OnePlus Buds Pro - everything you need to know

The OnePlus Buds Pro have been launched

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OnePlus has announced its latesttrue wireless earbuds. The OnePlus Buds Pro were launched alongside theNord 2smartphone, and come with active noise cancellation,  personalized audio, and up to 38 hours of battery life.

Following in the footsteps of theOnePlus BudsandOnePlus Buds Z, the newwireless earbudscan be customized to your ears based on your sensitivity to certain sounds. Pricing and availability are yet to be announced, but we’re hoping that they’ll be cheaper thanApple’snoise-cancelling earbuds, theAirPods Pro.

We can’t wait to review them for ourselves to see how they compare to the AirPods Pro, as well as OnePlus' previousearbuds. In the meantime, here’s everything we know about the OnePlus Buds Pro so far.

Cut to the chase

OnePlus Buds Pro price and release date

OnePlus is yet to announce when the Buds Pro will be available to buy, or how much they will cost.

However, we can hazard a guess based on previous models. The brand’s first true wireless earbuds, the OnePlus Buds, cost $79 / £79 (about AU$110) when they launched last year, while the OnePlus Buds Z were cheaper still at $49.99 / £55 (about AU$65).

We’d expect the OnePlus Buds Pro to be a little more expensive than their predecessors, but still cheaper than their biggest rivals, the AirPods Pro, which cost $249 / £249 / AU$399.

Design

The OnePlus Buds Pro look a lot like theApple AirPods Pro, with protruding ear stems and interchangeable ear tips. Weighing just 4.35g, they should be comfortable to wear for long periods of time.

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They come in matte black or glossy white, with both color options featuring a metallic silver area on the stems that denotes the touch-sensitive controls.

You get three sizes of silicone eartips in the box, and an IP55 water and dust resistance rating means they should be suitable for use while working out. The charging case itself is also protected, with an IPX4 water resistance rating.

Audio performance, noise cancellation, and calls

Inside the OnePlus Buds Pro are 11mm drivers, which the company says have been tuned for bass reproduction. Hopefully OnePlus has made some improvements in audio quality since the Buds Z – they sounded fine, but lacked the punch or clarity to rival thebest true wireless earbudsyou can buy today.

Interestingly, the audio can be customized to your ears based on your sensitivity to certain sounds. Using the OnePlus Audio ID feature, you can create a personalized sound profile with a hearing test and a special algorithm that will tune your music accordingly.

There’s also support forDolby Atmos, which means you should be able to enjoy immersive audio while listening to music, watching films, and playing games. OnePlus touts this as its answer to theSpatial Audiofeature on the AirPods Pro. For gamers, support for low latency audio means there should be no lag between the action on screen and the sounds you hear.

Calls should be clear with the OnePlus Buds Pro, thanks to a noise reduction algorithm that filters unwanted sounds, and a design that apparently reduces the sound of wind.

As for the noise cancellation? The OnePlus Buds Pro also come with hybrid active noise cancellation, with three different modes to choose from and the ability to cancel up to 40dB of sound.

The earbuds' ANC can also adapt to your surroundings – so, the OnePlus Buds Pro should up the level of noise cancellation as you move through noisier environments. ANC can be activated by pinching and holding the earbuds' stems – a little like the AirPods Pro.

If you want to relax while using the earbuds, Zen Mode Air (which can be switched on in the headphone settings or via the Hey Melody app) plays white noise. Handy if you’re trying to fall asleep or meditate.

Battery life and connectivity

The claimed battery life of these earbuds is pretty impressive, coming in at 38 hours with ANC turned off, and 28 hours with this feature on.

The OnePlus Buds Pro support the company’s Warp Charging technology, which means you can get 10 hours of playtime from a quick 10-minute charge via USB-C. There’s also support for wireless charging with Qi-certified mats – or, you can just place the charging case on the back of yourOnePlus 9 Prophone for a handy top up.

Instant pairing means you can simply open the charging case, and tap the pop-up window on your OnePlus device, and connect the buds for the first time. Connectivity comes courtesy of Bluetooth 5.2, so you should find that the connection between the earbuds and your device is very stable.

Olivia was previously TechRadar’s Senior Editor - Home Entertainment, covering everything from headphones to TVs. Based in London, she’s a popular music graduate who worked in the music industry before finding her calling in journalism. She’s previously been interviewed on BBC Radio 5 Live on the subject of multi-room audio, chaired panel discussions on diversity in music festival lineups, and her bylines include T3, Stereoboard, What to Watch, Top Ten Reviews, Creative Bloq, and Croco Magazine. Olivia now has a career in PR.

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