Last week, OnePlus launched the budget True Wireless Stereo (TWS) earphones Nord Buds 4 Pro in India.
Design and build quality
The earbuds come in an ergonomic design with a compact form factor.
They are very light, and this ensures they don't irritate for long hours of usage. The plastic-based material and the silicone eartip are made of high-quality materials. Even in summer, sweaty conditions, I did not feel discomfort as such.
Each Bud weighs a little over four grams and features an IP55 rating. Most importantly, they hang on to the ears very firmly. During my daily commute in the morning rush hour, they remained in their place, and I never faced any anxiety of losing them while getting on the bus. But, you as a customer don't push your luck. I don't recommend wearing them in crowded rush hours in the metro or suburban trains, you never know that an unruly co-passenger may elbow you in the rush and get crushed.
OnePlus Nord Buds 4 Pro.
The earphone case is also compact, like a small pebble, which can easily fit into a small watch pocket (fob pocket) of jeans.
Dimensions
Earbuds: 31mm x 20mm x 17.52mm, weight: 4.4gm
Charging case: 60.00mm x 49.64mm x 25.04mm, weight: 34.2
Performance
Setting up the Nord Buds 4 Pro is really simple, and for me, it hardly took three minutes to pair it with my iPhone. And, most importantly, the earbuds maintain stable wireless connectivity with the companion device.
It also supports Google Fast Pair and Microsoft Swift Pair, for quick pairing with Android and Windows PCs.
For a more enhanced user experience, users can install the official Hey Melody app. There, he/she can customise the audio output as per listening tastes. It offers six-band custom EQ to personalise Balanced, Serenade, Bass and more.
OnePlus Nord Buds 4 Pro.
The stems of the OnePlus Nord Buds 4 Pro's earphones are very sensitive and effective in registering the finger slide and tap gestures.
They support slide controls for volume. Users can also tap a Bud to start a playlist instantly with Spotify Tap, double-tap a Bud to take a photo and even tap a Bud to start their chosen AI assistant. These features can be best experienced with OnePlus phones.
Users with OnePlus devices running OxygenOS 15.0.1 or later can also use the HeyMelody app to enable seamless real-time translation between languages such as English, Hindi, Spanish and French.
OnePlus Nord Buds 4 Pro.
As far as the audio output is concerned, the OnePlus Nord Buds 4 Pro does an excellent job. Inside, it houses a 12.5mm driver and supports LHDC 5.0 to deliver a high-definition music listening experience.
The impressive aspect of the Nord Buds 4 Pro is the real-time Active Noise Cancellation feature. Though it is not on par with earphones costing Rs 25,000 plus, it is the best I have seen under Rs 8,000.
Long-pressing the earphones instantly activates the ANC, and one can notice the drastic reduction of the outside noise.
OnePlus Nord Buds 4 Pro uses an advanced AI algorithm to monitor noise in real time and block out the background instantly. Users can also choose between light, moderate and maximum ANC.
OnePlus Nord Buds 4 Pro.
It can block up to 55 decibels of noise, an effective noise reduction bandwidth of 5000Hz, the highest ever seen in the OnePlus Nord Buds series.
During phone calls, it does an amazing job. Each bud houses three mics and works with the AI Clear Call Noise Cancellation feature to avoid picking up outside noise and ensure only the pristine voice of the user is passed on to the other side of the call.
For gaming, they're equipped with spatial audio to help deliver sound like it's coming from all sides.
With gaming-specific spatial audio modes, it promises to deliver an immersive gaming experience while playing BGMI, Free Fire, Call of Duty and other battle royale genre titles.
OnePlus Nord Buds 4 Pro.
Battery life
Each earbud comes with a 62mAh cell capacity, and the charging case has a 530mAh cell capacity. With full charge, it can last for 54 hours. In reality, it can easily last a whole week with three to four hours of daily usage. With the app, one can always keep track of the battery level. So, it is unlikely that the earphones will give up during an important phone call.
Final thoughts
OnePlus Nord Buds 4 Pro are very good, cost-effective TWS earphones. I am very impressed with the active noise cancellation. It is one of the best in the under Rs 8,000 price range.
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