Josh Hendrickson
The OnePlus Nord is coming, and we already have some first impressions. But the company isn’t resting on its laurels; today, it announced a $79 set of true wireless earbuds dubbed the OnePlus Buds. Generously, the case resembles the AirPods, but with a nice splash of color, if that’s your thing.
OnePlus Buds promises 30 hours of charge with the case, and while that’s a little more than AirPods, it’s the recharge time that stands out. Thanks to OnePlus Buds Warp Charge, you can get ten hours of use after just ten minutes of chargings. Thanks to the included 13.4mm dynamic driver and support Dolby Atmos and Dirac Audio Tuner support, they should sound outstanding.
OnePlus says the Buds have Environmental Noice Cancellation. However, how that differs from Active Noice Cancellation isn’t entirely clear, but it sounds like it’s a feature solely meant for voice calls instead of cutting the world out when you’re listening to music. Given the lack of silicone tips, true Active Noise Canceling likely isn’t possible.
OnePlus Buds supports Google’s open Fast Pair standard. That means they’ll connect to any Android smartphone (including OnePlus phones naturally) without the need to dig into the settings menu. They’ll also connect to your Google account for easier pairing across devices. If you are paired to a OnePlus phone, you’ll get lower-latency, which should improve your audio sync.
The Buds are IPX4 rated and come in White, Gray, and Nord Blue. The actual earbuds resemble the OnePlus Bullet headphones. OnePlus says its true wireless earbuds will release July 21 and cost $79. While OnePlus will release the Buds “worldwide” the “Nord Blue” color will only hit Europe and India.
