OnePlus Buds 4 review: Redrawing the lines of audio quality on a budget

Digital Trends

8 hours ago

OnePlus Buds 4
MSRP
$129.99
Score Details 'Arguably the most versatile and rewarding pair of earbuds in their price bracket I've tested so far.'
Pros Lovely sound quality
Surprisingly good noise cancellation
Refined and thumping bass
Terrific battery mileage
Loads of useful features
Cons iPhones will out on hi-res audio
Slightly finicky earbud controls
Adaptive ANC is a hit or miss
Lack of wireless charging
Over the past year, OnePlus has recaptured its mojo of making great devices at unbeatable bargain values. The OnePlus 13 emerged as one of the best Android phones that money can buy and retains that status quo to this day. The company's recent tablet revival and smartwatches have also attracted positive attention.
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Yet, one area where the company has performed beyond its class in the past few years is the audio gear. That streak continues well into 2025. The latest from the brand is the OnePlus Buds 4, a pair of budget earbuds that pack top-tier niceties at just $129.99.
The brand's online store is currently hawking them at just $100 with an exclusive code, further strengthening their value-centric position. I've used the OnePlus Buds 4 for roughly three weeks now, and what follows is a detailed take on what they get right and where they miss.
OnePlus Buds 4 review: Design, build, and controls
Think of them as a more affordable OnePlus Buds 3 Pro, but with a flattened stem. You get three pairs of ear tips and a charging cable in the box. As far as the in-ear fit goes, it's reassuringly secure. Not once did they fall off during my morning jogs, but my brother reported they don't quite offer the same snug fit in his ear canal.
OnePlus offers the earbuds in black and green shades. The build quality is pretty solid, even though it is decidedly plastic. The finish is quite premium, and tries to ape the look of polished metal, especially on the black trim. The lid of the case snaps tightly and there are no flexing or misaligned edges to be seen. Overall, it's a pretty well-assembled package.
They are, however, comfortable to wear. I didn't notice any pain even after wearing them all day long. Moreover, the earbuds come with IP55-level water and dust resistance, so they can handle sweat exposure during workouts without frying the internal circuitry. Notably, the earbuds case doesn't offer the same level of protection against the elements.
The tap and swipe-based controls are performed over an elongated recessed area on the stem. It's easy to feel with the fingertips and handles the gestures well. For core media and noise controls, you have taps (short and long presses), while volume adjustment is handled via up and downward swipes.
The controls work reliably, though you might encounter some occasional problems. If the fingertip is too dry, dragging it across the strip doesn't feel smooth, and you feel like forcing things haphazardly on the touch-sensitive area of the stem. It's not an insurmountable challenge, but just basic friction playing its natural game.
OnePlus Buds 4 review: Noise Cancellation and Transparency
When OnePlus launched its second-gen flagship earbuds, they delivered a knockout value on the sound quality, but somewhat missed out on their noise cancellation chops. With the OnePlus Buds Pro 3, the company addressed the missteps. It was a natural evolution, but that upgraded DNA has also now trickled down to the entry-point OnePlus Buds 4, as well.
The OnePlus Buds 4 are slightly better, on paper and in practical testing, than their predecessor. And compared to other earbuds in the $100 bracket that I've tried so far, including the Anker Soundcore Space A40 and the Nothing Ear(a), they deliver a better noise suppression experience.
'Punches above its weight class'
In a room with a fan whirring at peak speed, I could only hear a faint hiss. Sitting in a coffee shop in a bustling market circle, the earbuds completely drowned the ambient noises, including the room music, if the native volume playback was anywhere above the halfway mark.
In an open-air space, the earbuds cancelled most of the noise, and I was only able to hear the occasional loud conversations on the nearby tables and the faint remnant of the music playing in a nearby shop. With audio playback enabled, raising the volume to just the 60% mark was enough to offer a pure musical soundscape in my ears.
Interestingly, the touted ANC range of 55dB on the Buds 4 is higher than the flagship OnePlus Buds Pro 3. Overall, if you're after earbuds that can silence the hum and clatter of the world around you, these earbuds offer the best experience under the $100 budget.
OnePlus offers a three-level intensity adjustment slider for the noise cancellation feature. The transparency mode does its job just fine, allowing external sound to come in unobstructed. There's an interesting adaptive mode that aims to offer the best of noise isolation and transparency.
When enabled, it cancels external sounds to a certain degree, but not completely. Personally, I didn't find too much utility in it. But if you're afraid that ANC will drown announcements in the background or a car honking at you from afar, this adaptive mode should come in handy.
OnePlus Buds 4 review: Audio Quality
One of the most notable upgrades on the OnePlus Buds 4 is the dual DAC system. In simple terms, it opens the doors for higher fidelity audio playback, less signal cross-talk, and distortion. As a result, the listening experience is more accurate and diverse in terms of clarity.
OnePlus has armed the Buds 4 with a DAC for each audio driver, which includes an 11mm woofer and a 6mm tweeter in each earbud. For hi-res audio playback, you also get support for LHDC 5 codec, which taps into a much higher sample rate for a more refined listening experience. Notably, support for other codecs such as LDAC or AptX Adaptive is absent.
Coming to the sound quality, it's vibrant with a heavy focus on bass, which has been a signature trait of OnePlus' audio gear over the years. The OnePlus Buds 4 sound more mature compared to any other budget earbuds that I've tested so far. There's a noticeable bit of extra resolution and depth in general, which translates to a more rewarding experience.
