OnePlus Buds 4 Review: A flagship killer in the TWS with ANC zone!

In the tech world, as soon as one hears the words “budget” or “affordable” associated with a gadget, it is assumed that the product comes with compromises. It could be its features, its design, or just subpar overall performance. That said, some brands have tried to offer relatively premium specs and features, even in the budget zone, although not all have succeeded. One brand that has, and has even built its legacy around this concept is OnePlus. The brand made the term “flagship killer” a part of tech vocabulary, and seems to be bringing the same strategy to its TWS as well.

OnePlus released the OnePlus Buds 4 along with the Nord 5 and Nord CE5, and they come with features like Real-time dynamic ANC, AI translation on tap, dual drivers with dual DACs, swipe control, and more, all at Rs. 5,999. That’s a lot for not too much. But does being a budget offering mean the OnePlus Buds 4 also come with compromises? Let’s find out:

OnePlus Buds 4 Design and specs: Familiar, but good familiar

The OnePlus Buds 4 come with a very familiar design language and follow a broadly similar design blueprint to the OnePlus Buds Pro 3. They come in an oval case with front and back that curves out on the edges, giving it a very soap-like appearance (especially if you have used Dove or Pears). There is OnePlus branding in chrome on the front of the case, along with a single, tiny LED. The right side has a button that blends beautifully in the anatomy of the case (so beautifully that it is initially difficult to spot), and there is a USB Type-C port on the base. Flipping the case with a single hand can be done, but it is a bit difficult because of its compact size. The buds are placed vertically inside the case, so you basically drop them in their slots.

The case has strong magnets and closes with the most satisfying snap. Both the buds and the case are plastic, but the case has a metallic sheen to it, while the buds’ slots on the inside are glossy, giving away its build material. The buds are the same shade as the case, with a metallic sheen. The design of the buds is quite typical, too. There is a ballooned up top with an eartip attached on the inside. The buds have a small stem too, with a very light contour on the top, which highlights the area of the touch panel. Both buds and the case are very light and are comfortable to wear for hours to binge-watch shows. They offer decent passive noise cancellation as well.. The case weighs 39.57 grams while each bud weighs 4.73 grams. One can easily sneak the OnePlus Buds 4 even in a very tiny pocket, and the buds come with IP55 dust and water resistance, making them solid workout partners, although the case has no IP rating.

In terms of hardware, OnePlus Buds 4 come with dual drivers with dual DACs, and are equipped with 11mm woofers and 6mm tweeters. They come with support for LHDC 5.0, SBC and AAC codec support, have Bluetooth 5.4, Google Fast Pair support, and Dual Device connection. There are three mics on each bud and support for ANC. There are two color options– Zen Green and Storm Gray. We received the former for our review. Both look quite nice, but the Zen Green r is sure to get some attention.

OnePlus Buds 4 Controls and UI: Loaded with features

Pairing the OnePlus Buds is a pretty simple task. Flip the case open and remember the very tiny button that is pretty much blended into the side of the case? Just long-press it until the tiny LED blinks in white and put the buds in pairing mode. Then select the buds from your device’s Bluetooth list and voila! The OnePlus Buds 4 are paired.

You can do more with the Buds 4 using the OnePlus HeyMelody app, which works with both iOS and Android, and lets you dive deeper into the workings of the OnePlus Buds 4 – it is available as a free download on the iTunes App Store and Google Play Store. It is very full-featured, which can seem overwhelming initially, but is very handy once you get the hang of it, because it lets you do so much. An app that gives you an in-depth look at all the features the buds are equipped with.

Apart from showing battery levels of the case and the buds, the app also lets you tweak noise control options: you can choose from Noise Cancellation, Adaptive, Transparency, and off. Even if you turn on Noise cancellation, the app lets you choose from high, moderate, low, and auto modes. There are also Audio effects that include OnePlus 3D audio, Sound Master EQ, with more options within, Golden Sound, and a Game Mode.

The controls of the OnePlus Buds 4 are basically simple and involve tapping and holding the touch-sensitive part on the back of the buds. They come with some standard commands that cannot be changed – a single tap will play or pause, a double tap on the left earbud will answer or end calls, and long pressing the bud will decline calls straight away. If you are the type that likes to tweak controls, then just head to the app, from switching to next or previous song, invoking voice assistant to controlling volume right from the buds, and activating ANC and Transparency mode, you can literally customise controls as you like.

