OnePlus Buds 4 review: the power of just good

OnePlus not only releases smartphones and tablets, but also has several accessories. Recently, there were the new OnePlus Buds 4 earbuds. We tested those new earbuds. You can read our findings in the OnePlus Buds 4 review. Can you really enjoy your music with these?

OnePlus Buds 4 review

A new stylish set of earbuds were previously announced by OnePlus, and in this review we test the new OnePlus Buds 4. What do the brand's new earbuds offer? On paper, they promise plenty of improvements and new features, so we are curious to see if the earbuds can deliver. A year and a half ago, we published our OnePlus Buds 3 review; back then, we were positive about the audio product.

In the box

We received the OnePlus Buds 4 in the colour Storm Gray, a neutral, grey colour that the earbuds certainly don't look out of place. You can also opt for the green Zen Green colour. We see the two earbuds in a case, along with a very short USB-C cable, some paperwork and two more sizes of earbuds, so you can always achieve a pleasant way of listening.

What do the earbuds offer?

Pairing the OnePlus Buds 4 is easy. Using the button on the side of the case, you can start pairing mode. This is done via Bluetooth and in no time your device is connected to the buds. The earbuds support Bluetooth 5.4, which of course includes Google's Fast Pair. Like previous version, the buds support different codecs. These are LHDC 5.0, AAC and SBC.

Present are several additional features. Including OnePlus 3D Audio, double-tap for controlling the camera and a low latency of 47ms. You can swipe across the earbuds to increase or decrease the volume. You can also start AI translation with three taps on the earbuds. For this, you do need to own a OnePlus smartphone. But the latter works only moderately, as it controls the music player by selecting a track.

OnePlus naturally equips the Buds 4 with ANC, or adaptive noise cancellation. This works up to 55dB, where it was 49dB on the previous model. There is also noise cancellation during phone calls. By touching the earpiece for a longer time, you switch the noise reduction off or on again. Via the Hello Melody app for Android and iOS, you can adjust even more settings for the audio.

If you use noise cancellation, the earbuds achieve around six hours of playtime. If you use the case to charge in between uses, this is up to 24 hours. If you don't use ANC, then you can achieve up to 45 hours of battery life. Furthermore, the OnePlus Buds 4 has IP55 certification, making it water- and dust-resistant. The case, by the way, is not.

Sound quality

The sound quality of the OnePlus Buds 4 can be described as clear with sufficiently balanced bass. In fact, in no area and genre do the earphones listen unpleasantly. The midrange is good with clear vocals and treble is anything but shrill. Sufficient volume comes out of OnePlus' in-ears. In terms of noise cancelling, the Buds 4 isolate outside noise just fine and we have nothing negative to comment on. You do hear a slight murmur from the noise cancellation at first, but after a while you don't hear this anymore.

Review

The OnePlus Buds 4 are a great choice if you want good quality earbuds. The sound quality is pleasant and without even adjusting the settings and tweaks, you get high-quality audio pumped into your ears. Other than that, the headset isn't terribly special in terms of specifications, but it doesn't need to be for this amount. As far as we are concerned, there is no need to buy more expensive earbuds; the OnePlus Buds 4 will suit most consumers. Besides, they are a lot cheaper than the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro (although those are also very good).

You can buy the Buds 4 for less than 100 euros at Bol.com and Belsimpel.