Today, we are pleased to offer you a review of the second generation of OnePlus’ flagship wireless headphones – Buds Pro 2. It features Google’s surround sound technology, active noise cancellation, collaboration with Dynaudio, and an equaliser designed by Hans Zimmer himself. In addition, these are headphones that work with both Android and iOS via the HeyMelody app. Can they really compete with AirPods?
OnePlus Buds Pro 2 positioning and price
Launched in mid-February, OnePlus Buds Pro 2 is the second generation of the headphones in this series with enhanced features and improved sound quality. Design and specifications – everything looks perfect. The headphones are small and have a very nice shape. They resemble AirPods. It’s all kind of “premium,” but do we really get advanced, top-of-the-line headphones for ∼$200? Well, we tested it.
In Poland, where the test took place, OnePlus Buds Pro 2 costs $210.
Read also: realme Buds Air 3S headphones review: Good sound for an affordable price
Technical specifications of OnePlus Buds Pro 2
- Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.3
- Codecs: SBC, AAC, LC3, LHDC
- Speakers: 11 mm woofer, 6 mm tweeter
- Headphone sensitivity: 108 dB
- Frequency response of the headphones: 10 – 40000 Hz
- Noise cancellation: Active (ANC)
- Number of microphones: 6 – three on each earbud
- Microphone sensitivity: -38 dB
- Range: up to 10 m
- Charging: via USB-C connection
- Power supply: 60 mAh headphone battery, 520 mAh charging case battery
- Maximum operating time: up to 9 hours, up to 6 hours with ANC enabled, up to 39 hours with charging case
- Charging time: approx. 2 hours, 10 minutes of charging corresponds to 3 hours of headphone use
- Additional features: touch control panel, triple set of microphones, dust and water protection (IP55), wireless charging case, automatic pause when headphones are removed from ears
- Weight: earbuds 4.9 g, case 47.3 g
- Manufacturer’s warranty: 12 months
Package contents
The OnePlus Buds Pro 2 comes with wireless headphones, a charging case, a USB-C cable, silicone caps in S, M and L sizes, and a user manual. There’s no charger, but that’s standard equipment.
Read also: HUAWEI FreeBuds 5i headphones Review: comfortable, stylish and affordable
Design, materials and build quality
The headphones look classic, simple and high-quality, and have a premium finish.
The case has a sleek, small, rectangular design with a combination of matte and glossy finishes. It is made of high quality plastic.
Inside the case, we see the headphones lying on top, not removed. There are no problems with taking out and putting in the headphones – the magnet fixes them well. The charging case is IPX4 certified, so it is not afraid of water drops.
The headphones also combine matte and glossy materials. The design is reminiscent of AirPods, and that’s a good thing. They do not stick out of the ear, they are small, not almost half the cheek. The headphones’ “legs” are metal, and they are tactile – this is how you can control the sound and other functions, which I will talk about later. The headphones are certified according to the IPX5 waterproof standard, so if you get caught in unexpected rain, they will not be damaged. But you shouldn’t get them too wet either.
Buds Pro 2 are available in two colours: Eternal Green and Obsidian Black. We tested the second variant.
OnePlus Buds Pro 2 sit nicely in the ear, are very lightweight, and even a few hours in the headphones do not cause discomfort.
Read also: OnePlus Nord 2 5G review: Almost a flagship killer
OnePlus Buds Pro 2 sound and microphone
To achieve the best possible surround sound, OnePlus collaborated with composer Hans Zimmer, who developed a special Soundscape equaliser for the brand. So the requirements for sound quality were significant.
Overall, Buds Pro 2 sound very good. From my experience, these are not the best headphones on the market, but they have no drawbacks that would make them not worth buying. The sound is pleasant, clear and noise-free. The bass level is stable and accurate, and can be individually adjusted in the HeyMelody app.
There is an option for sound correction, so you can adjust everything the way you like. In the Sound Master mode, you can choose bass boost or just the Hans Zimmer sound space. There is a noticeable difference between all the modes, and I mostly used only the Zimmer mode. The only drawback is that the sound loses a little bit of quality at very high pitches.
If we compare listening to music on OnePlus Buds Pro 2 and AirPods Pro, they are very similar, with slightly better sound quality on AirPods, but this was noticeable only with certain sounds. Changing headphones while playing the same playlist, after a while I could no longer distinguish which headphones I had.
