My AirPods 4 are amassing mud in a drawer thanks to those $130 earbuds

As an Android person, I am at all times looking out for brand new true wi-fi earbuds that may compete with — or in some circumstances even surpass — Apple’s AirPods when it comes to fashion, consolation, audio high quality, and ease of use. Corporations like Samsung, Sony, Sennheiser, JBL, Bose, and Jaybird have spent years iterating on their respective Bluetooth earbuds, every introducing multi-generational enhancements that stack on high of each other, and in the end culminating in product traces that may rival Apple in all metrics that depend.

OnePlus, too, has been busy refining its wireless earbuds for a while now. Its mid-range $130 USD / $170 CAD Buds 4, for instance, have confirmed to be strong all-rounder Bluetooth cans, with reviewers praising their worth on the entire. Personally, I have been carrying across the OnePlus Buds 4 for a number of months now, and I keep that they are a pleasant product from high to backside. Listed below are three the reason why, 9 months post-launch, I proceed to hold the Buds 4 with me each at residence and whereas out and about.

They’re fashionable and comfy

AirPods-esque, however with distinct visible aptitude

I like the look of the OnePlus Buds 4. The earbuds themselves are impressed by Apple’s AirPods product line — stem and all — however with a barely extra angular look that units them aside to an considerable diploma. The included charging case is clean and pebble-like, being fabricated from a fingerprint-resistant plastic that feels strong and durable. My storm grey unit is clear and modern, however it’s the zen inexperienced colorway that actually pops with additional persona.

The Buds 4 are additionally good and lightweight, with a snug in-ear really feel. The earbuds weigh in at roughly 0.17 oz (4.73 g), whereas the charging case ideas the scales at roughly 1.41 oz (39.97 g). This lightness, mixed with a solidly-shaped chassis, implies that I can maintain the buds in my ears for a number of hours at a time with out experiencing fatigue or having both bud fall out by chance. Medium-sized ear ideas are preinstalled out of the field, however small and enormous ideas additionally come included to accommodate for variations in ear form and dimension.

IP55 water and mud resistance is current and accounted for, which is sufficient to quell any fears of sweat-induced points throughout exercises. Every bud additionally encompasses a contact sensor for gesture and faucet interactions — as with most earbuds, I do not love the expertise of prodding on the items when in my ears, however at the very least the implementation right here in all fairness fast and responsive.

They’re brimming with tech

A lot of tech specs on deck

Regardless of what their $170 price ticket and their compact bodily dimension may counsel, the OnePlus Buds 4 are literally filled with a wide range of audio applied sciences. Chief amongst these are Bluetooth 5.4 with Regular Join (for guaranteeing a secure wi-fi connection), dual-device connectivity (for concurrently pairing two separate gadgets and switching between them on demand), lively noise cancellation (ANC), in addition to OnePlus’ proprietary 3D Audio system, Sound Grasp EQ, and Golden Sound.

By way of drivers, the 11mm woofers and 6mm tweeters right here function a frequency response of between 15Hz and 40KHz. Every particular person bud options three microphones, and every is kitted with a 62mAh rechargeable battery (the case itself has a 530mAh energy pack). OnePlus quotes as much as 11 hours of battery life for every bud, or as much as 45 hours when together with the case.

In my expertise, that is largely correct, as I have been in a position to make use of the Buds 4 on a number of trans-Atlantic flights whereas nonetheless having a lot within the tank left to go. Sadly, the Buds 4 do not supply inductive wi-fi charging, although wired USB Sort-C top-ups are speedy — 10 minutes will internet you 3.5 hours of playback, and 80 minutes may have each buds and the case totally recharged.

They’ve a companion app

Say ‘hey’ to HeyMelody

As anticipated, the OnePlus Buds 4 combine greatest when paired with a OnePlus smartphone. Fortunately, the corporate additionally provides a devoted software that works throughout each Android and iPhone, and it is referred to as HeyMelody. The app is a fairly primary audio system supervisor, with choices to regulate noise isolation and transparency, to verify battery life, to regulate the EQ, and to configure gesture controls. You too can verify for firmware updates from inside the app.

HeyMelody additionally contains its personal ‘discover my earbuds’ perform, which works by chiming high-pitched audio by way of the buds that will help you find them, however I do want it natively built-in with Google’s rising Discover Hub community as a substitute. On the brilliant facet, the OnePlus Buds 4 do function Google Quick Pair connectivity for seamless Android and ChromeOS Bluetooth pairing, which is far appreciated. Sadly, there isn’t any assist for Microsoft’s Swift Pair protocol, that means that you need to manually join the Buds 4 to Home windows 11 PCs.

They’re comparatively reasonably priced

Buds that punch above their weight

By and enormous, the OnePlus Buds 4 punch above their weight. No, these aren’t even remotely probably the most feature-rich or high-fidelity pair of cans out in the marketplace, however additionally they aren’t attempting to be. They cowl all of the necessities competently, with ANC current and accounted for, some genuinely strong tech specs and audio high quality for the worth, and an exterior construct that appears and feels undeniably premium.

I am removed from an audiophile, however the Buds 4 sound strong to my untrained ears. As a substitute for base-level AirPods, which price an similar $130, the Buds 4 function comparable construct high quality, audio high quality that is inside the identical primary ballpark, and the added additions of ANC and in-ear rubberized ideas. Certain, they do not combine as seamlessly into the Apple ecosystem as AirPods do, however they are a compelling selection on the entire, no matter which cellular ecosystem you subscribe to.

This system was offered to Pocket-lint by OnePlus.