OnePlus Buds Pro 3 review: Masterclass

OnePlus knows what it's doing when it comes to audio, whether that's entry-level neckbuds or its Buds Pro series. The launch of the OnePlus Buds 3 alongside the OnePlus 12 showcased a subtle shift in the design language, with the chrome-accented design extending to cover the stalks as well as the driver housing. This led to a cleaner look, but what made those earbuds stand out is the sound quality.

OnePlus earbuds always had a distinct tonal characteristic with an exaggerated bass — so much so that the original Buds Pro drowned out other frequencies — but that changed with the Buds 3. The earbuds still had a good presence in the low-end and treble regions, but they had much better tuning, and that led to the Buds 3 having a distinct advantage over the costlier Buds Pro 2.

That's the narrative behind the introduction of the Buds Pro 3. OnePlus is switching up the design of the case, and is rolling out sizeable upgrades to the drivers and tonal balance. The end result is that the Buds Pro 3 are the best-sounding OnePlus earbuds by a significant margin; they're not just the best that OnePlus made to date, but one of the best earbuds you can buy today.

OnePlus Buds Pro 3: Pricing and release date

OnePlus introduced the Buds Pro 3 on August 20, and they're available now. The earbuds retail for ₹11,999 ($143) in India — the same as the Buds Pro 2 — and they're going on sale in the country starting August 23. They're debuting at $149 in North America, and will go on sale at the same time. You can get your hands on the earbuds for $119, with OnePlus offering a $30 discount as a launch-week incentive.

OnePlus Buds Pro 3: Design

OnePlus hasn't changed too much on the design side of things, with the Buds Pro 3 featuring a subtle change instead. The glossy accents that covered a portion of the stalk on the Buds Pro 2 now extend all the way through the stalk and the driver housing, and it gives the earbuds a cleaner design.

The other key difference is the size; the Buds Pro 3 are larger than their predecessor, and while the driver unit is roughly the same size, the stalk extends out considerably. The result is that each earbud is a smidgen heavier at 5.28g (versus 4.9g on the Buds Pro 2), but even then, they're on the lighter end of the scale, and there's no fatigue whatsoever when wearing the earbuds for an extended duration.

The earbuds are available in two color choices — Midnight Opus and Lunar Radiance — and I got the latter. The Midnight Opus model is the way to go if you want earbuds that attract attention, but both variants have the same glossy texture. As you can imagine, the glossy coat is prone to smudges, and I would have preferred a variant with a matte texture.

There are four pairs of tips bundled in the package, with the medium size installed as default. The fit is just as snug as the Buds Pro 2, and the buds stay secure in the ear even during workouts, and there are no issues in this area.

While there isn't much in the way of design change with the earbuds, OnePlus overhauled the case this time. Unlike the flat designs of years past, the Buds Pro 3 are encased in a pill-sized case that's noticeably larger, and what's interesting is that it is made out of faux leather. Most earbud cases I've used are fashioned out of plastic or metal, so it is interesting to see OnePlus take this route.

The leather finish definitely makes the case look upmarket, but the downside is that it isn't as pocketable. There's still an LED indicator, but it is now located at the bottom next to the USB-C charging port, and there's a pairing button on the right that lets you connect the earbuds to your phone.

OnePlus Buds Pro 3: Features

OnePlus overhauled gesture controls on the Buds Pro 3, and there's a grooved texture at the bottom of the stalk of each earbud that serves as the gesture recognition area. Having a distinct texture makes all the difference in using gestures, and while the usual play/pause squeeze controls are easy to use, slider gestures — to control volume — are irksome, and I couldn't get these to register no matter how many times I activated the gesture.

The single and double press gestures trigger without any issues, and it's just the sliding controls that are finicky. That said, the gestures are significantly better than the Buds Pro 2; those earbuds had a limited recognition area, and gestures were so annoying to use that I didn't bother at all.

OnePlus added IP55 dust and water resistance to the Buds Pro 3, and they're great for workouts. While the earbuds have ingress protection, the same doesn't extend to the case, and OnePlus needs to rectify that with the next generation.

A big talking point this time is adaptive ANC, which does a more effective job at blocking out external sounds. You can easily change the level of noise isolation, and there's a transparency mode that easily allows ambient noises to be audible. On the whole, ANC is terrific at blocking out everyday sounds like the hum of an AC, traffic noises, or any ambient sounds.