What I love the most about these earbuds is that they retain the audio layers without compromising on the signature depth and bass. The switch from LOAT's funky 'Villain' beats to the crooning of A. R. Rahman was seamlessly pristine, without any dip in raw audio quality. The bass doesn't lead to any cross-frequency issues, unless you really crank up the volume levels.
If you're a fan of cinematic soundtracks, these earbuds offer arguably the best listening in this price bracket. The pulsing build-up, the rhythmic thump, and the electrifying guitar chords blended beautifully with the sweeping violins and rumbling percussions in Hans Zimmer's breathtaking 'Lost but Won' instrumental track.
Likewise, the choir-driven epics that are 'Invincible' by Thomas Bergersen and 'Ezio's Family' by Jesper Kyd played out beautifully with their wide orchestral stage, strong brass, and heavy percussion. On a healthy few occasions, I was pleasantly surprised by the versatility of these earbuds. The custom EQ definitely came in handy for these serene moments where you just want to engross yourself in some tranquil soul tracks.
The control over varied frequencies is pretty well balanced, and even if you're listening to songs with delicate instruments, you won't be disappointed. The soundstage is characterized by a strong bassline, and it creates a strong thumping effect in the right tracks.
The only miss that I noticed is that the bass-forward nature of these earbuds sometimes takes a toll on the mids. They don't lead to an overt distortion in the raw audio output, but when you enable the Basswave mode, crank it to the max, and pair it with the 3D spatial audio mode, it's easy to notice the vocals taking a backseat.
OnePlus Buds 4 review: Additional perks
This is one area where OnePlus leads the competition with a whole bunch of features, some of which really come in handy. On the not-so-good side of things, some of these features are locked to OnePlus (and Oppo) devices as they integrate natively with the earbuds, while the rest have to make do with the companion HeyMelody app.
The onboard AI translation feature is good for live translation and two-person face-to-face conversations. You can use the earbuds as a remote shutter for camera capture. There's also a Find My Earbuds feature that emits a loud beeping sound in situations you can't find them in the chaos of a modern home.
Another notable feature is the Golden Sound system, which performs an audio canal scan and hearing test to create a unique frequency sensitivity profile for each ear. It accordingly adjusts the intensity of tunes blasting into your ears.
The difference is discernible, but I mostly kept it disabled because of the slight imbalance I felt across each air. Your mileage might vary. Nonetheless, it's a thoughtful touch, especially for people living with hearing issues.
Another aspect of the OnePlus Buds 4 that I've grown quite fond of, is the 3D Audio system, which seeks to emulate the same surround sound experience as Apple's Spatial Audio or Sony's 360 Spatial Sound. The idea is to simulate the effect of music beaming into your ears from all sides. Or, even a concert.
When you enable it, the first thing you notice is an apparent boost in the loudness. To put it more precisely, the vocals seems remain at the same level, but it's the instruments and the background serenading that get a lift. It's almost as if these signals are taken apart and given a directional boost so that you get a more immersive feel.
For tracks like Queen's 'Dust' and 'We Will Rock You,' you want to enable this featur to feel the extra oomph from the kick drums and John Deacon's attacking bass guitar. It doesn't work for all tracks, however. If you're into classical music where the real magic lies in the vocals, it's best to avoid the 3D spatial audio mode.
Likewise, stick to the flat mode — almost universally — for sufi, folk, opera, or oratorio tracks. Even when the 3D mode doesn't suppress the vocals, the extra focus on the instruments offsets the balance, despite the track sounding more immersive.
The earbuds also feature a simultaneous dual-device connection system, which is a neat facility to have for handling calls and music when connected to a laptop and phone at the same time.
OnePlus Buds 4 review: Battery life
OnePlus has made some tangible gains in this department, both for the onboard battery on the earbuds and the Li-ion unit fitted inside the charging case. With noise cancellation enabled and hi-res audio mode activated, OnePlus is touting 5.5 hours of battery life. In regular streaming mode with ANC, the numbers climb to six hours.
I can't quite give the exact figure down to the minutes, but the earbuds consistently survived over four hours of combined music playback with ANC enabled and volume levels set close to the 65-70% mark.
With the case, I got about 21 hours of per-charge mileage, which isn't too far off from OnePlus' claimed 24-hour longevity. By TWS standards, the battery efficiency is close to ridiculous territory, especially when you look at the numbers
If you prefer your music playback sessions without noise cancellation, the earbuds + case combo will easily last you two days of playback for the entire office hours. And then some more.
Thanks to support for fast charging, you can get a full day's worth of juice with just 10 minutes of plugged-in time. The case doesn't support wireless charging, which isn't a surprising sacrifice to be made at this price point.
OnePlus Buds 4 review: Verdict
The OnePlus Buds 4 offer the most complete wireless audio package in their price bracket. It's hard to find this level of ANC performance in the segment, or the smorgasbord of meaningful features crammed into the same pocket-friendly kit.
The sound quality is impressive, and if you're a bass fan, you're in for a treat. The design is clean, the fit is comfortable, and the battery mileage is also beyond sufficient. There are certainly lower-priced options out there, such as the JLab JBuds ANC 3, Sony WF-C510, and the EarFun Air Pro 4.
On the slightly end of the scale, you will find names such as Nothing Ear (a) and the Google Pixel Buds A-series. But none of them quite hit the same level of collective audio and functional goddess as the OnePlus Buds 4.
The only hiccup is the missing non-ecosystem features. For example, when paired with an iPhone, the AI translation system and Hi-Res audio mode are absent. If that doesn't sound bothersome, the OnePlus Buds 4 are an easy pick across the pond.
Buy OnePlus Buds 4 at the OnePlus Store.