OnePlus Nord Buds 3 Pro review: A value pick that feels too good to be true

OnePlus has a new pair of budget truly-wireless earbuds, and it’s the Nord Buds 3 Pro. The story with the Nord Buds 3 Pro is mostly the same as last year’s Nord Buds 2 Pro. These are sub-$100 earbuds with usable ANC and transparency modes, and that’s just as impressive in 2024 as it was in 2023. The newer model does have an MSRP that’s $20 higher than the older one, pushing the retail price to $80, but I suspect we’ll see these earbuds go on sale often. They’re already $20 off on OnePlus’ website, bringing the Nord Buds 3 Pro down to the same exact price as the Nord Buds 2 Pro.

And you do get quite a bit of improvement in exchange for the price jump, most notably in the earbuds’ design. It’s more sensible now, with a compact design and extra character in the charging case’s colorways. The earbuds themselves are overhauled, too, and they ditch the chunky build of the Nord Buds 2 Pro. At their core, the Nord Buds 3 Pro are a cheap pair of TWS earbuds that still sound pretty good and offer active noise-canceling. What more can you really ask for in this price range?

About this review: OnePlus provided a pair of Nord Buds 3 Pro for the purposes of this review. The company had no input in this article, and did not see its contents before publishing.

Pricing, specs, and availability

OnePlus launched the OnePlus Nord Buds 3 Pro earlier this month, alongside the OnePlus Watch 2R. However, they’re not exactly brand new. These are basically the Oppo Enco 4 Pro earbuds rebadged and sold under the OnePlus name, kind of like how the OnePlus Open was a rebranded version of the Oppo Find N3. The Nord Buds 3 Pro typically retail for $80, and they’re only available from OnePlus for now. However, they’re already discounted to $60 at the time of publishing. You can pick up these earbuds in a Soft Jade (teal) or Starry Black (black) colorway.

What I like

The design, color, and fit of the Nord Buds 3 Pro are great

Immediately after unboxing the OnePlus Nord Buds 3 Pro, I was struck by the earbuds’ design. They have this speckled appearance to them that adds a lot more character than a typical solid color. There’s also the debossed OnePlus logo on the front of the case that features a glossy, reflective finish. One of our biggest qualms with the Nord Buds 2 Pro was the uninspired and basic colorways, so this is nice to see here.

It’s also great that the charging case is more compact overall, while providing slightly more battery life. This case now has an egg-shaped form factor with flat edges on the front and back, plus a USB-C port and pairing button on the bottom. You’ll get up to 5.5 hours of listening time from each earbud with ANC, and that can be boosted to 12 hours with ANC off. However, OnePlus says these figures are based on the volume being set to 50%, so expect a bit less battery life than the rated numbers. In my testing, the Nord Buds 3 Pro can last a few days on a single charge when you factor in the charging case’s 20 hours of rated capacity.

Related

OnePlus Buds 3 review: It gets a lot of things right for the price

A good pair of earbuds for a reasonable price.

The sound quality is better than I’d expect for the price

It’s important to manage your expectations here, but the sound quality from the Nord Buds 3 Pro is extremely solid. I recently reviewed the Beats Solo Buds, which are another pair of budget TWS earbuds priced at $80. The Nord Buds 3 Pro sound decidedly better, with greater fullness and much better sound isolation, even if that comes with a slight overemphasis on bass. By comparison, the Solo Buds sound too tinny and lack the same depth as I heard from the Nord Buds 3 Pro. I’m not replacing my AirPods Pro 2 anytime soon, but it’s safe to say the Nord Buds 3 Pro are the best-sounding earbuds I’ve tested under $100.

The active noise-canceling is a different story. It’s not bad, but I suspect that the passive sound isolation that comes from the seal the Nord Buds 3 Pro ear tips make with your ear blocks out more sound than ANC itself. However, on a pair of budget earbuds like these, I value transparency mode a lot more than ANC. It’s great to be able to order a coffee or answer a quick question without pulling out your earbuds. I sorely miss transparency mode whenever I’m testing budget earbuds, like the Solo Buds, but thankfully it’s here on the Nord Buds 3 Pro.

These earbuds also have a few more advanced features, and you’ll need to use the HeyMelody app for that. It’s available on iOS and Android, which is always nice to see. Some features, like 3D audio, are exclusive to OnePlus devices. I tested the Nord Buds 3 Pro primarily with the OnePlus 12R, but Android quick pairing makes these a breeze to use with most Android phones.

Related

Beats Solo Buds review: Tiny earbuds with a bigger punch

They’re not the best-sounding earbuds, but for their size and price, the Beats Solo Buds are a worthy choice.

What I don’t like

The touch controls are borderline unusuable

The touch controls on the OnePlus Nord Buds 3 Pro are so bad that I almost thought the earbuds didn’t support them at all. The only gesture that I could get to work reliably in my testing was the basic long press to cycle through ANC modes. Everything else, from play/pause and other media playback controls to volume adjustments, was incredibly unreliable. Eventually, I stopped fiddling with them altogether and used my phone or watch instead.

To be honest, if corners have to be cut to achieve this price point, I can live with bad touch controls. However, you should know about this issue before you buy the Nord Buds 3 Pro, because it can get annoying fast. When you just accept that you’ll need to open up your phone to make changes, the experience is a lot better.

Should you buy the OnePlus Nord Buds 3 Pro?

You should buy the OnePlus Nord Buds 3 Pro if:

• You have a OnePlus phone and want a budget pair of earbuds
• You want earbuds with ANC and good battery life for under $100
• You like the look and design of these earbuds

You should NOT buy the OnePlus Nord Buds 3 Pro if:

• You have a bigger budget to pay more for a better pair of TWS earbuds
• You need really powerful ANC and great software features
• The bad touch controls are a dealbreaker

Personally, I’m not one to cheap out on truly-wireless earbuds — they’re in my ears almost all the time, so I’m willing to pay a premium for the best. With that being said, I was surprised by how easy it was to switch from the $250 AirPods Pro 2 and Galaxy Buds 3 Pro to the $80 Nord Buds 3 Pro. That’s about the best compliment I can give to these earbuds. The touch controls are a real downer, and the ANC isn’t doing much heavy lifting beyond the standard passive sound isolation. Beyond that, these are a solid-sounding pair of sub-$100 earbuds that budget buyers can feel comfortable spending their cash on.

Best value

OnePlus Nord Buds 3 Pro

A surprisingly-good experience for $80

$60 $80 Save $20

If you’re in the market for a sub-$100 pair of truly-wireless earbuds, it’ll be hard to beat the OnePlus Nord Buds 3 Pro. They aren’t the best in the market, but they might very well offer the best value for your money.