OnePlus Nord Buds 3 were launched in India almost two months later on September 17 OnePlus Nord Buds 3 Pro launchedThe newly launched True Wireless Stereo (TWS) earphones come with 12.4mm titanium dynamic drivers, active noise cancellation (ANC) support up to 32dB and are said to offer up to 43 hours of total battery life. The vanilla option appears to be similar to the Pro variant in terms of design. They share some specifications, but the cheaper Nord Buds 3 come without some of the features offered by the Nord Buds 3 Pro. Do these differences affect the overall performance of the base version? Is there any visible difference in the user experience offered by these two earphones? We’ll find out in this review.
OnePlus Nord Buds 3 design and features: Familiar territory
- Size – 29.99 x 20.30 x 23.87 mm (bud); 66.60 x 51.24 x 24.83 mm (case)
- Weight – 4.2 (buds); 46.2 grams (case)
- Water and dust resistance – IP55
- Color – Harmonic Grey, Melodic White
The newly launched OnePlus Nord Buds 3 have a similar design to the Nord Buds 3 Pro design. Like the Pro variant, these TWS earphones keep the traditional in-ear design with silicone ear tips. The tips come in small, medium, and large options, and the medium size provided the best fit for me.
The tactile control zone towards the top of the stem is delimited by a dip
The earphones are comfortable to use for long periods of time. The wide-bottomed stems of the earphones allow users to adjust the fit more easily. There’s less chance of accidentally triggering a touch control command because the sensors are mounted toward the upper, narrower part of the stem and are marked by a noticeable dent.
Meanwhile, the pebble-shaped magnetic charging case of the OnePlus Nord Buds 3 has a USB Type-C port and a pairing button at the bottom. A flashing LED light on the front of the case indicates the charging status of the device. The charging connectors are placed at the bottom inside the case. Even with the earphones, the case is lightweight and easy to carry around. The earphones have an IP55 rating for dust and splash resistance, while the case has no such certification. These are available in Harmonic Gray and Melodic White color options.
OnePlus Nord Buds 3 app and specifications: The clear essentials
- Driver – 12.4 mm
- Companion App – Hey Melody App
- Gesture control – yes
The Hey Melody app allows users to monitor the battery level of the charging case as well as the individual earphones. It also helps in managing different noise-cancellation modes, namely on, off and transparency. You can use the app to control touch functions and customize EQ settings. The dedicated game mode is claimed to ensure smooth gaming and audio-visual playback with low latency. Dual device connectivity allows the earphones to be connected to two devices simultaneously.
EQ settings can be easily customized via the Hey Melody app
OnePlus Nord Buds 3 have 12.4mm dynamic drivers and dual-mic system. They offer up to 32dB of ANC and up to 43 hours of total battery life. Each earbud packs a 58mAh battery, while the charging case houses a 440mAh cell. The case is equipped with a USB Type-C charging port. They support Google Fast Pair, Bluetooth 5.4 connectivity, and SBC and AAC audio codecs. Only the earphones come with an IP55 rating for dust and splash resistance.
OnePlus Nord Buds 3 performance and battery life: Too much bass?
- ANC – 32dB
- Battery – 58mAh (buds), 440mAh (case)
- Fast Charging – Yes
- Bluetooth – v5.4
Is there such a thing as too much bass? This is the first question that came to my mind within the first few minutes of using the OnePlus Nord Buds 3. But it’s less the existence of bass boost than the lack of balanced tuning. Upon switching to these with my regular earphones during the review period, I was not pleased when some of my current favorite tracks sounded muddy. The lack of detail, especially with high-frequency sounds, is most obvious.
However, the customizable EQ settings on the Hey Melody app are a saving grace of sorts. For a casual listener like me, messing around with the six-band equalizer got me to a place where I could play most of the songs on my playlist tolerably. The Serenade preset on the app highlights the vocals a bit, but it mostly takes away some of the punch from the bass. And while I’m not crazy about the sound quality, I’m not complaining about the bass. Bass is good. It gets us out of bed or sometimes helps us procrastinate. It would have been better if there was a balanced sound.
The earphones with charging case are lightweight and easy to carry
Move forward ANC. Let’s call a spade a spade; It doesn’t do much. This will suppress some internal disturbances for you, but it is far from canceling out anything. Of course, Transparency mode allows in more noise than ANC mode, but it doesn’t keep out much noise either. I was inclined to turn off the ANC feature instead of using the Transparency mode.
Considering this, the mic performance of the OnePlus Nord Buds 3 is good. Can you enjoy a robust phone conversation with these earphones in the middle of a busy road? No. Should you hope so? Not even. The sound, if slightly distorted, is audible. I’m not a big person, so I can’t say it’s made much of a difference in my experience.
However, my gripes with the OnePlus Nord Buds 3 end there. The earphones support dual device connectivity with Google Fast Pair. This not only means that TWS wearables can be connected to two devices simultaneously, but these earphones also allow us to seamlessly switch between them. These budget offerings come with Bluetooth 5.4 connectivity with SBC and AAC support. The lack of lossless audio codec support is justified considering the price.
Similar to the Pro variant, these earphones have a wider stem bottom
The most important element of the OnePlus Nord Buds 3 is battery life. The company claims bigger numbers, and in most cases, they’re close. Without ANC, these earphones gave me about 42 hours of total playback time, while the earphones alone can last for more than 11 hours on a single charge. Once ANC is turned on, battery life is significantly reduced. I got a little over 26 hours of total playback time and about six hours on earphones alone. I didn’t go above 50 percent volume during the battery testing period.
OnePlus Nord Buds 3: Verdict
It turns out that there can be too much bass, especially if the overall tuning is unbalanced. Admittedly, the sound experience provided by the OnePlus Nord Buds 3 lacks detail, and the noise cancellation performance is inadequate. However, this will not impact interested customers, especially those who are on a tight budget.
At Rs. Priced at Rs 2,299, these TWS earphones offer impeccable battery life. Additionally, for casual listeners who consistently use earphones for long periods of time, the comfortable fit of the OnePlus Nord Buds 3 is a nice encouragement. Especially since most budget TWS earphones are notorious for irritating the ears with prolonged use. The seamless dual connectivity adds to the list of reasons you can choose from.
With limited funds, none of us are expecting a studio-based sound experience. After all, half a loaf of bread is better than none at all. If you have extra flourHowever, you can opt for the OnePlus Nord Buds 3 Pro (Review), which is retailing at 3,299 in India at Rs. At additional Rs. 1,000, you will get much better sound and noise cancellation.
