OnePlus has now launched its new budget Nord Buds 2 alongside the mid-range Nord CE 3 Lite. The next-gen wireless earbuds are slightly pricier than the original in-ears, but OnePlus has fitted it with significant improvements such as ANC and longer battery life.
The OnePlus Nords Buds 2 headphones keep most of the earbud design of the original Nord Buds including the extended stem in elliptical shape. What’s more, the polished circular accent on each side is now replaced with a spun-metal effect while the vents positioning are seemingly unchanged. And for good reason, the charging case is noticeably sporting rounder edges.
Cheap Nord headphones with ANC feature
It is in audio quality and features that the Nord Buds 2 are greatly improved. OnePlus is finally adding noise-cancelling to the pair of Nord in-ears. According to the company, the buds are capable of blocking outside noises for up to 25 dB of depth, which is short of the 48 dB rating of the premium OnePlus Buds Pro 2 we reviewed.
There is also a dual-mic setup for clearer voice calls. Users can activate Transparency Mode if they want to blend ambient and background noises during listing, which is similar to one of the functions of Anker’s SoundCore Liberty 4 TWS we also put to the test.
OnePlus added that the buds get large 12.4 mm dynamic audio drivers wrapped in titanium materials and should deliver more powerful bass and richer output quality. The Nord Buds 2 mini audio cans also come with a built-in Dirac tuner and Dolby Atmos certification. Connectivity wise, Bluetooth 5.3 is available with both AAC and SBC codecs supported.
Battery life and price of OnePlus Nord Buds 2
As regards battery life, the earphones averages up to 7 hours without the casing and up to 36 hours using the charging case, both numbers with the ANC switched off. Filling up the juice is only done through the USB-C wire. OnePlus says a 10-minute charge could give you 5 hours of total playback.
The OnePlus Nord Buds 2 are already available in North America through OnePlus’ website for $59 in the US or CAD $85 in Canada. In addition, the headphones will only be released on Amazon in mid-April. The colorways include white and dark gray.
With an ANC for this price, do you think the OnePlus Nord Buds 2 are a better buy than the Nothing Ear (Stick) and other budget TWS? We want to hear your thoughts on this.