As for calls, everything is fine. The sound is clear, and noise cancellation does a good job of suppressing low and medium external noise. The microphone also transmits the voice very well and muffles ambient sounds (except in very strong winds, when you can hear crackling). My interlocutor and I tested the headphones, comparing them with the 1st generation AirPods Pro. The sound quality was about the same, and even in favour of OnePlus. The microphone of OnePlus Buds Pro 2 picked up only my voice, and it was clearer and crisper, while the AirPods microphone picked up ambient sounds in addition to my voice, such as noise from the street or the kettle being turned on.
Read also: ASUS ROG Cetra True Wireless Review: Gaming TWS Headphones
Smart features of OnePlus Buds Pro 2
Noise reduction
Smart Adaptive Noise Cancellation (ANC), which, according to the manufacturer, eliminates ambient noise up to 48 dB and up to 4 kHz wide. In the settings, you can manually set the noise reduction level: smart, which automatically adapts the noise reduction to the surrounding conditions, maximum, moderate and light.
Using this function, you want to cut off ambient noise, so, of course, it is best to choose the maximum, which still lets some sounds through. It works fine, of course, it does not completely eliminate ambient sounds, but when listening to music, you can hardly hear traffic. But voices, sirens, or construction sounds do penetrate.
I often use the “transparency” mode – you can listen to music and talk to others – useful, for example, when shopping. This mode works well.
“Golden Sound”
This is one of the functions of the HeyMelody companion app, which allows you to perform a headphone fit test.
By scanning the ear canals, Buds Pro 2 adjusts the sound quality specifically for the user. In fact, after such a test and applying these settings, the sound becomes better, more pleasant and it seems that you can catch more sounds. Here are screenshots of what it looks like:
Surround sound
OnePlus Buds Pro 2 support Google’s new virtual surround sound technology. But this feature is not available everywhere. It’s built into Android 13 and only works with the OnePlus 11. There is another way to enable this feature – it’s available on other Android 13 phones, but only in certain apps, like YouTube.
ZenMoode
The manufacturer has also provided a special mode for relaxation. ZenMode Air is the ability to turn on relaxing sounds while suppressing ambient sounds. It’s a cool, new feature, but is it really necessary? I don’t know, I used it a few times out of curiosity, but would I use headphones for relaxation? I don’t think so.
Read also: TWS HUAWEI FreeBuds SE Earphones Review: A Versatile Soldier
OnePlus Buds Pro 2 connection, control and software
As standard, the headphones connect via Bluetooth. Additionally, OnePlus Buds Pro 2 allow you to access their features through the built-in software on OnePlus phones or through the Oppo HeyMelody app, available on Android and iOS.
For Android
For iOS
Unfortunately, I didn’t have a OnePlus phone and couldn’t test the headphones with it. But when it comes to other Android phones, iPhones, laptops, tablets, etc., the headphones connect to everything without any problems.
By the way, if you have an Android smartphone, some of the options will be available right from the system settings! Here’s an example:
Touch control
The headphones can be operated by pressing the legs, although they are quite short, but there are no problems. We have the following options for touch and settings:
- One touch: Pause playback/answer an incoming call/hold a call
- Two taps: next song/reject call
- Triple tap: previous song
- Hold for 1 second: switch between noise cancelling modes
- Long press for 3 seconds: focuses the headphones
However, I missed the volume control, there is no way to swipe up/down on the touch panel to adjust the volume.
You can control the headphones through the software on your OnePlus phones. The settings are built into the Bluetooth menu. If we have another Android or iOS phone, we need to use the HeyMelody app. There we will find all the settings for noise cancellation, sound correction, golden sound, sound editor, etc.
I would like to add that the headphones support multipoint technology, i.e. they can be connected to two devices simultaneously and switch themselves if necessary.
Operating time of OnePlus Buds Pro 2
The manufacturer guarantees up to 9 hours of operation without ANC, and 6 hours with ANC. Fully charged headphones and case provide up to 39 hours of listening without ANC, and 25 hours with ANC.
I used the headphones mostly in ANC mode, in which they ran out of power after about seven hours. It took me four days to run out of juice on a fully charged case, with several hours of music and calls.
So, the manufacturer’s data is true, and the headphones themselves have a great operating time!
I should add that Buds Pro 2, as befits top models, can be charged both wired and wirelessly (i.e. via the case).
Read also: Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 3 Review: the third generation of audiophile headphones
Conclusions
OnePlus Buds Pro 2 are great headphones that can compete with AirPods, Huawei FreeBuds Pro 2 or Samsung Galaxy Buds2 Pro, because the sound quality is really high. The design, construction and advanced features (ANC and intelligent sound “amplifiers”) are also up to par, not to mention the record-breaking battery life of these headphones.
