OnePlus Nord Buds 3 Pro: Best use for your $50?

At first glance, they seem to have all the features of modern earphones – strong noise cancellation, rich sound, plenty of battery, robust, drop-tested construction.

But what are they like in reality? Are the OnePlus Nord Buds 3 Pro comfortable, do they sound good? Let's do a test!

12.4mm titanium coated drivers
Tap Controls
New BassWave 2 algorithm
Bass-emphasized sound
Noise cancellation / transparency are ok
Black color attracts fats
Fast charging – no wireless

OnePlus Nord Buds 3 Pro Specifications

Color options	Black, Jade
Audio	12.4mm, AAC/SBC
Noise cancellation	3 ANC levels, transparency mode
Connectivity	BT 5.4, Multipoint (dual device), Google Fast Pair
Battery life	ANC on: 5.5 hours via earphones, +14.5 hours via case ANC off: 12 hours via earphones, +32 hours via case
Protection class	IP55 for earphones

Design and comfort

Oh, hello (Image credit – PhoneArena)

OnePlus has changed the design of the Nord Buds 3 Pro. Previously, they had flat stems and a flat body. Now, the body is oval-shaped to make it easier to put in your pocket, and the buds themselves look more “traditional.”

The casing is a bit bulky, but we like the soft, rounded shape. Our black device is an absolute fingerprint magnet and upon closer inspection you can already see shiny spots. We cleaned it for the design images. The same can be seen with the black earbuds and their silicone tips, which show traces of sweat and grease soon after the first use.

The earbuds themselves are extremely comfortable. Coming from someone whose ears often struggle with in-ear earbuds, I'm convinced. These fit well, stay in, and don't cause fatigue over time. Nothing to complain about here!

The stems feature a touchpad for media control – this isn't usually popular. However, the touchpads on the OnePlus Nord Buds 3 Pro are very small and have a small ledge around them so your finger can always feel where they are. This means you won't accidentally tap them and stop your music when you're simply adjusting the earbud in your ear.

Standard box internals (Image credit – PhoneArena) – OnePlus Nord Buds 3 Pro: best use for your $50?

Standard box interior (Image credit – PhoneArena)

We get three tips in the box and they seem to cover a wide range of ear shapes, but we feel that users with large ear canals may not find a suitable fit. I usually use small or medium tips depending on the model, but for the Nord Buds 3 Pro I found the large size to be the best fit. You can't get any larger than this unless you go with a third-party manufacturer.

The case has been tested for drops from 1.5 meters, and the earbuds themselves have been tested for 1.8 meters, so OnePlus is covering roughly pocket/head height. We don't actually drop our devices, but the case feels like it could take a fall. The flap only wobbles minimally from left to right, and opens and closes with a hinge that feels strong.

Note, however, that there is no protection rating specified for the case. The earbuds themselves are IP55 rated – they are protected against both dust and water jets, but it is possible for some dust to get into them without affecting their function.

For comparison, the recently introduced Nothing Ear (a) have a slightly weaker IP54 rating and no rating for the housing either.

Sound quality

Did someone say bass? (Image credit – PhoneArena)

Right out of the box, the OnePlus Nord Buds 3 Pro are pretty bass-heavy. If you install the HeyMelody app, you'll see that the default EQ mode is called “balanced,” although we wouldn't say it is.

But they're not a one-trick pony – they don't try to drown you in bass and don't provide any other musical information. They have a good amount of mids too – boxy enough to sound meaty. The musical details are there and the soundstage is surprisingly wide too.

Then there is a noticeable hump towards the high end – these are perceived as louder when the phone is set to 'normal' volume when switching from another pair of earbuds to these. Audiophiles would describe them as slightly 'screaming'.

The good news is that there is an EQ in the HeyMelody app that lets you turn frequencies on and off. It's not super granular, but with a few adjustments here and there, you can achieve something to your liking.

So the verdict is: For $50, I can't scoff at anything. Not even at the $80 MSRP. In fact, I've recommended the Nord Buds 2 before when someone asked me about “good cheap earbuds,” and I'll continue to do so with the Nord Buds 3 Pro.

If you love bass, these should sound good out of the box. You need the app to enable the BassWave feature, which further boosts the bass, but we found it redundant. Also, it doesn't seem to boost the super-deep subs, just something around 120-200Hz. We got better results by boosting the 62Hz point in the custom EQ and then pulling BassWave into the negatives to get a boomy but not intrusive bass.

If, on the other hand, you prefer a more balanced sound, you'll have to download the app again and play around with the equalizer a bit. If you're on a budget, we think it's worth the effort.

Noise cancellation and transparency

Did someone say something? (Image credit – PhoneArena)

OnePlus says these can reduce noises in the sub-4kHz frequency range by up to -49dB. And that's exactly how it feels. Now you need to set the noise cancellation profile to “Max” and make sure the earbuds are calibrated to your ear canals (again, the HeyMelody app). We found them to be very effective at dampening rustles, commotion and noise, thinning out voices and removing hum.

Yes, there are three levels of noise cancellation to choose from – low, medium and maximum, or you can leave it on auto so the Nord Buds 3 Pro will choose the best level based on the current environment. This happens because an aggressive noise cancellation algorithm can reduce some of the bass in your music. We can't say we felt that with these buds when the ANC was set to maximum. Transparency mode is fine. A bit mid-range, a bit tinny, but voices come through so you can hear and respond just fine. Directional sound seems to stay intact, you'll still be able to figure out where something is coming from.

Battery life

OnePlus says the battery life is 12 hours with the earbuds and 44 hours total with the case. That's with ANC turned off, though. When you use it, those numbers drop drastically—to 5.5 hours and 20 hours, respectively. That's a huge drop, but it makes sense since the ANC on these headphones is actually so effective.

The case doesn't have wireless charging—that's one of the bells and whistles you have to sacrifice when it comes to budget earbuds (that sound good). But it does support fast charging via USB C—60 minutes to charge the case from 0%, 80 minutes with both the case and earbuds at 0%.

If you only have 10 minutes to charge, OnePlus says you can still listen to music for 11 hours – albeit with ANC turned off.

Diploma

Not a bad package! (Image credit – PhoneArena)

We expected good value for money from the OnePlus Nord Buds 3 Pro and were not disappointed. We were pleasantly surprised by the new design, which is extremely comfortable, and the very effective ANC, which usually seems like an afterthought on cheaper buds.

It's not an audiophile's dream, but we didn't find them off-putting. All the instruments in our tracks were properly represented, the soundstage felt wide, and the harmonies and musical information were well-reproduced. If we have one complaint, it's the lack of a nice, pristine sizzle – if you turn up the treble, it just sounds harsh. And they have a dull thump that you can't turn down without them sounding weak.

It seems that their signature “character” is to prioritize a punchy feel and clear vocals. And we can't scoff at that at all – those titanium-coated 12.4mm drivers seem to be no joke! The HeyMelody app is a must for an optimal experience.