It’s pretty wild that a brand that made a name for itself making outrageously-priced audio gear has somehow one-upped itself and now hawks terrific audio gear. I quite liked the OnePlus Buds 3, and was blown away by the Pro model.
With the new OnePlus Buds 4, the company is trying to outdo its previous hits with perks such as dual-DAC, better battery life, and, um, a chunkier design. Now, the world of TWS earbuds is a land overrun with more tiny plastic ear invaders than you can shake a stick at, all desperately begging for a spot in your auditory canals.
And, let's be honest, most brands are about as adventurous as a beige wallpaper sample, especially when it comes to the mid-range market. They stick to the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it, just bland-ify it" philosophy.
Thankfully, the Buds 4 stray away from the shtick — visibly so — I might say. And lo and behold, they seem to have landed pretty darn close, provided you're willing to overlook a few charming eccentricities. Here’s a deep dive:
Design and build
Now, don't go thinking the Buds 4 are some radical, avant-garde art piece for your ears. The OnePlus Buds 4 don’t reinvent the wheel, but they do polish it to a nice shine. Drawing inspiration from the Buds Pro 3, the Buds 4 serve a familiar oblong shape, BUT with a slightly flatter, rectangular stem. Probably for better aerodynamic ear-insertion, or something.
The materials may not be as luxe as the Pro’s faux leather case, but the metallic finish on the Buds 4 is far from cheap. It almost screams, "I cost more than you think!" Thanks to a fancy-sounding NCVM coating and gas-based laser engraving, they look and feel more sophisticated than their price tag suggests.
Color options include a simmering green and a stormy black/grey, both with a subtle sheen that stands out from the usual monochrome crowd. The fit is secure and comfortable, with three tip sizes included. They've got three tip sizes, so if you can't find a fit, it's probably your ear's fault.
The IP55 rating means you can wear them through a sweaty workout or a dash through the rain without worry. Maybe, bop some head in an impromptu dance party in a light drizzle. Just don't go swimming with them, unless you want to find out what "water damage" really means.
If there’s a gripe to be had, it’s with the touch controls. Like most stem-based buds, the controls are a bit sensitive, and you might find yourself accidentally pausing your music or toggling ANC when you’re just adjusting the fit. But once I got the hang of it, I didn't have any reliability issues.
On the positive side, tap gestures work reliably for switching between modes, while the volume swipes are about 90% accurate, more or less.
The in-ear fit is also pretty snug. It's one of those rare occasions where my dainty ear canal isn't screaming for rescue from prolonged pain. They don't fall off while running or ascending stairs as if the Devil was on yo' ass. I'd call that a fit-check-win!
Sound quality
The heart of the audio show is an 11mm woofer and a 6mm tweeter in each bud, powered by dual DACs. If you don't speak audiophile lingo, it basically means they have dedicated little sound processors for different frequencies, so your music doesn't get messy. Oh, talking about audio nerds, by the way, LHDC 5.0 support is here to soothe your divine aural cravings.
It’s pretty good. Really good, especially for the asking price.
There are a few bittersweet parts, too. First, I will highly recommend trying the Bass Boost mode and pairing it with the 3D spatial audio system. It gives a booming feel to grunge and trap beats. For fans of heavy Russian club beats, it’s a godsend. On the flip side, these enhancements eat into the vocal depth.
The bass is punchy enough to rattle your molars. If your musical diet consists primarily of bass-heavy bangers, then congratulations, you've found your soulmate. The highs are clean, and the mids are clear enough to understand that mumbled podcast, though they won't exactly jump out and slap you in the face with some otherworldly intellectual clarity.
The low end is undeniably strong, sometimes a little too strong, occasionally trampling over the mids and highs on more intricate tracks. But for modern pop, hip-hop, and Bollywood beats, these buds are like a party in your ears – energetic and full.
For genres that demand a more delicate touch, things might feel a tad crowded. Still, the overall soundstage is surprisingly decent for the money, and if you're feeling adventurous, there's a six-band custom EQ for you to tinker with and fine-tune things to your highly specific preferences.
Noise, or its cancellation
Arguably, the most surprising element of the package. For the price, the noise isolation is astoundingly good. It completely silenced the whirring of a loud ceiling fan in my room. Outdoors, if the volume levels are above the 70% mark, the ambient noise is suppressed admirably.
Also, against those low-frequency rumbles – think buzzing traffic or the monotonous hum of a train – the ANC mode is particularly efficient. It's like they have a personal vendetta against background noise.
Morever, the new Adaptive ANC mode is a rather clever trick, handily filtering out consistent background droning while still letting through sudden, important sounds like announcements. It can act a bit haphazardly with different frequencies, so I avoided it for the most part.
Noise cancellation is the surprise hit.
Transparency mode is decent, though not quite as eerily natural-sounding as some of the top-tier competitors. Voices might come across a bit like they're phoning it in from a distant land, so you might still have to awkwardly yank out a bud for a proper, non-muffled conversation.
A heck load of tricks
Of course, it won’t be a OnePlus gear if it ain’t about a heck ton of features. Most of them cover the essentials, while a few are there for bragging rights. We’re dealing with Bluetooth 5.4, wear sensors, Google Fast Pair, and a customizable suite of tap and swipe controls. The companion HeyMelody app unlocks a treasure trove of additional delights.
You get custom EQ (including the Golden Sound feature that tailors the sound to your ears), multipoint connectivity, and a “find my earbuds” tool, too. There’s also a low-latency gaming mode for those critical moments when a millisecond means the difference between victory and "Game Over, you noob."
For OnePlus phone owners, the honey gets sweeter. You unlock AI-powered real-time translation and a "Steady Connect" feature that boasts a completely bonkers 250-meter range. Even if you're not in the OnePlus cult, you still get voice assistant integration and all the core features. Maybe, learn a thing or two, Apple and Samsung!
OnePlus is promising 6 hours of playback on the buds with ANC enabled, which is not too shabby. My time with the earbuds fell close to the advertised figures. But as you enable LHDC and dip into the 3D audio side of things, expect a slightly lower per-charge mileage.
With the case and buds combined, expect a full 24 hours of playback, and 45 hours if noise cancellation is kept off. Those are some terrific numbers, and in testing, the practical figures were usually within 20% of the shortfall margin with the numbers claimed by OnePlus.
Oh hey, there’s fast charging, too. In ten minutes of plugged-in time, you get enough juice for 11 hours of playback. It’s an underrated perk, and a big improvement over its predecessor, actually.
So... should you?
Yes.
There are terrific earbuds. So good that I won’t bother recommending anything else. Or get into the chore of listing your alternatives (unless you abhor the flat stem look). On that note, get the black color. (That’s just the Batman fan in me speaking, though).
OnePlus is asking Rs. 5,999 for the Buds 4. It's worth the splurge for some serious aural nirvana, and a whole bunch of other reasons. In case you’ve cultivated a reputation as an irredeemable basshead in your circle, this is where your hunt stops.
Look, I can bore you with a whole bunch of overtly-subjective, terribly-technical audiophile jargon. But here's the overarching theme. The OnePlus Buds 4 sound lovely (read: boomy and bassy to the neck) and serve a dozen meaningful tricks that are collectively hard to find elsewhere. Simply put, an easy pick!