OnePlus Buds 4 have lastly made it to India in July this yr. And, they give the impression of being nothing like their predecessor. For the all-new Buds, OnePlus appears to have gone again to the drafting board and redesigned your entire product, relatively than utilizing the identical design and including some upgrades.
Its predecessor, the Buds 3, was launched in January 2024, so we will say OnePlus delayed the launch of the Buds 4 by a couple of months. Nonetheless, this delay might be linked to maintaining the TWS launch in sync with the brand new Nord units – the Nord 5 and Nord CE 5.
The very best factor is that OnePlus has managed to maintain the worth in verify, maintaining it beneath Rs. 6,000. For comparability, the Buds had been launched in India final yr at Rs. 5,499. This means that OnePlus goals to take care of its market share within the sub-Rs. 6,000 TWS worth section with its non-Professional buds mannequin. On paper, the Buds 4 is crammed to the brim with options that you just normally get in the next worth section, so must you spend money on these TWS? I attempt to reply that in my assessment.
OnePlus Buds 4 Evaluate: Design is chunky
- Dimensions: Earbuds – 31×20.6×4.2mm
- Charging case – 65.4×52.4×25.3mm
- Weight: Earbuds – 4.73g, charging case – 39.57g, and complete – 49g
- Colors: Zen Inexperienced and Storm Gray
The OnePlus Buds 4 look nothing like its predecessor, the Buds 3, and that is not a deal breaker in any manner. It takes some inspiration from the Buds Professional 3 and beforehand launched Nord TWS fashions. The minimalist design of the Buds 4 seems nice at first look, and the design change appears extra of an improve than anything. The metallic texture with a matte end offers it a extra premium look. OnePlus says that it has used a non-conductive vacuum metallisation (NCVM) coating on the Buds 4 casing and buds. Moreover, the OnePlus engraving has been accomplished utilizing a CO2 laser. All of this makes the Buds 4 look fashionable, vibrant and complicated.
Within the retail field, you get the Buds together with a charging case, Kind-C Charging Cable, ear suggestions, person Guide, Security and Guarantee card
Accessible in Storm Gray and Zen Inexperienced colors, OnePlus has gone with a extra muted color alternative which will look recent for an extended interval. For my assessment, I acquired the Zen Inexperienced color mannequin, and it seems good. The case lid is straightforward to open with only one hand; nonetheless, as a consequence of its texture, it tends to turn into slippery when operated with one hand. The oval-shaped case feels chunky within the pocket and does not really feel as mild to hold because the Buds 3.
The stem and ear tip designs are fully revamped and, very like the case, are chunkier. The stem is thick and is straightforward to carry in comparison with the Buds 3’s stem. Due to a thicker stem design, OnePlus has added swipe gesture controls on the stem for adjusting quantity. You may as well long-press on the stem to toggle between ANC and transparency modes. Moreover, you may also faucet on the stem to play, pause or skip tracks. Notably, you may customise these settings within the HeyMelody app on non-OnePlus units.
The earbuds are light-weight and weigh 4.73 grams every
General, the OnePlus Buds 4 supply a superb, light-weight design for day by day use. Nonetheless, the design is a blended bag for me, as I choose the Buds 3 design over the oval-shaped Buds 4 design.
OnePlus Buds 4 Evaluate: App help and specs
- App help: HeyMelody app (non-OnePlus units)
- IP Ranking: IP55-rated water and mud resistance
- Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.4 (efficient distance 10m)
The OnePlus Buds 4 helps the HeyMelody app for non-OnePlus units. When you’re utilizing an OnePlus machine, you should have all app options constructed into the telephone’s Bluetooth settings. The HeyMelody app is acquainted, and all of the OnePlus audio units I’ve beforehand reviewed have used this app. The UI is straightforward, with choices for noise management upfront, alongside OnePlus 3D Audio and Sound Grasp equaliser settings, all only one faucet away. The Buds 4 help twin connection, which implies it may possibly join to 2 units on the similar time and may swap between them simply.
The HeyMelody app additionally affords extra options, similar to an earbud match take a look at that checks whether or not the ear suggestions create a superb seal together with your ear canal for improved noise cancellation. There’s additionally a Golden Sound function obtainable within the app that creates studio-quality sound customised to your ear canal construction and listening to traits. There’s additionally a devoted Sport mode that syncs with audio and video on the machine to scale back sport lag for a smoother expertise.
Within the field, the Buds 4 supply totally different ear tip sizes – S, M and L pairs with M being pre-installed
For ANC, the Buds 4 supply 4 settings: Noise Cancellation, Adaptive, Transparency, and Off. I most well-liked Adaptive in the course of the assessment and can talk about the standard in a bit. Out of all of the apps I’ve seen for varied TWS, the HeyMelody app has the most effective UI and can be clutter-free, with pointless choices eliminated. It leans in direction of a extra customized choice, which seems good and works in favour of the OnePlus audio merchandise.
Itemizing spotlight specs, the OnePlus Buds 4 get an 11mm woofer and a 6mm tweeter. It options IP55-rated water and mud resistance, and is designed for hard-core players, supporting 47ms ultra-low latency. It will get Bluetooth 5.4 and LHDC 5.0 help. It additionally options an AI Translation operate that works completely with a OnePlus smartphone. The Buds 4 additionally get Google Quick Pair and dual-device connection. For normal calls, the TWS includes a triple microphone setup and a wind noise suppression operate within the background.
