OnePlus Nord Buds 4 review: goes all in on battery life and ANC

The OnePlus Nord Buds 4 have been launched in India at Rs 3,299. Aimed at the crowd who seek an enjoyable listening experience with stroh strong focus on ANC and battery life, these TWS cut down on several aspects found on the Nord Buds 4 Pro (review), such as LHDC and advanced tuning. So, how do the Nord Buds 4 perform in real-world use? Find out in this review, where I used them as my daily drivers for over a week.

Table of Contents

What’s inside the box

Kicking off the review with unboxing the OnePlus Nord Buds 4, upon pulling out the tray from the box, you’re greeted with the charging case with the earbuds inside wrapped in a plastic sheet. Below the case sit the user guide and safety manual, ear tips of different sizes, and an orange sticker.

Unlike the OnePlus Nord Buds 4 Pro, the Buds 4’s box doesn’t include a Type-C charging cable, likely due to its affordable pricing.

A familiar design

The OnePlus Nord Buds 4’s case highly resembles the OnePlus Buds 4 Pro, meaning you get a pebble-shaped design with curved side edges. It features a soft-touch matte finish with a freckle-like pattern that feels nice in the hand and resists fingerprints well. Up front, there’s a ‘OnePlus’ branding along with a charging indicator, while the bottom of the case houses the Type-C port and pairing button. The Nord Buds 4 come in two colourways: Astral Teal, which we received for review, and Stellar Black.

Thanks to the solid hinge, the lid offers a satisfying click when opening and closing it. Further, the earbuds don’t fall out of the case that easily. Coming to portability, the case with the buds included weighs 42.5g, making it lighter than its predecessor, the Nord Buds 3, which weighed 46.2g. Apart from that, at just 22.6mm thick, the charging case is slim enough to comfortably fit into the watch pocket of most jeans.

Coming to the earbuds, the stem features a lean design and an adequately wide indent for touch-based controls, such as a single tap to play or pause, a double-tap to switch to the next track, touch and hold to activate ANC, and more. In my experience, the touch controls worked as expected and always triggered the associated actions. With an IP55 rating, the earbuds should be well-protected against sweat and moisture, making them safe for workouts and running.

Comfortable to wear with a strong fit

Wearing the OnePlus Nord Buds 4 isn’t a hassle, even for hours on a stretch. The earbuds fit snugly and securely in the ears, with no sensation that they might loosen or fall out during walking or running. I used the default-sized eartips that come pre-attached, and they fitted my ears perfectly.

The only issue I came across with the earbuds is their finish. It is too slippery, so taking them out of the case can often be challenging if not held firmly. Similarly, holding them with a pinch grip feels risky, as they can easily slip from your fingers.

Straightforward app with adequate features

The key specifications of the OnePlus Nord Buds 4 include a 12mm titanium-coated dynamic driver, Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) of up to 52dB using three mics on each earbud, 47ms ultra-low latency (using Gaming mode), and OnePlus 3D Audio. For easy connectivity, the TWS feature Google Fast Pair and Microsoft Swift Pair, while technical aspects include 5,000Hz ultra-wide frequency range, Bluetooth v6.1, SBC and AAC codecs.

In order to control and play around with the settings of the Nord Buds 4, users can download the HeyMelody app from the Play Store and App Store on their non-OnePlus smartphones. As for OnePlus users, they can access all the app functions through the Bluetooth settings within the ‘Earbuds function’ section. Thankfully, unlike Realme Link, HeyMelody requires no sign-up or login and features a clean, straightforward user interface.

Here are some of the key features found on the app, along with my experience of using them:

OnePlus 3D Audio: This is OnePlus’ version of Spatial audio, which claims to create an immersive sound experience by outputting sound from all directions. I found this feature to create hollowness in the songs I listened to; therefore, I didn’t use it for the most part.

Sound Master EQ: By default, the buds feature three sound profiles: Balanced, Serenade, and Bass. Let’s explore these settings in depth in the ‘Sound’ section of this review.

AI Translate: When paired with a OnePlus phone with the AI Translate app installed, the Nord Buds 4 can serve as a real-time translator by simply double-tapping the touch area on the earbuds. While I didn’t get the chance to use this feature, it could turn out to be handy when travelling abroad.

