OnePlus Buds Pro 3 Review: A Well-Balanced Audio Experience

Besides making smartphones, OnePlus has produced a steady line of audio products over the past few years, the latest being the Buds Pro 3. Packing an updated design for both the buds and the charging case, dual DACs, Active Noise Cancellation (ANC), and up to 43 hours of playback, the OnePlus Buds 3 are an intriguing proposition.

The OnePlus Buds Pro 3 earbuds, which the brand claims offer its “best-ever audio experience,” have been in our hands for the past few weeks for testing. Join us after the break to see how the $179/£199 OnePlus Buds Pro 3 fare in our review.

Design And Fit

At first glance, the charging case appears to have a vegan leather finish (which excited me immensely), but this is just an effect of the plastic construction. It still looks pleasing to the eye, but to the touch, it’s still plain old plastic with a leathery, bobbly feel to it, which doesn’t show fingerprints.

The Dynaudio branding on the rear of the case is tastefully out of the way. Our review unit was in the Midnight Opus colorway (Black), which gave it a premium outlook.

Unusually, the wireless charging coil is situated on the front of the charging case rather than the rear, which means you’ll see the Dynaudio branding on view. On the side of the case, you’ll find the button to pair the buds with your smartphone.

The buds have a long, glossy plastic stem that meets a matte section connecting to the ear fitting.

The controls are of the ‘squeeze’ variety, so you squeeze the stems to pause playback and the like. Volume control is achieved by brushing your finger up and down the stem. It generally worked as it should, with the only real issue being my clumsiness.

The fit of the bud itself was very comfortable. With the pre-fitted silicone ear tips in place, I found them to fit well for extended periods, such as working from a coffee shop or on a plane. If the default tips aren’t the right size, you can find extra small, small, and large tips in the box to suit your fit.

Hardware

Audio

Sound quality is the most crucial factor in earbuds, and the OnePlus Buds Pro 3 doesn’t disappoint. Audio is excellent on the default profile; the 11mm driver and 6mm tweeter each get a dedicated DAC, which helps with crosstalk. Bass levels are excellent, with improved responses from mids and highs thanks to adding a second magnet and a new voice coil for the tweeter.

The OnePlus Buds Pro 3 offers a well-balanced audio experience, even without fiddling with the equalizer function in the HeyMelody companion app. If I had to sum it up in a single sentence, I’d say that the Buds Pro 3 sounds extremely good, especially considering their pricing.

Noise Cancelling

This is also an area that has improved over its predecessor. In the HeyMelody app, you’ll find options to change the ANC levels to your liking. The Smart setting switches between the three options automatically depending on your environment.

I found the noise-canceling to be pretty good overall, an improvement over the OnePlus Buds Pro 2. While sudden loud noises are heard, continuous sounds like commuter travel are smoothly dealt with. Transparency mode works well, but at times, it can sound a little like the person speaking to you is muffled somewhat.

Companion App

As with most mobile audio products these days, the Buds Pro 3’s sound and functions can be adjusted via a smartphone app called HeyMelody. The app allows the user to tweak the sound, controls, and the level of noise cancelation (if any). There’s also a gaming mode that syncs the audio and video experience and reduces lag, which might come in handy when you hear someone sneaking up on you in Call of Duty: Mobile.

Google’s Fast Pair feature makes connecting the buds to your Android phone nice and easy, thanks to the notification that a device is ready for pairing that pops up on your handset when the charging case is opened.

The app is fairly straightforward to use, and tutorials are available if you want to learn more about a feature or function, such as dual connectivity, which is useful for switching playback between a tablet and laptop.

Charging and Battery life

With up to six hours of playback when ANC is on, the Buds Pro 3 charging case holds a further 43 hours of charge. When charging, a quick 10-minute juice-up will produce up to 5 hours of playback, or 3.5 hours if ANC is turned on. Wireless charging support is also included, which is especially handy if your phone supports reverse wireless charging and you need a top-up on the go.

Conclusion

Whether you own a OnePlus phone or not, the Buds Pro 3 are a worthy contender when looking at a new set of earbuds to suit almost any occasion. Balanced sound, good battery life, speedy charging, and improved ANC help the Buds Pro 3 stand out from the crowd, which is helped by the charging case’s snazzy design.

We like the OnePlus Buds Pro 3 a lot. They are possibly the most well-balanced buds we’ve experienced in quite a while.