the OnePlus website for £39.99.