Game mode: This is where the 47ms ultra-low latency kicks in. I manually set the double-tap on the left earbud to trigger ‘Game mode’, and while it did activate, the difference was negligible in games like Brawl Stars. Though OnePlus claims the mode is supported only in certain games, without providing the exact names.

Sound Space: Similar to the O-Relax app on OnePlus and OPPO phones, this mode offers a variety of sounds and music to help calm your mind when needed.

Other features: Some other settings found in the HeyMelody app include Find my earbuds, dual connection, auto-play/pause upon removal of earbud, earbud fit test for the perfect seal, and adjusting the alert sound volume.

Bass-focused sound and strong ANC

As stated above, the OnePlus Nord Buds 4 support three sound profiles: Balanced, Serenade, and Bass. Below these options, the section features ‘BassWave’ to control the amount of bass you wish to experience. One can also control the lows, mids, and highs using the custom equaliser within this setting.

Sound quality

Coming to the sound experience, while I was satisfied with the bass output in the ‘Default’ preset, many may find it slightly overpowering. And if you think the bass isn’t enough, enabling the ‘BassWave’ setting significantly boosts the lows, which was honestly too overwhelming at the maximum setting.

If you’re someone who prioritises vocals and treble, the heavy bass is instantly noticeable during the initial few seconds of playing Starboy by The Weeknd. As for the vocals, they were clear and sharp, but they lacked the crispness found in higher-end TWS earbuds, including the older OPPO Enco Air3 Pro.

When listening to the ‘Serenade’ preset, the Nord Buds 4 diminish most of the bass in favour of keeping vocals upfront, and the instruments are also not as impactful as the Default preset. This is prominently evident when listening to Nemesis by RYLLZ, a bass-heavy track. Lastly, the ‘Bass’ preset offers little benefit, as the Nord Buds 4 already deliver a prominent bass response by default, making this preset the least favourable to me.

Personally, boosting the last three frequencies in the custom 10-band EQ delivered the most balanced and enjoyable sound for my taste, which made the trebles and instruments more impactful.

ANC

The 52dB active noise cancellation (ANC) lives up to the expectation. While it doesn’t completely isolate you in your own space, the six microphones in total do a decent job of blocking distant noises in traffic, metro trains, parks, and other public places. Indoors, when listening to media with the air conditioner (AC) and fan running at full blast, the TWS shuts most of the sound.

Given that it costs Rs 700 less than the Rs 3,999 worth OnePlus Nord Buds 4 Pro, which bears 55dB ANC, the Nord Buds 4 won’t disappoint with its ANC performance in most listening scenarios. As for Transparency mode, it worked as intended by allowing ambient sound to pass through without sounding overly robotic.

Superb battery endurance

The charging case carries a 530mAh battery, while the earbuds’ battery capacity stands at 62mAh. OnePlus claims the case and earbuds can deliver 54 hours of battery in AAC mode with ANC turned off at 50 percent volume.

During my use, the charging case lasted an entire week on a full charge, with the earbuds being used for listening to music and watching YouTube videos or shows on Amazon Prime Video.

Charging data

When the charging case was fully drained, I plugged it into OnePlus’s 100W charger, which topped up the battery from 1 to 100 percent in about 45 minutes. Knowing that the case and earbuds combo will last at least five days on nominal use, a full top-up in just 45 minutes is quite impressive.

Verdict

Priced at Rs 3,299, the OnePlus Nord Buds 4 deliver strong value in the budget segment. With excellent ANC performance, impressive battery life, quick charging, and a comfortable, lightweight design, they check most of the boxes for everyday use.

The sound signature offers clear vocals and impactful instruments, though the heavy bass tuning might not appeal to everyone who prefers a more neutral profile. The lack of LHDC support is a minor drawback compared to some rivals, such as the Realme Buds Air 8, but it doesn’t take away from the overall experience.

The bottom line is that if you prioritise strong ANC, comfort, and battery life in an affordable package, the Nord Buds 4 stand as a great pick for most at this price point.

Editor’s rating: 8.4/10

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