JOIN USOnePlus Buds Pro 2 review: Terrific TWS earphones
During the OnePlus Cloud 11 event earlier in the year in February, the company put a lot of emphasis on building a great ecosystem of devices that can interact with each other and ensure hassle-free user experience for customers.
Unlike others, which just launch products, OnePlus has steadily grown from just a handset maker to a true consumer electronics brand. Now, it offers smart TVs, earphones, smartphones, fitness bands, and smartwatches and soon it is bringing tablet and computer accessories.
With the latest OnePlus Buds Pro 2, the connectivity with smartphones is much better and offers great options to customise audio delivery with the Hey Melody app. Here are my thoughts on premium TWS (Truly Wireless Stereo) earphones.
Design and build quality:
OnePlus Buds Pro 2 features an in-ear design with soft silicone buds (medium size), which comes pre-fitted out of the box. The company also offers two other pairs in large and small sizes.
For me, the medium-sized buds fit comfortably. Also being lightweight at just 4.9g a piece, it has more advantages. I never felt any irritation or heaviness on my ears during long journeys, even when outdoors in the summer season.
The earbuds come with a dual-tone colorway. Our arbor green variant is very pretty. It has a smooth glossy finish on the stem and the rest has a matte finish. The company also offers an obsidian black model and this too, looks impressive.
The TWS earphones come with a tad longer stem compared to other brands. I am not complaining, as the touch-sensitive stem works like a charm. It is amazingly very responsive on both earphones. Not even once, it failed to recognise squeeze gestures during more than two months of usage.
Also, the earbuds come with an IP55 rating and can sustain accidental water splashes and also heavy sweating during workouts in the gym or during a jog outdoors. Also, it should be noted case has an IPX4 rating and can sustain water splashes too.
User-interface
OnePlus Buds Pro 2 is really easy to set up. Users just have to open the case and see a list of devices on the phone's Bluetooth connection availability list and pair it instantly.
If the user wants to customize the audio delivery and personalise the squeeze gesture, users have to install the HeyMelody app.
Performance
OnePlus Buds Pro 2 earphones come with dual--11mm + 6mm-- liquid crystal polymer diaphragms with separate edges and domes for enhanced balance and tone. They are developed co-developed by Dynaudio.
Add to that, it boasts a new BassWave algorithm that intelligently controls your bass for deeper lows. As advertised, they do their job finely. They have an amazing effect and truly deliver a pleasant listening experience.
Also, with custom equalizer options, users can personalise the audio delivery according to their tastes.
Add to that, OnePlus in collaboration with Google offers support for Spatial Audio. However, for now, this is limited to OnePlus 11 paired with Buds Pro 2.
With Dolby Head Tracking, Dolby Atmos, and a special rendering algorithm, the earphones deliver immersive clear 3D sounds and vocals of the song, like they are in a live concert.
The key attribute of the Buds Pro 2 I love, is the smart Adaptive Noise Cancellation feature. It does an impressive job of blocking the noise around the user and ensuring, I can have a clear conversation during a phone call.
Even while listening to music during a bus ride on the traffic-heavy roads of Bengaluru, the earphones did a fantastic job of reducing not just annoying bus engine noise but also the horn sounds of the vehicles on the road.
However, I advise users to switch back to Ambient mode when walking on the streets or crossing roads, as you may not hear the vehicle horns properly.
Battery life
As advertised, OnePlus Buds Pro 2 delivers a marathon battery life. I spend more than two and a half hours a day just traveling between home and the office, and I didn't have to charge it often. I had to charge only once every two weeks. Also, the app also helps in notifying me to charge the case.
Each earbud comes with 60mAh battery capacity and the case has 520mAh capacity.
It also supports fast charging. With just 10 minutes of charging, it can deliver 10 hours of listening time.
Final thoughts
OnePlus Buds Pro 2 series is a fine pair of earphones and truly delivers a great listening experience.
I tested it on both iPhone and Android mobiles, the premium OnePlus TWS earbuds were exceptionally good and even better on OnePlus 11 with the Spatial Audio aspect.
Also, the active noise cancellation feature and battery life too, are great too.
Overall, OnePlus Buds Pro 2 is a value-for-money premium earphones.
OnePlus Buds Pro 2 costs Rs 11,999 in India.
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