One week with the OnePlus Buds 4 satisfied me they’re nearly all you want

Ever for the reason that launch of Apple AirPods in 2016, the wi-fi earbuds market has been flooded with quite a lot of choices. Go to any retailer within the US — Walmart, Amazon, or Greatest Purchase — and you will find hundreds of earbuds underneath $150. However they don’t seem to be essentially the most effective you will get.

Fortunately, manufacturers like OnePlus and even Beats provide some nice inexpensive wi-fi earbud choices. OnePlus not too long ago launched the OnePlus Buds 4, and after testing them for over every week, I am already satisfied they provide all the things you want from a pair of wi-fi earbuds, with out having to splurge on flagship fashions.

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All the things the OnePlus Buds 4 get proper out of the field

Strong audio, nice ANC, and spectacular battery life total

I have been a fan of the OnePlus Buds Pro 3 since they launched final 12 months, so I had comparable expectations for the OnePlus Buds 4. Whereas the OnePlus Buds 4 sit a tier under the Buds Professional 3 by way of worth, each earbuds ship with a really comparable {hardware} setup.

Each earbuds include a dual-driver system containing an 11mm woofer and a 6mm tweeter. And though OnePlus hasn’t explicitly confirmed the {hardware} is similar on the earbuds, I used to be pleasantly stunned by how comparable the Buds 4 sound in comparison with the Buds Professional 3.

The Buds 4 additionally help Twin DAC and the identical audio codecs because the Buds Professional 3 (LHDC 5.0, SBC, AAC). General, the sound high quality is great — whereas not similar to the Professional 3, it is in all probability 85% of the best way there.

The lows aren’t overpowering, so the bass would not dominate the combination, and the mids and highs are well-balanced. The bass is certainly current — as you’d anticipate from any OnePlus earbuds — however not so boosted that it overwhelms the remainder of the audio. And as all the time, you may tweak the EQ to your liking utilizing the HeyMelody companion app.

After which there’s the noise cancellation on these earbuds. The OnePlus Buds 4 provide a surprisingly robust ANC — truthfully, among the greatest noise cancellation I’ve skilled in earbuds across the $100 mark.

You get three ANC modes: low, average, and excessive, plus an adaptive mode that adjusts based mostly in your environment. I largely persist with the excessive setting, and in that mode, the efficiency is difficult to beat. They’re ultimate for commuting, flights, gymnasium classes, and even strolling by busy streets.

One other side of the OnePlus Buds 4 that actually impressed me is the battery life. OnePlus claims as much as 11 hours of playback with ANC turned off and 6 hours with ANC on — and I can really vouch for that. Over the previous few days, I’ve performed my greatest to empty these earbuds in a single session, however I’ve by no means managed to totally kill them earlier than needing to pop them again into the case.

My utilization included a mixture of listening with ANC each on and off. The charging case makes use of the USB-C port for charging, and simply 10 minutes within the case will get you round three hours of playback. Nonetheless, it is price noting that there is not any wi-fi charging help right here, which is one thing anticipated from the pair of earbuds at this worth.

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The place the OnePlus Buds 4 nonetheless fall quick for me

Not deal-breakers, however sufficient to note after a full week

The OnePlus Buds 4 comply with the identical design language as earlier OnePlus earbuds, that includes a stem-style design. Whereas I haven’t got main complaints with this strategy — it is one thing that’s utilized by each Apple and Samsung for his or her flagship earbuds — I did discover the Buds 4 to be barely on the chunkier facet.

I have been utilizing the Pixel Buds Pro 2 as my every day driver over the previous 12 months with my Pixel 9 Pro, and people have a snugly match and not using a stem and provide a good lock-in really feel. In distinction, I might really feel the load and presence of the Buds 4 in my ears throughout use. Lengthy listening classes brought about slight fatigue and discomfort in my ears, which hasn’t been the case with most earbuds I’ve examined this 12 months.

This bulkiness additionally impacts the contact controls. The OnePlus Buds 4 are among the many least responsive earbuds I’ve used shortly. I am undecided what modified right here, however the contact sensors didn’t register enter on both earbud on a number of events. Plus, there is not any play/pause gesture enabled by default, and you may must set it manually within the companion app. Why, OnePlus?

The identical story continues with the charging case. The OnePlus Buds 4 are available in a reasonably cumbersome case that undoubtedly makes its presence felt when carried in a pocket. For comparability, the Pixel Buds Professional 2 — even with the case — are compact and light-weight. However the Buds 4’s case felt like a clumpy stone in my denims pocket.

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The OnePlus Buds 4 could possibly be the sleeper hit of 2025

All that mentioned, the OnePlus Buds 4 provide quite a bit for the worth. They’re out there for $100 within the US (€99 in Europe / ₹5,999 in India), and at this worth, they nail the fundamentals that matter — sound high quality, ANC, and battery life. Certain, the match is not good, and I’d have most popular a barely much less chunky design, even at the price of some battery life. However total, the OnePlus Buds 4 really feel like one of many hardest-to-beat merchandise this 12 months.

The upcoming Google Pixel Buds 2a may change my opinion within the coming days, however should you’re in search of earbuds that will not drill a gap in your pocket and nonetheless provide flagship-level options, the OnePlus Buds 4 may simply find yourself being your favourite pair this 12 months.

Battery Life

11 hours / as much as 45 hours with case (ANC off)

Microphones

Three

Supported codecs

LHDC 5.0 / AAC / SBC

Bluetooth

Bluetooth 5.4

IP Score

IP55

OnePlus Buds 4 provide a light-weight match and efficient noise cancellation for every day use. With as much as 11 hours of battery per cost and a compact charging case, these earbuds are nice for lengthy listening classes. They help Bluetooth 5.4 out of the field and are priced at $130.