I’ve been using the OnePlus Buds Pro 3, the latest premium wireless earbuds from the company, for about two weeks now, and they’re impressive.
From effective noise cancellation to powerful sound, these earbuds pack a punch. The original OnePlus Buds Pro and the Buds Pro 2 both grew on me thanks to their budget-friendly prices and solid Active Noise Cancellation (ANC).
Sure, the ANC isn’t on par with the AirPods Pro 3 or Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II, but those also cost a lot more.
The OnePlus Buds Pro 3 bridges the gap between the OnePlus earbuds and the high-end hearables from Apple and Samsung. They bring all the bells and whistles, including a dual driver, adaptive noise cancellation, pinch gestures, faux leather design, and spatial audio.
The earbuds have been tuned by Dynaudio, a Danish company known for its audio products.
They also offer seamless integration with your OnePlus smartphone and even with other Android phones, thanks to a feature-rich app.
Key specs
- Drivers: 11mm woofer and a 6mm tweeter
- Audio codec: SBC, AAC, and LHDC 5.0
- Battery life: Up to 10 hours
- Type: In-canal
- Connection Type: Bluetooth
- Water/Sweat-Resistance: IP55
- Price: $180
| Pros | Cons |
| Dual-driver audio with deep lows and detailed highs | No LDAC support |
| Good control gestures | |
| Competitive price |
Design & connectivity
The OnePlus Buds Pro 3 has a major design shift compared to earlier models. The case now sports an oval shape, replacing the squarish design of the Buds Pro and Pro 2. This is a welcome change, making the case easier to slip into your pocket and carry around. Plus, OnePlus has switched from the horizontal layout of the previous models to a vertical design for the case.
The charging case has a cool two-tone design with a leathery front and back finish and a metallic texture on the sides. I’ve been using what OnePlus calls the Lunar Radiance color option, and it looks pretty sleek and premium. The front of the case sports the OnePlus logo in gold, while the back gives a nod to the Dynaudio tuning.
The earbuds themselves feature a stem-style design with polished stems and a matte-finished ring bearing the Dynaudio branding. The interior is made of plastic and has “L” (left) and “R” (right) carved into it. This not only indicates which earbud goes in which ear but also serves as a vent.
They’re pretty comfortable to wear, even for long periods. There were no issues wearing them during a 4-hour flight, plus through meetings and gym sessions.
Just make sure you get eartip sizing right: my ears were perfect with the stock ones that came with the buds, but they were too tight for my girlfriend. OnePlus includes three extra pairs of tips with the earbuds, so you can switch them out to fit your needs.
The OnePlus Buds Pro 3 features Bluetooth 5.4 connectivity and is IP55 water-resistant. During my testing, the earbuds maintained a stable connection at all times, even when I walked to the next room. The option to connect the earbuds to two phones simultaneously worked perfectly. They’re easy to pair, especially if you have a OnePlus phone.
Features and controls
The OnePlus Buds Pro 3 comes with some impressive software features accessible through the HeyMelody app, available on the Play Store. In the app, you can control the noise cancellation levels: high, moderate, low, or Auto, where the earbuds adjust the noise cancellation based on ambient sounds. I’ve mostly used the high mode, but the other modes work well too.
There’s an option to enable Game Mode, which reduces audio lag during gaming. The earbuds also support Spatial Audio, though it’s disabled by default. You can choose between fixed Spatial Audio and Head Tracking modes.
The earbuds offer pretty straightforward controls. A quick squeeze of the stem pauses or plays music, a double squeeze skips to the next song, and a triple squeeze goes back. You can slide up on the stem to increase the volume and slide down to decrease it. To control noise cancellation and transparency, just squeeze and hold the earbud stem for one second.
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Sound quality
The OnePlus Buds 3 Pro has great sound quality. They’ve got a dual-driver design with an 11mm woofer and a 6mm tweeter, and each driver has its own DAC for less crosstalk, interference, and better power management. They support SBC, AAC, and LHDC 5.0.
During my time with the buds, the Balanced EQ mode seems to have suited most of my needs. It is tuned by Dynaudio and set as the default.
There’s also a specific Dynaudio EQ, meant to mimic the sound of Dynaudio speakers. It didn’t perfectly replicate that sound, but it still sounded pretty good. There are also other EQ modes like Bold, Serenade, and Bass for bass lovers. Plus, you can create your own custom equalizer.
On tracks with heavy bass, like Kendrick Lamar’s “Backseat Freestyle,” the earbuds deliver a powerful thump. The drivers handle maximum volume without distortion, and at moderate levels, the bass remains full while the highs are tuned to complement the low-end emphasis.
When playing tracks with deep bass, the drivers produce a powerful, subwoofer-like rumble, while the dedicated tweeters handle vocals with decent clarity and crispness.
On orchestral pieces, the woofers deliver the extra bass thump of the drums, while the tweeters bring out the rich baritone vocals with a touch of treble.
The audio quality was solid for gaming as well. They were tested in Fortnite, COD, and Valorant, although there was a slight lag on rare occasions, they performed well. Plus, the microphones are impressive; the other party could hear me just fine. During calls and meetings, I was loud and clear.
ANC & battery life
The noise cancellation on the Buds Pro 3 is definitely better than on the Buds Pro 2. It’s top-notch and works well in just about any setting.
I live in a noisy neighborhood with lots of traffic and honking, but with ANC turned on, I barely heard any of it. It adapts well to the noise in your background, no matter where you are.
The transparency mode lets you hear your surroundings with a bit of added high-frequency presence, making voices clearer.
OnePlus claims the earbuds offer five hours of battery life with ANC enabled and 10 hours with it disabled, and those claims proved true in my testing.
It’s hard to test battery life on earbuds because they start charging as soon as you put them back in the case, but they were tested ANC disabled and got around nine hours of playback.
Should you buy it?
If you’re an Android user, these are probably the best earbuds you can get for under $200. They deliver decent battery life, impressive sound, Active Noise Cancellation, and solid bass. The only complaint I have is the lack of LDAC, which means you’re downgraded to AAC.
Verdict (4/5)
The OnePlus Buds Pro 3 is a fantastic pair of earbuds with features and sound quality you’d usually find in pricier models, which makes it an excellent buy.