It did a decent job muting the sounds of my keyboard, and there's a smart mode that dynamically adjusts the level of isolation based on ambient noise. At the other end of the scale, the earbuds have spatial audio, and while I'm usually wary of manufacturers offering virtual surround sound, OnePlus is using Google's Spatial Audio tech as standard, instead of the custom solution that was used on the Buds Pro 2.

The mode essentially mimics a sense of space, and as the earbuds now use Google's standard tech, they're available on a much wider variety of devices, OnePlus and otherwise. Rounding out the features, the earbuds have a latency of 94ms, but there's a gaming mode that lowers the latency considerably.

While the Buds Pro 3 are larger than their predecessor, they house a slightly smaller 58mAh battery (the Buds Pro 2 had a 60mAh battery), and the case has a 566mAh battery of its own. It takes 70 minutes to charge the internal battery, and there's fast charging that delivers up to three hours of music playback with just a 10-minute charge.

In my usage, I got just over five and a half hours of playback between charges, and that's in line with most other earbuds I've used this year. With fast charging and the case's built-in battery, you'll only need to charge the case itself once a week on average.

OnePlus Buds Pro 3: Sound quality

The Buds Pro 3 have dual audio drivers that include a 11mm woofer and 6mm tweeter, and OnePlus says it redesigned the woofer to deliver better accuracy, and the tweeter has better range in the high-end. Like the Buds Pro 2, OnePlus collaborated with Dynaudio over the tuning of the Buds Pro 3, and there is plenty to like here.

The earbuds connect over Bluetooth 5.4, and I didn't have any issues pairing with the OnePlus Open, Magic 6 Pro, or the Pixel 9 Pro XL. What's great about the earbuds is that they have multipoint connectivity, so you can pair with two devices at once. That said, the biggest issue I have with the Buds Pro 3 is that they lack high-res codecs; you don't get any AptX or LDAC codecs, and that's annoying.

You're instead limited to SBC and AAC, and while there is LHDC, the codec isn't predominantly available in cast devices, so most of the time, you'll be left with SBC. LDAC has been standard on Android for just over five years now, and I don't see why OnePlus just didn't get a license to integrate it into the earbuds.

And as for the sound, it's safe to say that these are the best-sounding OnePlus earbuds by a sizeable margin. They still follow a V-style signature to the sounds with either end of the frequency boosted, but that doesn't color the mid-range to any meaningful degree, and the overall sound quality is among the best in this category.

You get a delightful rumble in the low-end, and the bass has plenty of energy and vigor. But it isn't anywhere as exaggerated as previous models, and doesn't bleed into the mids. The treble is also much more detailed, and you get clear highs with a good amount of extension without noticeable sibilance. The mids have good dynamics, and vocals come through clear.

On the whole, there's a noticeable shift in the sound tuning, and OnePlus did a lot of the right things in this area. You also get custom modes to tweak the sound balance, and these can be accessed via HeyMelody if you're using a non-OnePlus phone. What I like is the ability to tweak the EQ, and if you like a balanced sound, lowering the sub-bass and boosting the mids a little makes these earbuds shine.

OnePlus Buds Pro 3: The competition

I really like Creative's Aurvana Ace 2; they use an innovative solid-state driver to deliver clean highs, and it makes a difference in daily use. The overall sound is among the best of any earbuds, and they are a great value at $119. They don't miss out on any of the extras either, and you get the entire suite of AptX codecs.

OnePlus Buds Pro 3: Should you buy it?

You should buy this if:

• You need lightweight earbuds
• You want powerful sound with good customizability
• You need good noise isolation
• You want IP55 ingress protection

You shouldn't buy this if:

• You need AptX codecs

Overall, there isn't much to fault with the Buds Pro 3. OnePlus made all the right changes with the earbuds, and it's the sound quality where there's the biggest difference; while earlier models were squarely aimed at bassheads, the Buds Pro 3 have a much better tuning, and can be used across a variety of genres.

I also like the tweaks to the design and the case. The sound is inherently customizable, so if you miss the bass-heavy tuning of previous generations, you can make the requisite changes to the EQ. The earbuds are light enough that you don't notice them even after extended use, and battery life is great.

The only issue is that you don't get AptX codecs, but outside of that, the Buds Pro 3 are among the best earbuds available today.