Pros
- Spatial audio with Android
- Decent sound quality
- Fast Pair and multipoint Bluetooth
Cons
- No on-device volume controls
The OnePlus Buds Pro 2 is among the many gadgets OnePlus recently unveiled at its Cloud 11 event. These second-generation wireless earphones support adaptive noise cancellation, dual audio drivers co-created by OnePlus and Dynaudio, lossless Hi-Res audio, head-tracking features, and wireless charging.
The OnePlus Buds Pro 2, a successor to the OnePlus Buds Pro, seems to be a step in the right direction. While I’ve had a lot of fun with the audio quality itself, the inclusion of spatial audio truly takes the cake. I’ve been plugging it in for a while, so let’s see whether it made me dance to its tunes or not. Let’s find out in this review:
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What’s Inside The Box?
- OnePlus Buds Pro 2 (Arbor Green)
- Ear tips in small and large sizes (Medium sized tips pre-installed)
- USB Type-C charging cable
- User guide
- Safety and warranty card
- Red Cable Club Welcome Card
Design
The OnePlus Buds Pro 2 come in a familiar rectangular charging case with rounded corners. The case is light and compact that can easily fit in your pocket. It has a matte finish which makes it less likely to scratch and attract fingerprints or smudges. The Dynaudio logo is inscribed beneath the OnePlus logo on the top of the case and on the case’s underside as well as. A tiny LED indication that glows in the red and green color on the front serves as a guide for pairing and charging. At the back, there is a USB Type-C charging port.
When you open the case, you can see the marked slots for the Left and Right earbuds. At the center, there is a function button. Strong magnets are used to hold the buds in place.
Just like the case, the earbuds’ design is similar to that of the earlier model. These are in-ear buds with a small stem sticking out of the earbud. The headset is made of plastic; however, it has two types of finishes. It has a matte finish on the top half and a glossy surface on the bottom half that is easily fingerprinted. The matte finish makes the earbuds easy to use and handle.
On the stems of the earpieces are pressure-sensitive controls. Compared to basic touch controls, this is far more accurate. You can access the playback controls and noise cancellation settings by quickly squeezing the stem. As you take the earbuds out of your ears, they automatically pause and resume playing thanks to an optical sensor for wear detection. The earpieces have a comfortable in-canal fit that ensures proper passive noise isolation. They’re also lightweight and, in my opinion, definitely one of the most comfortable in-ear buds I’ve used in the last year.
The icing on the cake is the Arbor Green color that we received as a review unit. It looks really great on both the earbuds themselves and the case. The OnePlus Buds Pro 2 also comes in a matte black finish but the green really stands out.
Overall, the earbuds offer great build quality and fit perfectly in ears, so they won’t fall out easily during outdoor activities like running, cycling, or while boarding a crowded metro. Besides, the earbuds have IP55 ratings for dust and water resistance. Therefore, it can withstand splashes and light rain. The case is also IPX4 rated for water resistance.
Audio Performance
The OnePlus Buds Pro 2 is powered by Dolby Atmos. This delivers a wide soundstage experience enabled by the Spatial audio feature which can be configured for either a fixed position or head-tracking. With audio streaming services like Amazon Music, Spotify, and YouTube Music, the spatial audio feature is compatible. The finest audio streaming platform, however, is Apple Music because it is the only one that natively supports Dolby Atmos and lossless audio for a Hi-Fi spatial sound experience.
The OnePlus Buds Pro 2 nonetheless dazzles with a rich sound signature. With crystal-clear vocals and a good amount of powerful bass, the audio quality is crisp. Highs are good, but the mid-range is average.
With a strong bass, fine trebles, and clear vocals, it has a balanced output. OnePlus and Dynaudio collaborated to develop dual audio drivers for the earphones. In addition to the default graphic equalizer, Dynaudio also tunes three more custom graphic equalizers. The outcome is a top-notch experience.
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ANC And Call Performance
In terms of noise cancellation, the ANC muffles background noise which generally helps in most cases. The change is noticeable when you are listening outside. It performs admirably given the price. Also, this features a Transparency mode that enables you to hear background noise so that you can identify the environment and any potential dangers. When you take out a single earbud, it can turn on the transparency mode automatically.
Coming to the call noise cancellation, it combines three ENC microphones and an AI-powered noise reduction algorithm to reduce outside noise. This does a good job in reducing wind and road/traffic noise.
Connectivity And Fast Pairing
For HD sound quality on supported devices, the OnePlus Buds Pro 2 supports Bluetooth 5.3 with LHDC 4.0 Hi-Res audio codec and AAC codec. For OnePlus phones (6 and later), pairing is quite simple. Just open the charging case for the earbuds, put it close to the OnePlus phone, turn on Bluetooth, and then follow the onscreen instructions. Besides, non-OnePlus users can download the OnePlus HeyMelody app for pairing.
There is also a fast pair option that works on the latest Android phones. If you have multiple devices connected to the same account, the OnePlus Buds Pro 2 can connect to them with little to no effort. Additionally, the Buds Pro 2 features multipoint pairing that allows you to connect to two devices simultaneously. All in all, this has worked out pretty well.
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Battery
The battery life of the OnePlus Buds Pro 2 is decent, offering up to 10 hours of playback time on a single charge. The overall battery life is increased to 38 hours when combined with the charging case. Since I don’t use ANC frequently, I can get away with nine hours on a single charge. You’re estimated to be approximately six with it on, which is still good. Despite not being plugged in consistently every few days or so, they haven’t actually died on me in the days that I’ve been using them.
Final Verdict
The OnePlus Buds Pro 2 are some of the first Bluetooth earbuds on the market to support Google’s new spatial audio surround sound technology for Android. Support for simultaneous connections to two devices is a rare but welcome feature. The comfortable fit, decent battery life, and nice, compact body make it easy to carry around. The lack of onboard volume control is a bit of a disappointment though. Overall, the OnePlus Buds Pro 2 is one of the best TWS buds for Android device users in this price range (Rs. 11,999).
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