OnePlus Buds 4 Review: These Wireless Earbuds Have Almost Everything
See Buds 4 at OnePlus
Speaking of looks, let's start there. If minimalism is your thing, you'll find nothing to gripe about when it comes to the $130 OnePlus Buds 4. The pair I was sent is 'Storm Gray,' which is to say, uh, gray. I prefer the shape of the case over the OnePlus Buds 3, which evolves from a pillow-like rectangle into an oval-ish egg shape. The gray also has a gunmetal-like finish to it, which, despite not being flashy in any way, is a nice touch. The buds themselves are… earbuds. There's a medium-long stem, and, in general, they look as though they're designed not to call a lot of attention to themselves. And if we're taking the messaging from OnePlus at face value, which is the only value to take it at, that's exactly what they are. They're minimalist buds that fade into the background instead of making a statement.
OnePlus Buds 4
Nothing special outside, but better than average sound for the price.
Pros
Cons
The good news is that whatever these wireless buds lack in design, they more than make up for in the way they sound. The OnePlus Buds 4 delivers an above-average listening experience and are priced competitively against comparable pairs of earbuds like those made by Nothing. Sound-wise, they also feel like a step up from the OnePlus Buds 3, especially when it comes to bass—a surprising strong suit of the OnePlus Buds 4. Though some bassy earbuds can sound over-simulated to a degree, I found that the OnePlus Buds 4 deliver a more natural-sounding low end, especially when you couple them with OnePlus' 'Golden Sound' listening test that can assess both your ear canal and your particular hearing levels and then tailor the sound of the earbuds to you personally. TV Girl's 'Fauxllennium' has been my testing song of choice as of late, and after I used Golden Sound to tune the buds to my specific hearing, I was able to hear mids and highs much better amid the bass and low end. It's not that it was muddy with the out-of-box balanced tuning, but there's no beating having each frequency tailored to your ears.
This type of personalized tuning technology isn't unique to OnePlus' buds. A few years ago, Nothing partnered with a company called Mimi that brings a similar sound profile experience to the Nothing X companion app. The whole process is very similar to Golden Sound and can tailor the audio tuning to the frequencies you hear (and don't hear). OnePlus' version works just a little bit better. I noticed a fairly drastic difference in my satisfaction with the sound after taking OnePlus' hearing test. Such a big difference, in fact, that I would go as far as to consider Golden Sound mandatory if you're buying these buds. No, really, if you don't take this hearing test, you're leaving money on the table.
Whether you prefer the OnePlus Buds 4 audio tuning over competitors like the Nothing Ear will largely depend on preference. Out of the box, I find the OnePlus Buds 4 and their 11mm ceramic-metal diaphragm woofer definitely deliver a more bass-forward experience, but that can also be adjusted in the HeyMelody app by choosing presets and even adjusting the level of 'BassWave,' a feature that dynamically boosts bass depending on the song. Again, the same can be said for competitors like the Nothing Ear and Ear A, which both have preset and granular EQ. Speaking of the HeyMelody app, you should give that a download if you choose to pull the trigger on the OnePlus Buds 4 since that's where you'll activate other features like low-latency mode, which is ideal for gaming, and OnePlus 3D audio, which is OnePlus' equivalent to Apple's 'Spatial Audio' and can change how playback sounds depending on how you tilt your head.
When it comes to active noise cancellation (ANC), these buds hold their own. The OnePlus Buds 4 can cancel up to 55 decibels (dB) with a frequency range of up to 5,500Hz. That gives them a slight edge over the Nothing Ear in this case, which has a max cancellation of 45 dB. That's a solid amount more on paper, but I'll be honest, I don't find that the actual experience of using 10 more dB of noise cancellation is really that noticeable. Turning ANC on and off, however, is. Unlike newer wireless earbuds made by Nothing, the OnePlus Buds 4 use touch controls instead of squeeze controls. That means when you want to turn ANC on or off straight from the earbuds, you simply hold your finger on the outside of either earbud for a couple of seconds. Likewise, if you want to quickly adjust the volume without pulling out your phone, you can swipe up or down to turn it up or down, respectively. Swipe versus squeeze controls are mostly a matter of preference, and I'm always going to be more of a swipe guy, so for me, the swipe controls—which work well, by the way—are a point for OnePlus.
Those swipe controls were previously only available in flagship 'Pro' buds, by the way, but OnePlus has trickled them down to the standard version this time around. And speaking of other OnePlus products, if you have a OnePlus phone, you can also take advantage of a couple of exclusive features, including a way to trigger AI translation from the earbuds and one called 'steady connect' that increases the Bluetooth range to 250 meters. OnePlus says it's effective even across multiple walls, which is great if you live in a mansion and never want to hear your kids screaming at each other while playing Mario Kart.