For non-OnePlus units, HeyMelody is the companion app for each Android and iOS customers
OnePlus Buds 4 Evaluate: Efficiency and battery life
- Drivers: 11mm woofer and 6mm tweeter
- Options: Lively Noise Cancellation (ANC) with noise discount depth of as much as 55dB
- Codec help: LHDC 5.0 / AAC / SBC
- Battery Capability: Earbuds – 62mAh and Charging Case – 530mAh
The Buds 4 supply top-of-the-line ANC experiences on this worth bracket, setting a benchmark. OnePlus claims that the TWS can scale back noise by as much as 55dB and includes a huge frequency vary of 5500Hz. In real-world utilization, the Buds 4 do an excellent job of noise cancellation in varied background settings. Out of the three energetic ANC settings, Adaptive is the one which was my favorite in the course of the assessment and was sensible sufficient to adapt to the environment.
The Buds 4 help Google Quick Pair and dual-device connection
With ANC enabled and set to Adaptive, I may barely hear the fan and AC noise in my room. Nonetheless, after I was speaking with somebody, I may nonetheless take heed to the individual speaking to me with out having to unplug the buds—a really sensible implementation of the Adaptive setting on the Buds 4 by OnePlus. Whereas commuting with ANC on was my default mixture in the course of the assessment, because it fully suppresses ambient road noise. I can confidently say that the Buds 4 ANC’s efficiency was on par with that of the Buds 3 Professional, a higher-priced TWS.
Speaking about sound high quality, the Buds 4 excel right here as properly, nearly. The TWS affords sufficient punch, depth and readability. The default equaliser setting is generally balanced, although barely leaning in direction of bass. Testing tracks like Queen – Bohemian Rhapsody, which options advanced vocal harmonies and loads of devices, the Buds 4 does properly in dealing with quiet to loud transitions and in addition handles separation swiftly. Then, on Adele’s Somebody Like You, the TWS manages to maintain the give attention to vocal readability and delicate nuances in her voice.
The charging case takes about 90 minutes to cost from 0 to 100%
Equally, Do not Know Why by Norah Jones has superbly recorded vocals and acoustic guitar. The Buds 4 handle to maintain the naturalness, heat, and element within the midrange. It, nonetheless, does not beat the OnePlus Buds Professional 3 or Realme Buds Air 7 Professional – each of which did higher. Lastly, I attempted a Hans Zimmer traditional, Mountains from the Interstellar soundtrack, which affords orchestral items, and Buds 4 does properly with huge soundstages and good instrument separation. All in all, you will not be upset by the sound high quality of the Buds 4, particularly contemplating these are TWS priced beneath Rs. 6,000.
The OnePlus Buds 4 are wonderful for calls and pack a superb set of microphones. The voice is evident on calls when utilizing Buds 4, and the TWS can deal with a mildly noisy surroundings promptly throughout calls with no need to modify to ANC manually. Nonetheless, on the streets, you may hear background noise on the decision, and Buds don’t handle all the things effectively. For gaming, the TWS is sweet sufficient and handles latency as marketed.
The Buds 4 include an 11mm woofer and a 6mm tweeter
Coming to battery life, the Buds 4 is claimed to supply playback of as much as 11 hours on earbuds and when used with the case to as much as 45 hours with ANC off and 50% quantity. The battery efficiency drops to six hours on earbuds and as much as 24 hours with the case when ANC is on and at 50% quantity. In real-world utilization, the Buds 4 supply a stable battery life, permitting for as much as 7 hours of playback (with ANC on and at 50% quantity) with simply the earbuds and greater than 30 hours with the charging case. For these unaware, sticking to the AAC codec is nice for battery life whereas there’s LHDC help, however Buds 4 battery efficiency drops significantly.
It additionally will get fast-charging help with a 10-minute cost providing greater than 3 hours of playback. The charging case takes about 90 minutes to cost absolutely. Sadly, there isn’t any wi-fi charging help.
The charging case packs a 530mAh battery
OnePlus Buds 4 Evaluate: Verdict
At Rs. 5,999, the OnePlus Buds 4 come out as a stable choice beneath Rs. 6,000. The TWS affords a complete set of options, and its conventional in-ear design offers a extra cosy match in comparison with the Buds 3 design. Moreover, the companion app helps options just like the Golden Sound expertise, the place customers can map their ear canals for a extra personalised audio expertise. The TWS affords a superb three-mic setup that is nice for calls. The battery life is implausible and constantly delivers good battery efficiency. The sound high quality is generally balanced and must be preferred by customers on this worth bracket.
After all, the design is one thing which may not be preferred by all, and the contact gesture controls on the buds aren’t intuitive for day by day use, and at instances, might be irritating.
The Buds 4 is on the market in Zen Inexperienced and Storm Gray colors
For alternate options, contemplate the TWS choices similar to Nothing Ear, which affords a striking design and polished sound quality. Realme Buds Air 7 Pro offers a good design and thumping bass. You may as well contemplate the Sony WF-C700N, which is slightly costly but offers an excellent sound output.
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