A well-rounded sonic concoction. That's how I'd describe the OnePlus Buds Pro 3. Riding on the coattails of the OnePlus Buds 2 Pro, the company took an alluring offering and spiced it up by enhancing the sound quality and throwing in a few gimmicks. There's nothing much to write home about in terms of hardware, except for a fancy bone conduction sensor to supposedly boost call quality.
This time, they've gone for a makeover, swapping the previous iteration’s bland design in favor of something ravishing. Danish audio folks at Dynaudio also chipped in with some of their craft expertise. OnePlus has also packed in its usual customization options with a health-focused twist and some noise cancellation upgrades.
All in all, the OnePlus Buds Pro 3 looks like a heavy-hitting pair of wireless earbuds for their asking price, though not without a few flaws and puzzling product choices along the way. But for an asking price of Rs. 11,999, these earbuds are possibly the most loaded option out there in a mostly practical way, and that’s no small feat.
Oof, this is quite some bearable luxury
Oh, the Buds Pro 3 are just a masterpiece of originality, aren't they? Ha, just kiddin, boo! Instead of sticking with the two-tone design on the stem, OnePlus decided to play copycat with the vanilla OnePlus 3, throwing in a few tweaks here and there. The vent position and size have been altered to mimic Apple's AirPods Pro 2, because why not? And let's not forget the "premium" materials used this time around, along with the new Lunar Radiance color option, which is just a fancy way of saying "another shade of black."
Now, the case is where things get really interesting. The oval case, which looks suspiciously like the Nord Buds Pro 3, has been given a faux leather finish. Pair that with the understated lustrous paint job on the sides, and you've got yourself a charging case that feels oh-so-premium. In my brief lifetime of tech experimentation, it's so luxurious that only the Marshall Minor III comes close to matching its opulence.
And let's talk about the retail package. You get a total of four eartips and a cable with a USB-A connector at one end. Seriously, OnePlus? While the earbuds still boast IP55-level dust and water resistance, the charging case is a whole different story. It's an open battlefield, with no protection against liquid exposure. Quite the downgrade from the OnePlus Buds Pro 2, which at least offered IPX4 level protection. Yikes!
They fit nice and snug
Ah, the OnePlus Buds Pro 3 nestle in your ears like clingy koalas. I "rigorously tested" them with the extreme sports of jogging, yoga, and cycling. Shockingly, they didn't abandon ship. The "L" size, clearly designed for elephant ears, was my perfect match.
But audiophiles, you might want to upgrade to silicone foam tips for that "I've stuffed cotton in my ears" experience! There's a fit test that serenades you with blank beeps, presumably to see if you can endure the earbuds' presence in the best way possible. The app actually grades your ear-stuffing proficiency for the best fit, and this accordingly adjusts the audio output specially tuned for your waxy earn canals.
Then there’s the "Golden Sound" feature - because your ears are unique snowflakes that have never experienced music before. This test demands the patience of a sloth, but who doesn't love tedious calibrations? As a bonus, there's a bone conduction sensor, which has been assigned the duty of combining mic and sensor input for crystal-clear calls. It just doesn’t seem to make much of a difference though. These tests are "highly recommended" - if you enjoy wasting precious minutes of your life. But hey, ”personalized audio,” roight?
So, how do they sound?
Well, here's the bad news. You can forget about hi-res codecs like AptX or LDAC. The only thing you have in the name of high quality music streaming is LHDC. The OnePlus Buds 3 were more into making your head throb from strong bass. The Pro version, however, goes for enhanced depth and a wider soundstage instead of boosting the low frequencies like some binding holy crusade. Now, there is both good news and bad omens here.
On the new earbuds, OnePlus claims it has slapped on an extra magnet to the main 11mm audio driver and has swapped the diaphragm material for a fancy ceramic-metal composite. The result, the company claims, is extra sonic punch, higher sensitivity, and improved accuracy. In real life, though, it's fantastic. They dish out prominent lows and vibrant highs, which stay clear and detailed. The treble is also much more intricate, and you get that crisp upper range here.
The improvement in sound quality is quite obvious, and it seems OnePlus was chasing the same kind of sonic signature as Sony’s flagship earbuds. But there are some differences. The OnePlus Buds 3 Pro Stand out for their high level of immersion, which tends to emphasize the mids and highs, creating a more echo-like effect.. Luckily, it doesn't completely wreck the track's overall instrumental balance. You can still catch the nuances, but some vocal styles might lose a bit of their unique flair.
