OnePlus Nord Buds 4 Review: Flagship ANC at Rs 3299 – Worth It?

Review of Nord Buds 4: Flagship features for Rs 3299 - for real?

By Himank Tripathi, New Delhi, July 13

I've been using them for a while now and tested everything from the HeyMelody app tweaks to real-world commuting. Here's my take on these new buds to help you find out if these are the ones for you.

Design and Fit:

The Nord Buds 4 have a clean, matte, pebble-shaped case that feels great and premium at the same time. Even the stem-style buds are light at just 4.3g each and they are IP55 rated, so I had no trouble with wear and tear from sweat and during light rain. They are fine and comfortable to wear for long sessions but I don't recommend you do that in general. However, the fitting, especially in my right ear, is always a little problem with almost all TWS, so this one is no exception.

Sound & ANC:

They have 12mm titanium-coated dynamic drivers, meaning you can straight away use them for that punchy, loud, and unashamedly bass-heavy sound. So, yes they're solid for someone who's a basshead, but if you prefer crisp vocals then you need to use the HeyMelody app to customize the sound as per your preference. No LHDC here as they max out at SBC and AAC. Not a deal breaker for casual listening.

Then I tried the ANC and the claimed 52dB of ANC actually lives up to the hype. It does a great job of muting the constant hum of almost everything that's running in the background. So, it's ideal for the metro or the airport.

Image Courtesy: OnePlus

Battery Life:

These buds come with a 530mAh case, and Bluetooth 6.1 efficiency will give you nearly 54 hours of life with ANC off. I like to use TWS with ANC on and even then, I get more than 25 hrs of life. I charge them once a week, which takes about 90 minutes and I wish to have lesser time for the same.

Gaming Experience:

These buds have 'Game Sound Spatial Audio' helping in bringing down the audio latency to as low as 47ms. In my testing, I find the audio sync is tight enough that I didn't notice any annoying delays while playing all my fast-paced games. I was surprised to notice that and had great time playing games using these buds on my daily commute especially in metro.

The App:

You can customize the sound and other things using the HeyMelody app. It has a clean interface to tweak the sound profile as per my taste. I can even adjust ANC, transparency and even customize the touch controls instantly. It's a straightforward app with no clutter of any unnecessary features, and just gets the job done.

Image Courtesy: OnePlus

The Catch:

Though they have a six-mic calling setup, I always get this one line from almost everyone that they can detect I'm using buds and I sound a bit mechanical. So, if you call someone who is outside then that person will have to concentrate a bit more to hear you out clearly. I hardly had any problem listening to people when I'm indoors, but these buds struggle a bit when I use them outdoors. This might not be an ideal scenario for professional calls where the person on the other end is definitely going to hear the background chaos.

In The End:

The OnePlus Nord Buds 4 are priced at Rs 3,299/- and I find them value for money where you get flagship-tier battery life, impressively strong ANC, dual-device connection, and a very comfortable fit. So, you can consider them if your goal is to zone out to music or binge-watch shows on the go. But if you're someone who spends half their day on calls, you might want to manage your expectations.

Rating: 4/5

(Disclaimer: The author is an expert in the fields of consumer technology, lifestyle and auto. Views shared here are personal.)

— ANI