See Buds 4 at OnePlus
Battery-wise, there's nothing major to report here. OnePlus says the buds will get six hours of playback with ANC on at 50 percent volume, which is a bit better than the Nothing Ear, which are rated for 5.2 hours of ANC playback. I've been using the OnePlus Buds 4 for about a week, and those battery estimates seem about right, though I think I'm probably averaging over 50 percent volume on a day-to-day basis. Sorry, my own ears, but the subway needs to be drowned out, okay? Another nice perk is that these buds do allow for fast charging. According to OnePlus, you can get 3.5 hours of playback on your earbuds in just 10 minutes with a fast charge. Including the case, that equates to 11 hours.
You may be reading this and thinking, so what's the real difference between the OnePlus Buds 4 and other earbuds? The answer? You. You're the main difference. While there are variations between the OnePlus Buds 4 and similarly priced buds, it's the intangibles that will likely sway you one way or another. For instance, maybe you're in search of a pair of buds that will blend in with any fit you put on, and their very minimalist design is exactly what you need. Or maybe you like the look of competitors like Nothing Ear wireless earbuds, but you don't think the aesthetic is worth the $20 premium. No matter what your preference is, though, there's one thing you can be sure of—the OnePlus Buds 4 are a solid pair of wireless earbuds for the price. That's not a proposition that will appeal to someone who's in search of something unique, but for someone who just needs earbuds in an accessible price range with a certain level of quality, that'll be good enough.
See Buds 4 at OnePlus
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They are entrenched deep within the Apple ecosystem conveniences and get the basics right, too. You want earbuds for calling and the occasional tunes to dim the drudgery of the daily commute? Get the AirPods 4. Despite featuring fewer mics than the OnePlus Buds 4, the Apple earbuds offer superior clarity during calls, both cellular and app-based. The OnePlus device doesn't disappoint with its triple mic system, especially at silencing the ambient noise signals. It's just that the audio signature is a tad different for the person on the other end. Switching to other aspects of owning wireless earbuds, I'd pick — and recommend — the OnePlus Buds 4 over the AirPods 4 any day. Sheer audio quality is just one of those reasons. The current-gen AirPods are not terrible, but they can't match the refined bassline and soundstage of earbuds that feature a dual-driver system, each with its own DAC. There is simply no equivalence between the level of detail you can resolve while listening to cinematic tracks or instruments in folk music. After testing the OnePlus Buds 4, the AirPods 4 just sound too muddy, chaotic, and lacking character. Listening to 'Lost But Won' by Hans Zimmer, the thumping bass was dampened, robbing the song of its definitive pulsing beats. Likewise, Havi's deep and warm crooning sounds flat with the AirPods 4, compared to the sparkling and layered output you get from the OnePlus Buds 4. Now, there are two other aspects that I would like to highlight collectively. The absence of a sealed design and active noise cancellation means you need to crank up the volume levels to drown out the ambient noise. That's a rational strategy, but it comes with its own caveat. The big differentiator, of course, is active noise cancellation and transparency modes. But more than just the obvious benefit of a noise-free listening experience, ANC ensures that you can listen to music at nearly 50% volume level and don't necessarily have to boost it all the way up, which eventually leads to tearing and clarity issues. At high volume levels, especially above the 80% mark, vocal distortions become inevitable. With the AirPods 4, it's easy to notice the tear in vocals and the overt instrumental sharpness. There's a visible sibilance in the treble range, as well. The OnePlus Buds 4 go with a warmer tone and higher frequency bandwidth, letting you enjoy near-pristine hi-res LHDC audio even at 50% volume levels, while ANC does its job in the background. It just makes more sense OnePlus' implementation of 3D audio sounds more immersive than Apple's Spatial Audio on the AirPods 4. But what truly sets the OnePlus apart are the sheer number of add-on features. There are a couple of ear canal and hearing tests that personalize the audio to the sensitivity and shape of each ear canal. Then there's the audio customization system in place. You get a proper EQ customization system complemented by sound profile presets and dedicated bass output controls. Apple doesn't offer custom EQ profiles for the AirPods 4, but only a long list of tuned presets to pick from, hidden deep within the Settings app. Next, even with ANC enabled, the OnePlus Buds 4 consistently last longer than their Apple rival, and similar is the situation is with the charging case. Apple says 10 minutes of charging time is good enough for two hours of playback, while the fast charging system on the OnePlus Buds 4 will give you 11 hours of listening time. That's over five times higher playback time compared to the AirPods 4. Apple doesn't offer anything in the retail package, but the OnePlus Buds 4 come with a charging cable and three pairs of eartips, so there's that thoughtful perk, as well. Overall, what I got from the OnePlus Buds 4 is a far better value than the entry-level AirPods 4 for the $129 price tag. In my home market, the OnePlus Buds 4 are currently going for $70, or $75 without a store discount. At that value, they're leagues ahead of Apple's audio ware. In conclusion, it's not just the bargain value, but the fantastic listening experience that makes it hard to put down the OnePlus Buds 4 these days.
