OnePlus Nord series of budget audio devices has given us some of the most popular TWS headphones today. While the number of TWS from the company can be a bit confusing to go through at times (OnePlus' own Buds, Buds Pro, then Nord Buds, Nord r series, Nord Buds Pro), there are offerings at various price segments. The new Nord Buds 4 Pro are currently priced at ₹3,799 with some added features. Let's try them out to see how these really perform:
The first thing out of that familiar square packaging Nord box is the matte finish case that feels nice in the hand and is just about compact enough to be carried in your pocket. The Buds 4 Pro are stem cell design buds with magnetic pins near the bottom to stick inside the case. The case has the OnePlus branding and a small LED on the front, a USB Type-C port, and a physical pairing button at the bottom. The buds themselves are IP55 dust and water-resistant, but the case isn't. I found the buds quite comfortable to wear, but I wouldn't say they are the most comfortable OnePlus buds to wear for well over an hour. These buds weigh around 4.5 grams each, and the whole case is about 35 grams.
The Nord Buds 4 Pro support Bluetooth 6.0 and come with SBC, AAC, and higher-end LHDC 5.0. audio codecs. The audio quality on the buds, to say it briefly, is bass-y and clear. The bass on these buds is plenty, with good clarity and generally no sacrifice to vocals. While treble could have been tuned a little better, you might be better off trying your own EQ using the HeyMelody app when used with non-OnePlus smartphones. Active noise cancellation is decent for low to medium pitch noises, but not too much of a difference from the competition, such as Realme and vivo, at this price range.
The buds have six mics in total, and I found the call quality to be good, but didn't feel any difference in terms of noise cancellation with the touted "AI noise cancellation" for calling. You can use these to quickly get on a work call, as these support Swift Pair for Windows and Fast Pair for Android, plus there's dual device connectivity, too.
The buds are equipped with a 62 mAh battery, with the case having its own 530 mAh battery. You can expect over 10 hours of usage from the buds themselves and around a week with the case—using for about 5-6 hours each day, so battery life is definitely a plus point here.
In brief, the Nord Buds 4 Pro tick most boxes and offer a satisfactory experience. They sound generally good and have plenty of bass for listeners. There's okay call quality and also great battery life, but ANC is okay and not so great here.