Buds Pro 2 has everything we expect from headphones today: compact size, sleek shape, noise cancellation, convenient touch controls, excellent sound quality and a microphone. The downside is the relatively weak ANC and the availability of some features only on Android smartphones or only on OnePlus models.
The OnePlus Buds Pro 2 headphones were designed with the needs of users of different smartphones in mind, but they should definitely be an obvious choice for anyone with a OnePlus phone.
Read also:
- Apple AirPods Pro 2 vs Huawei FreeBuds Pro 2: which headphones to choose?
- HUAWEI Watch Buds review: smartwatch… with headphones inside
Hey guys
My name is Gregory and I really have to get information about a
subject, as you are professional from the domain of audio, I just
don’t know how to respond to my question and would like to ask you to
help me about this :
I am a fan of wireless earphones, specially using them on the go,
outside, with some streaming audio services, regular ones lime
spotify.
I discovered recently that brands like lg and collabs with audio hi-fi
brands like meridian are really something to me and a big change in
term of audio reproduction and enjoyment.
I had the opportunity to buy the LG FP9 with meridian DSp inside, and
felt in love with the ambient sound, the way it reproduce audio, the
scene, quality.
I loved the FP9 so much that i decided to get money and upgrade to th T90.
The thing is that when you loom at the price range of the T90, you
naturally find other brands and reviews who show them as very very
good.
I have in mind now the Oppo Enco X2 and the Oneplus Buds Pro 2 both
with Dynaudio inside. All youtube reviews and internet says that they
have fantastic sound, clarity, basses, separation of frequencies
etc…
I am not doubting about the T90, as i loved the kind of image the
produce, i also see that something is happening with the models who
integrates the danish brand dynaudio.
My question is, regarding a budget that I have, and not the ability to
buy 2 or 3 pairs to test, if I should just stick to the T90 even if
they are a bit to classic compared to the new ones coming or get
myself into the dynaudio dsp models from oppo or oneplus.
I like soft and comfy music, hi-fi level and good scène and détails
with a bit of coloration like with my FP9, but am really curious about
oneplus and oppo as i would be a bit afraid to miss something with
these last ones.
I hope that you will have some of these professional and experiences
with these models that could help me direct myself into my next
acquisition.
Thank you guys
Gregory G
Hi Gregory!
Thank you for your detailed question. Unfortunately, it is almost impossible to answer this accurately. Headphone reviews are very subjective. Most likely, you will find answers to questions about the quality of the device, autonomy, connection reliability, microphones and delays. But the answers on sound quality – I don’t think so. The issue of sound is very individual and depends on the state of the auditory system, age, shape of the auricle, type of headphones, playback device and source of music, musical genre. In addition, your musical preferences and tastes may simply not coincide with the preferences of the expert. I can only recommend that, if possible, go to an offline store where the types of headphones you are interested in are on the shelves. There you can connect each headphone model to your smartphone or audioplayer and evaluate the sound quality yourself while listening to music from your library. I wish you good luck with this research!
I would say that the LG T90 are the best choice for you if you want the loudest and most detailed sound, the best noise cancellation, and the most hygienic earbuds (UVnano technology). The Oppo Enco X2 are a close second, with similar features and slightly longer battery life, but less loud and less bassy sound. The OnePlus Buds Pro 2 are the cheapest option, with decent features and sound quality, but not as impressive as the other two.
However, these are just my suggestions. Ultimately, the best earbuds for you depend on your personal preference and budget. You may want to try them out yourself before making a final decision. I hope this helps you with your query. Have a nice day!
As audio fun, I understand your enthusiasm for wireless earphones and the desire for quality audio reproduction. It’s great to hear that you enjoyed the LG FP9 with Meridian DSP inside and are considering an upgrade to the T90.
When comparing the T90 to other models like the OPPO Enco X2 and Oneplus Buds Pro 2, it’s important to consider your budget and personal preferences. While the T90 may have a more classic design, it has received positive reviews for its sound quality. On the other hand, the OPPO and Oneplus models, with Dynaudio inside, have also been praised for their fantastic sound and other features.
To help you make a decision, I recommend considering the specific aspects that are important to you, such as comfort, hi-fi level sound, scene and details, and a bit of coloration. It may be helpful to read detailed reviews or try to listen to demos of the different models if possible.
It may be a good idea to buy headphones in an outlet store (unpacked, returned, a litte used etc.). In such stores, the goods can be returned without any problems (I had experience). I think this is the best option.
Ultimately, the choice will depend on your personal preferences and the features that matter most to you.