I was in the market for a new pair of “pro” earbuds after an unfortunate travel mishap left my HUAWEI FreeBuds Pro 3 in another country. Luckily, OnePlus is here to the rescue with the new OnePlus Buds Pro 3, keeping with a similar name and impressive sound. Releasing today, August 20, on OnePlus.com and later in the year on Amazon, these little earbuds are well worth the purchase.
The first thing I noticed was the leather-like finish on the OnePlus Buds Pro 3, similar to that of the OnePlus Fold. I like this new edgy style the company has been working with for its last few smartphones, and seeing it crossover into their wearables is making for a really sleek-looking ecosystem. You can purchase these new buds in two colours: Midnight Opus (black, the pair tested) or Lunar Radiance (white). Our buds themselves have a matte black finish that sits in your ear, with a chrome piece that sits outside your ear, which is surprisingly resistant to fingerprints.
The chrome portion of the OnePlus Buds Pro 3 earbuds is where your audio controls come into play, and they are surprisingly responsive. A quick squeeze will pause your music, a double squeeze will skip, a triple will go back, and a slide is your volume control. A long squeeze and hold will jump you in and out of Noise Cancellation and Transparency—allowing you to control how much noise they let in on the fly.
You can also turn In-Ear Detection on or off, allowing music to be controlled by taking out an earbud. Though it does say tapping should be available, I am only able to get squeezes working. The controls also say on the left bud, but it works on both. I’m not complaining.
“…the OnePlus Buds Pro 3 will listen to your surroundings and change how much sound is blocked out based on what is going on.”
Noise Cancellation on the OnePlus Buds Pro 3 earbuds has been very interesting. It manages to block out everything you don’t want but keeps everything you do. OnePlus coins this as their Adaptive Noise Cancellation. Basically, the OnePlus Buds Pro 3 will listen to your surroundings and change how much sound is blocked out based on what is going on. According to OnePlus, this will also help with battery life in the long run.
When I am home and working with the AC going, kids playing, tablets blasting, and so much more, the buds are able to block out anything you might consider “noise.” However, if someone speaks to me clearly, it is still quiet, but I am aware that it is directed at me enough that I can pause and pay attention. If I am in a busy mall and people are talking all around me, the OnePlus Buds Pro 3 earbuds will read that as “noise” rather than deliberate sound and help me filter it out. With some of my favourite earbuds in the past, they just blocked out everything, and I think I’m grateful for this change.
The OnePlus Buds Pro 3 also feature Dual Connection, which allows me to be connected to my PC and my smartphone at once, seamlessly, and connecting them was simple. One other neat feature is Spatial Audio, which makes it sound like everything is coming from right in front of you. If you turn away, the sound changes based on where you’re facing, only coming from the area closest to “in front of you.” This was really cool for gaming, but it became weird walking around the mall. I recommend it for gaming and media like Netflix, etc., but maybe not while you’re out and about!
All of this can be controlled with your smartphone, and how you do that varies. If you are a part of the OnePlus ecosystem like I am with my OnePlus 12 and my OnePlus Pad 2, you can go into your Bluetooth settings and swap to your earbud settings from there. Other non-OnePlus users will need to use the HeyMelody app. I think I prefer a dedicated app, though, as it felt like a few extra presses (five to be exact) to head into my settings.
Once you’re in, you can check your battery levels. Though the case battery doesn’t always show up there, its hit and miss. Only the individual earbuds displayed regularly. The case does, however, have a light that changes to orange when the battery is low. Here is where you can play with presets and equalizers to control your sound. Balanced, Bold, Serenade, Dynaudio Featured, BassWave and custom options are here.
You can also do a few cool things here that aren’t the standard. Zen Mode Air just mutes other sounds and plays your choice of chill sounds like Summer Waves, Morning Park and Forest Rain. You can even set this to one of the earbud controls to access it quickly. There is also Golden Sound, which takes you through a series of tests to customize your sound to your ear canal directly. To add to that, you can also take the Earbud Fit Test, which lets you know if you have the right size ear tips on your buds. Lastly, Find My Earbuds is here, which will play a high-pitched noise to help you locate your missing wearables.
When it comes to sound, I wasn’t completely blown away, but that isn’t to say it isn’t good. The Adaptive Noise Cancellation took getting used to, but I really like the way it adapts to your surroundings, though I wish I had the option to block out everything. The presets make subtle changes. For instance, I noticed that Serenade would bring vocals forward, and Bold would do the same for instruments. But, as an average listener, I didn’t notice a major difference between the others, including Bass.
I am not someone who likes to have to customize my sound with an equalizer. So, usually, a bass-boosting preset is my go-to. Even with that on with the OnePlus Buds Pro 3, I feel like the treble is a little high. I tend to listen to my music loud, and I can’t do that as much with these earbuds—though I guess that is better for my ear health. I started playing with BassWave, which is a boost to the boost, and it has helped a bit. The music still sounds clear and crisp, but I like my tones a little deeper, though it won’t deter me at all because I still love the Buds Pro 3.
The OnePlus Buds Pro 3 earbuds have stepped up their game since the Buds Pro 2, bringing voices forward during calls. The new buds have had their Voice Noise Cancellation increased, helping to drown out background noise during a call. Because I work from home, I have really put the OnePlus Buds Pro 3 to the test over phone calls, and not only could I hear clearly, but no one on the other end had trouble hearing me, even in the noisy chaos I mentioned earlier.
Now, onto the most important feature to me, which is why I usually opt for headphones over earbuds: the battery. The OnePlus Buds Pro 3 earbuds manage to beat out my old favourites in terms of battery life easily. Everyone always talks about battery capacity in terms of what the case can hold (about 43 hours, according to OnePlus), but for me, it’s what I can do in one session. Can it last a whole flight? Can it last most of my work day?
“OnePlus has always been kind with fast charging, and they have carried it over to the OnePlus Buds Pro 3 earbuds.”
The answer is YES! In my first round of testing, four hours went by with Adaptive Noise Cancellation on, with short breaks but never placing them back in the case, and I was still sitting at about 40%. I pushed them further and managed to get about five to six hours total with ANC on. But, in any of those short breaks, had I popped them in the case, I would have learned that I could charge them from 10% to 70% in only ten minutes. OnePlus has always been kind with fast charging, and they have carried it over to the OnePlus Buds Pro 3 earbuds.
What’s even better, though, is that during all those hours of testing, not once did I feel uncomfortable wearing the OnePlus Buds Pro 3, and, usually, I find earbuds incredibly annoying. I have sensitive skin and get overstimulated by things easily, but I never need to take these buds out to recover. I didn’t think that was possible, but here we are.
These earbuds do come at a “pro” price, though, being $179.99 USD/$269.99 CAD, but the Google Pixel Buds Pro 2 are $299.99 CAD, the Samsung Galaxy Buds3 Pro are $329.99 CAD, and even my HUAWEI FreeBuds Pro 3 are $248.99 CAD. Good sound, comfort, battery and style come at a price, and OnePlus remains competitive while still delivering a stylish, impressive pair of buds.
The OnePlus Buds Pro 3 earbuds have been a blessing during these last two weeks of testing. I was never low-battery at an inopportune time and knew fast charging had my back. I was never uncomfortable or struggling with settings and controls. I didn’t feel like I had to cut corners to be met with an impressive price. OnePlus is very quickly becoming a top contender when it comes to smartphones, tablets and wearables, and the OnePlus Buds Pro 3 earbuds are just another clear example of what they can do.
