OnePlus Nord Buds: What to expect

OnePlus’ latest wireless earbuds are also the first to use the company’s Nord logo, which it uses on its less expensive products.

OnePlus teased two new additions to its European Nord smartphone lineup: the Nord 2T 5G and the Nord CE 2 Lite 5G.

Despite their $39.99 price tag, the Nord Buds have a lot going for them. They don’t have active noise cancellation, and instead of three mics in each stem like the $99 Buds Z2, they only have two.

They do, however, have the same seven-hour battery life (38 hours with the case) and guarantee the same low latency (particularly when connected to a OnePlus phone in ProGaming mode) and quick charging.

The Nord Buds also include 12.4mm drivers, Dolby Atmos support, “AI driven noise reduction algorithms” for phone calls, and OnePlus claims a new design that makes them even more pleasant for lengthy listening sessions.

Nord Buds are supposed to be the entry-level model in the series, but now that the last-generation Buds Z can be had for the same price, the OnePlus catalogue is becoming a little confused.

That’s only in the case of wireless earbuds. OnePlus is also launching two new Nord smartphones in Europe today: the OnePlus Nord 2T 5G and the OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G.

Nord 2T is a spec upgrade over last year’s Nord 2, with 80W fast charging, up from 65W previously.

Meanwhile, the Nord CE 2 Lite is positioned as a lower-cost alternative to the Nord CE 2, which was a step down from the Nord 2.

OnePlus plans to officially unveil both phones on May 19th, at which time we can expect pricing and a release date.

While OnePlus is best known for its phones, their headphones often outperform their pricing.

Chris Welch of The Verge found the Buds Pro to be both easy to wear and outstanding in terms of audio quality, earning them a spot on the list of best wireless earbuds available.

In general, the price of a set of halfway decent wireless earphones is plummeting.

While it appears unlikely that the Nord Buds will be able to compete with some of the higher-end models on the market, even competing with slightly more costly models like the Jabra Elite 3 is a tall order, it wasn’t long ago that $100 was the basic minimum for a competent pair.

The fact that the price has dropped below $40 is positive.