OnePlus Buds Pro 3 Review: A Sleek Successor and Competitor

The coveted title for best wireless earbuds is constantly challenged, especially for Android. In the same way Apple’s AirPods are expertly designed with iPhone users and Apple products in mind, OnePlus Buds Pro 3 seems to roll (given its pebble-shaped case) into the best choice for any of the recent OnePlus phone users.

Just as the smartphone market is cut-throat and competitive, it’s not too different in audio products for smartphone users. OnePlus Buds had a somewhat hit-and-miss success rate when they launched, but it’s safe to say things have improved considerably.

The OnePlus Buds Pro 3 – available for sale in India since Aug. 20, 2024 and priced at an already-discounted ₹11,999 via the tech brand’s website – has an impressive level of active noise-canceling up to 50 dB and is fitted with the LHDC (low latency, high-definition) audio code for an HD audio listening experience. It can handle up to 1 mbps bitrate, at 24-bit 192-kHz quality.

There are also twin tailored DACs (digital to analog converters) and all of this is co-created with the Danish company Dynaudio. The promise of high-res audio is probably the most enticing part about using the OnePlus Buds Pro 3 and the truth is, it’s best suited to OnePlus phones. It’s not to say it can’t get along with other brands or even iPhones, but a perfect pairing with these earbuds is a phone by the same maker, seen in something like including access controls right in the Bluetooth menu of OnePlus models. For others, there’s the HeyMelody app, which shares handy features like Golden Sound – which tunes the sounds you hear to the shape of your ear canal.

Enshrined in a pebble-shaped case that’s off-white (Lunar Radiance, for those who prefer the posh term) and black (that’s Midnight Opus), there is much that is elegant about the design aesthetic of these earbuds. The Lunar Radiance case might at first seem like a dirt magnet but then you know they’ve kind of accounted for that with this choice of hue.

We tested OnePlus Buds Pro 3’s LHDC 5.0-rigged promises of wireless high-res audio by opening up Apple Music’s Spatial Audio offerings. Everything from pop to jazz to fist-tight rock was given a run and we can gladly report these earbuds cover all the subtle colored-in production embellishments.

The earbuds themselves have shiny chrome stalks, with the Lunar Radiance ones almost looking like jewelry from some angles. The pinch/squeeze and slide actions for toggling noise cancelation, taking calls, playing and pausing music can take some time to get into, but the little click sounds guide you along.

The noise cancelation is excellent, even if that does come across as an overstatement. It doesn’t even let a TV at a normal volume bleed into most listening experiences. With an upper limit of 43 hours of usage (with regular time in the case, and no noise cancelation mode) the OnePlus Buds Pro 3’s lowest run with features like LHDC and active noise cancelation can give you five hours with just the earbuds.

There might be a few other competitors like the JBL Live Beam 3 or the AirPods themselves but in its price range, for the audio quality and noise cancelation it offers, the OnePlus Buds Pro 3 emerge top in the competition, while also becoming an offering like nothing OnePlus has released so far.