Listening to the Persian hit "Sang-e-Saboor," the husky tones of Mohsen Chavoshi's vocals sound a bit piercing, compared to the relatively flat output for some premium earbuds out there. Imagine, Samsung and Sennheiser. Yet, the natural tenor of Moein in “Hamdam” and Siavash Ghomayshi's soft baritone in "To Barton Keh Rafty" comes out beautiful, maintaining those signature Perso-Arabic lifts and drops without suppressing the background tones.
Some highs, a few lows
OnePlus' Buds Pro 3 are a "breath of fresh air" - if you've been suffocating on mediocrity while also being a penny-pincher. Audiophiles, contain your excitement: LHDC v5.0 and a jaw-dropping 40KHz range. Apple Music's definition of CD-Quality or Lossless is certainly NOT shaking in its boots (talking specifically based on those frequency figures in Hz). But hey, at this price point, let's not get too picky about our audio standards, shall we?
For the EQ-challenged, rejoice! A smorgasbord of presets awaits: bold, serenade, bass, and the mysterious "Dynaudio feature" - each as distinct as different shades of beige. Can't tell them apart? Don't worry, that's just OnePlus' special brand of audio "enhancement". But if you enable Spatial Audio, and pay close attention, you can certainly feel the difference between each preset.
It's audio alchemy, except when it's not. Take "160 BPM" from the Angels & Demons soundtrack. You will enjoy those lovely trombones and violins, but according to the earbuds’ tuning, who needs pesky drums or that iconic inverted V-shaped tempo anyway? Well, that’s the volcanoes side of Spatial Audio for you — expertly neutering musical masterpieces since... now.
Crank it up for instant audio soup, at your own listening peril. Watch as those carefully crafted film and game soundtracks descend into chaos. It's like a party in your ears, and coherence wasn't invited. But that’s a niche pitfall. However, if you fall in that unlucky segment, stay away from Spatial Audio, stick to flat output, and try experimenting with custom EQ presets. Or as they say, “Grow some balls for once, will ya?”
The secret sauce(s)
There are a few bells and whistles that try to make the OnePlus Buds Pro 3 more interesting. First up, you’ve got Google Fast Pair and multi-device connectivity, which — surprise — does work, but don’t expect miracles. There’s a charming little 2-3 second lag when you pause on one device and switch to another. Oh, and Zen Mode Air is here to serenade you with soothing white noise, because nothing says relaxation like the sound of a digital rainforest.
Next, we’ve got Neck Health—because clearly, your earbuds should care about your posture more than you do. It’ll nag you about neck fatigue, suggest basic exercises, and log your every slouch as part of OnePlus’ OHealth wearable ecosystem. You even get a fancy graphical breakdown of how much you’ve been hunching over your computer or couch. There’s a neck mobility test too, complete with a workout guide—because who doesn’t want their earbuds acting like a personal trainer?
In-ear detection works as advertised, and they’ve thoughtfully turned the earbuds into a remote shutter button for your phone’s camera. And then there’s a Hi-Res mode. But flipping it on or off? That’s going to cost you a full disconnect and re-pair, with the added bonus of some confusion thanks to a second Media Audio toggle in the settings for HD / LHDC playback. Have fun with that.
Noise and transparency tricks work (mostly)
OnePlus has decided to step up its noise cancellation game with the latest flagship, and it shows—both on paper and in practice. You’ve got three levels of noise cancellation to choose from, but let’s be honest, the smart mode that automatically adjusts to the surrounding noise is where it really shines. In a bustling cafe filled with chatter and terrible beats playing on a shitty speaker setup, the ANC almost magically erased all that background noise when the music was cranked up to around 70%.
Step outside, and it does a decent job muting the sound of passing cars and pedestrian chatter, but don’t expect miracles — those obnoxious honks and engine roars at traffic signals still sneak through. Still, when compared to the Nothing Ear, the OnePlus Buds Pro 3 definitely comes out on top in terms of noise isolation. As for transparency mode, it’s effective and amps up ambient sound nicely, though it’s a bit more in-your-face than what you’d get with the AirPods Pro.
