OnePlus Nord Buds 2 Review: A TWS you might want to buy!

September 4, 2023

OnePlus recently launched the Nord Buds 2 in the Nepali market with a price tag of NPR 6,199. I tested this TWS for more than a week. And in this OnePlus Nord Buds 2 review article, we’ll walk through the audio, battery, and overall performance aspects.

OnePlus Nord Buds 2 Specifications:

Driver: 12mm dynamic driver
Frequency: 20 Hz – 20 kHz
Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.3
Battery: 41mAh (each earbud), 480mAh (case)
Music Time: 7 hours (with ANC off), 36 hours (with charging case)
Charging: Wired (USB-C)
Controls: Touch
Active Noise Cancellation: Yes (up to 25dB)
IP Rating: Yes (IP55 dust and splash resistant, earbuds only)
Color: Thunder Grey and Lighting White
Companion App: HeyMelody (Android | iOS)
Price in Nepal: Rs. 6,199
Buy OnePlus Nord Buds 2 here

OnePlus Nord Buds 2 Review:

Design and Build

Let’s start with the design of the Nord Buds 2. It takes a lot of cues from the original Nord Buds and bears the same flat stem design– which is not that attractive, to be honest. A sleek stem design is better any day– at least for me. Still, the Lighting White option looks good though. OnePlus sells this guy in the Thunder Grey color option too.

Design

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The charging case is also similar and has a matte finish to avoid fingerprints and smudges. Although the earbuds are made of plastic, it doesn’t look cheap. And yeah, you get an IP55 rating on the TWS, which is okay for minor water splashes and sweat.

Pairing the buds…

For pairing, you’ll need to download the HeyMelody App on your Android/iOS phone. With the Buds 2, you get a pairing button on the back, which you need to press to pair after opening the lid. If you own a OnePlus phone, the pairing process is quite seamless as it supports OnePlus Fast Pair. But still, having the HeyMelody app is still beneficial for updates, EQ profile adjustments, and more.

Audio

Now, let’s talk about audio performance—the Nord Buds 2 packs 12.4mm titanium-coated drivers. Regarding codecs, you get both SBC and AAC codecs. Speaking of the audio, the Nord Buds 2 produces superb bass alongside a balanced sound. The bass doesn’t dominantly overpower the mids and highs thankfully. While the vocal clarity is quite on the very decent side. You can control the music playback with taps on the dedicated circular area on the buds. Which can also be customized via the HeyMelody app.

To cancel the background noise, you get Active Noise Cancellation support here—which works well on my usage time. OnePlus claims up to 25dB of ambient noise reduction. Along with that, you get transparency and normal mode, which are fine as well.

Moving on, the HeyMelody app lets you tune the sound profile to your preference. So, there’s no problem if you are all about the bass, no treble. Or you can keep those treble high and base down low!

OnePlus Nord Buds 2 heyMelody App — HeyMelody

Gaming and Calls

For gaming, there’s a dedicated gaming mode that reduces latency, although there are still noticeable audio lags, especially in games like PUBG. So, it’s decent for casual gaming but not ideal for competitive gaming.

Getting to the call quality, the Nord Buds 2 performed surprisingly well on indoor usage through its dual mic setup. If you are somewhere in a noisy environment, you might want to use your phone’s mic instead. This midrange TWS is not simply made for that!

Battery

Now, let’s talk about battery life. The earbuds offer solid battery backup. At full charge, you can get around 6 to 7 hours of playback at 50% volume. If you use ANC, it’ll last about 4 hours. Additionally, a quick 10-minute charge can provide 4-5 hours of usage. So, there’s no need to worry about battery life.

Conclusion

Okay, let’s get to the conclusion. For a price tag of 6,199, you’re getting balanced audio with a slighter emphasis on the bass and ANC. It is a bit overpriced in Nepal as compared to India where it’s available at INR 3000 (NPR 4800). Besides that, the battery life is great. An in-ear detection and Google fast pair support would have been icing on the cake though.