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AUG 30, 2024
NimishAndAkriti
OnePlus has come out with a pair of TWS that can actually challenge the likes of the Sony WF-1000 XM5, the Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 4, and yes, even the mighty AirPods Pro. And what's amazing is that these do so at a price that is much lower. Nope, we are not talking through our hats or have been swayed by hype. The OnePlus Buds Pro 3 are actually THAT good. Allow us to explain.
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The OnePlus Buds Pro 3 are the latest premium TWS from OnePlus, and we are not going to beat about the bush here - they look very different and very premium and their white-ish avatar (Lunar Radiance) will remind you of bar of Dove soap! The case has a faux leather finish on the front and back and a broad metal brand around it. It is not heavy at all and radiates a lot of class. And Dove feels!
The OnePlus Buds Pro 3 are made in collaboration with legendary audio brand, Dynaudio, which is known for its speakers. And this shows in its sound. It comes with dual drivers, but unlike many other TWS, this one is not bass heavy, but actually has a very balanced sound signature.
You can use the equaliser in the HeyMelody app - and it works equally well with iOS and Android - to pump up the bass or other frequencies. But take it from us, the default audio signature will appeal to most audio purists - it is not classically flat, but is very clear and has none of the excessive bass warmth that clouds most TWS today. We would say that in terms of pure sound quality, it is close to the Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 4 (which is the best in our book) and is better the AirPods Pro and the Sony WF-1000MX5, both of which are slightly bass accented.
There is more to the OnePlus Buds Pro 3 than just very good sound. You also get decent ANC, which kills a reasonable amount of sound (say in a noisy cafe), and also spatial audio and head-tracking. Head tracking is a very cool feature as it changes the direction the audio is coming from depending on how you move your head, giving you an impression of actually sitting in a room full of music. The OnePlus Buds Pro 3 have implemented head tracking very well, although it is not as crazy good as on the AirPods Pro, which are the benchmark in this.
The controls are simple and revolve around squeezing the stem to play and pause tracks, with a longer press activating ANC or transparency mode. Our favourite feature is sliding our finger up and down the stem to control volume!
You get about 6 hours of battery life on the buds and another 20 hours from the case, if you are using ANC (and you should). Call quality is pretty good. And well, the best part is that almost all features work equally well on Android as well as iOS devices. There are hardly any features that are 'exclusive' to OnePlus devices.
The OnePlus Buds Pro 3 are available for Rs 11,999, That is much lower than the AirPods Pro or the Sony WF-1000XM5, which are in the Rs 20,000 - Rs 25,000 range. It beats them in sound quality, matches them in battery life, is not too far behind in ANC and has a broadly similar feature set. Oh and we think that they actually look different in a nice way. If you are looking for premium TWS with high quality audio and lots of features, these should be right on top of your list in terms of sheer value for money!
As always, we will be more than delighted to answer any queries you might have. Shoot us your queries and we assure you we will do our best to answer.