I did notice an annoying hiss when transparency mode was on, but after a quick reset and ear canal analysis, it thankfully toned its snake-y behavioiur down. However, there’s a strange quirk. With ANC turned on, the onboard mics seemed to take a vacation during voice calls, leading to complaints of muffled sound from the person on the other end. Oddly enough, switching to transparency mode made the conversation clear. Go figure!
Surround sound hearing
But of course, there are some trade-offs. When you enable Head Tracking for Spatial Audio, the dynamics of your music take a bit of a hit. If you’re into vocal-heavy tracks, be prepared for some unnatural amplification. The pitch gets weirdly elevated, and the timber starts to sound like a bad autotune experiment. So, if you’re a fan of classical music or anything where the vocals are front and center, you might want to steer clear of head tracking altogether.
Now, Spatial Audio is a bit of a hot topic among audiophiles, to say the least. The experience you get really depends on how well a track or movie has been mixed. But let’s be real, it’s all down to personal preference in the end. On the bright side, the directional channel separation is actually pretty good, adapting to your head movements with decent accuracy. The audio positioning is spot on, with clear channel distinctions, so you can really feel the sound moving around you.
Spatial Audio really shines with fast-paced music packed with percussion, keyboard beats, and bass-heavy vibes. But don’t get too excited — it doesn’t work its magic on every genre. When head tracking is on, it completely wrecks Rihanna's smooth vocals in “Umbrella” at high volumes, making the background sound painfully shrill. But if you’re all about R&B, EDM, or phonk, just flip the BassWave switch, crank it up to level 5, and bask in the booming bass.
Battery and controls
The OnePlus Buds Pro 3 comes with the obligatory wired fast charging, and just to keep up with the times, they’ve thrown in wireless charging too. The earbuds’ battery has shrunk a tiny bit, but don’t worry—the case now has a bigger battery, because apparently, size does matter. According to OnePlus, these earbuds can supposedly last an hour longer, and with the case, you’re looking at a total of 43 hours of listening time. Impressive, right?
Well, I didn’t exactly follow OnePlus’ battery test manual to the letter, but I’ve got to admit, the battery life is pretty solid. After a four-hour jam session—volume cranked above 80%, ANC doing its thing, Hi-Res quality on, and a few dives into Spatial Audio — the battery only dropped to about one-third of its rated capacity. That’s not too shabby and actually puts these buds ahead of the second-gen AirPods Pro.
As for the controls, OnePlus decided to move them to the stem, adding a little fingerprint-like texture so you’re not fumbling around trying to find the touch area. You can squeeze the stem for playback and ANC controls, or slide up and down to adjust the volume. The whole setup works like a charm, and there’s even a satisfying click when the pinch gesture registers. So, at least they’ve nailed that part.
So, do I get em, or nah?
The OnePlus Buds Pro 3 is a modest upgrade (if you‘ve already tasted the OnePlus Buds Pro 2), with OnePlus clearly more interested in winning the beauty pageant than revolutionizing sound quality. Sure, they’re inching closer to that high-end audio experience typically reserved for pricier buds, but whether they’re a standout or just another solid option depends on how seriously you take your music and how much you like to tinker with your listening setup.
Either way, they’re probably enough to make your AirPods Pro feel like something you grabbed from the bargain bin. Of course, in true OnePlus fashion, some of the cool features are locked behind the gates of their own phones, but the HeyMelody app does a decent job of covering the basics for everyone. Noise cancellation is better, though transparency mode still has a little catching up to do. Battery life? Not bad at all, and wireless charging is a nice touch, too.
OnePlus also throws in a few extras, like Dynaudio-tuned EQ presets, a posture correction toolkit, and the ability to truly personalize the sound based on your unique ear canals. But let’s not get too excited—while the head-tracked Spatial Audio system adds some flair, it’s got its own set of quirks that might have you rolling your eyes from time to time. But for an ask of Rs. 11,999, they are absolutely amazing.
The likes of Apple, Sony, or Bose would want you to spend nearly double for that quality (without an equivalent boost in raw quality), and still not deliver the nirvana for that fat premium. There’s a big price gulf, and at one of its end stands the OnePlus Buds Pro 3. They deliver the semblance of top-tier quality, without risking a total bombardment on your savings. For what it’s worth, that’s what great value is all about!