OnePlus Buds 4 Audio quality: Very good audio

The combination of a woofer and tweeter in the OnePlus Buds 4 delivers audio with a lot of body without putting too much emphasis on any one aspect. We were pleasantly surprised to find that the buds handled different genres very well, which is rarely a thing in this price band. Highs were clean, lows were rumbly without being overwhelming, and vocals still managed to shine through in most songs. The audio quality is very well layered and feels very premium. That said, it can get just a little muddy at maxed-out volume, but on mid or even at high levels, the buds do exceptionally well. The dual DACs seem to add a lot of clarity to the audio and lessen distortion.

The buds are equipped with a spatial audio feature, which does give you a slight surround sound vibe, but it is not too powerful. The three different EQ presets make a noticeable difference, and there is a BassWave slider that can spice up bass for those who like a more rumbly sound from their TWS. You can also customise equalizer settings as per your liking, and can even let the buds choose the best setting for you, using what OnePlus calls Golden Sound. In this, you take a three-minute test and let the buds create a setting that is best suited for you based on your ear canal and hearing analysis. This is similar to the feature we tested on Nothing Buds. You need to be in a very quiet environment for the process to be successful, and even then, we were not too convinced by the result.

OnePlus Buds 4 ANC, calls, and battery: Amazingly good!

The OnePlus Buds 4 come with flagship-level ANC, which honestly left us amazed. The buds managed to drown out noise in our gym, completely cover up loud kids in noisy cafes, and muffled the noisy ambience during our daily commute. This is something we have only experienced in premium TWS, and to have it in a pair of buds that costs a fraction of the price of a premium TWS was truly impressive. There are levels to ANC, and while the auto mode seemed like it was basically high mode, the moderate and low levels did change the ANC impact.

Another impressive aspect of the buds was call quality. The buds delivered clear input and output on every single call. We had been using a pair of TWS, which did not handle calls well, prior to the OnePlus Buds 4, and when we made calls using the Buds 4, the difference in quality was noticeable to the person we were speaking to as well. We did find a bit of a lag sometimes while gaming, but that sorted itself out when the buds were put in gaming mode.

Yet another highlight of the OnePlus Buds 4 is their battery life. The buds can last up to 9-10 hours without ANC, and with ANC, they can survive for up to 5 hours on a single charge, which is very close to their claimed battery life. The case comes with a 530 mAh battery, which OnePlus claims can last for up to 45 hours without ANC, and once again, the performance comes very close to this number. The buds come with fast charging support, with the case getting 11 hours of charge and the buds about two and a half hours with ten minutes of charging. There is no support for wireless charging, but that is hardly a deal-breaker at this price point.

It is not all roses with the Buds 4 (pun unintended). Their in-ear detection was not the greatest, and the buds did not pause for a few seconds after we took them out, and did not play music again when we put them back in. The controls were also a mixed bag. While we loved the touch panel with volume control (a feature that worked quite well), the tap gestures were quite difficult to get right, and we ended up missing commands quite frequently. And while they come with support for streaming hi-res audio, the buds miss out on support for LDAC and AptX Adaptive codecs, which might disappoint some.

OnePlus Buds 4 Review Verdict: Unmatched at their price

At $129/Rs 5,999 (and even at $119/Rs 5,499 at some outlets), the OnePlus Buds 4 are a very impressive package. They come with very good, well-rounded audio without the excessive bass that many TWS in their segment have; their battery lasts long, and their call quality is top-notch. But the real star of the OnePlus Buds 4 show is ANC. The ANC on the buds is basically something we have not yet experienced on TWS in this price segment, and is, in fact, better than even some of the premium TWS that come with double the price tag.

Those looking for alternatives can try the slightly more bassy Sony WF-C700N, which are now available at close to Rs 6,000, but its ANC and battery life are not in the same class. The JBL Tune Beam 2 TWS offer better audio at the same price, and also come with very good battery life, but lose out in the ANC department. Another option is the recently released Samsung Galaxy Buds Core, which are available for Rs 4,999, and claim to come with very good ANC and AI, although we have not reviewed them yet. All said and done, the OnePlus Buds 4 deliver a lot of flagship functionality (especially in ANC, calls, and battery life) at a surprisingly affordable price. These are pretty much the flagship killers in the TWS with ANC segment!

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