After the smartphone market, OnePlus has quietly made a name for itself in the audio space as well, thanks to consistently launching good earbuds that nail the value-for-money proposition. The newest one in town are the OnePlus Nord Buds 3r, which, for INR 1,799, come with 12.4mm drivers, AAC codec, and 54 hours of claimed battery life.

OnePlus sent over the Nord Buds 3r for me to test, and this review will detail my experience using them as my travel and gym companion, highlight their pros and cons, and help you make a wise buying decision.

Design & Comfort

If you remember and loved the design of the previous Nord Buds 2r, I have some bad news. OnePlus had gone away with the flat top case design. Instead, the Buds 3r have a pill-shaped case that looks interestingly utilitarian. You see, when brands opt for a pill-shaped case, it usually has rounded-off corners and a smooth finish that mimics the AirPods.

However, the Buds 3r are totally different. The case is pill-shaped, but the edges are chamfered, giving the buds a distinct identity. The matte finish hides scratches and fingerprints, keeping the case tidy. While the size is bigger than I wished, I had no problems carrying the buds in my front pocket.

Another big bummer is the lack of a physical pairing button, which makes pairing to a new device a whole lot difficult. That said, the buds do support multi-pairing, so it wouldn’t be an issue after the first time.

Moving to the earbuds themselves, they feature the typical stem shape design with a matte coating, which we are all familiar with. Comfort was pretty much on point as I could listen to music for long durations without getting tired. The IP 55 rating also proved quite useful in sweaty gym sessions.

Controls & Companion App

Controls are an easy thing to mess up in TWS earbuds because they are hard to implement. Fortunately, OnePlus has nailed the controls on the Nord Buds 3r. A single tap on the left/right earbud can play or pause the music.

A double-tap or triple-tap can be configured to cycle to the previous or the next track and trigger Game Mode on/off. A long touch and hold on either earbud can be used to turn the volume up and down.

All this is controlled with the HeyMelody app, or the Bluetooth settings if you own a OnePlus or OPPO device. The app is neatly laid out and easy to use for just about everyone. Plus, there are plenty of features. First, there’s the 3D audio feature, which places different instruments of the music around you to create a surround sound experience.

Then there’s the Sound Master feature, which includes three sound profiles as standard, but also comes with a full equalizer to let prosumers change the sound profile to their liking.

However, the biggest highlight feature is the AI Translate, which promises to ease communication with people speaking a different language. In practice, it’s okayish. I used the feature to translate between Hindi and English, and while it accurately understood and translated sentences spoken slowly and with nuance, the conversation flow felt somewhat awkward.

On the bright side, though, the translation speed was pretty quick, and I can see this feature becoming useful with future updates.

Sound Quality & ANC

The OnePlus Nord Buds 3r come with 12.4mm titanized dynamic drivers, and the sound quality punches way above its weight. During my testing, the sound signature was well-balanced, with clear mids and highs even at high volumes. Sure, the bass was a bit on the punchy side, but it didn’t bother me at all, as the overall listening experience was quite enjoyable.

If you don’t like the out-of-the-box sound signature, there’s a full equalizer that gives you control over different aspects of the music. Regarding the call quality, it was decent. I wouldn’t call it the best in loud environments, such as a gym, where the other person struggled to hear my voice. But keeping the harshest scenarios aside, I had no problems.

OnePlus has opted out of ANC with the Nord Buds 3r, and instead incorporated AI noise cancellation for calls. While the lack of ANC wasn’t much of an issue in normal environments, I did miss it when commuting on the metro.

Battery Life

Thanks to the chunky case, the battery life of the OnePlus Nord Buds 3r is excellent. I got roughly 10 hours of battery life with the buds themselves. Couple that with the case, the Nord Buds 3r can last up to 45 hours on a single charge. But this isn’t all. The buds also support fast charging, where 10 minutes of charging gives 8 hours of playback.

Should you buy the OnePlus Nord Buds 3r?

At INR 1,799, the OnePlus Nord Buds 3r compete directly with the likes of OPPO Enco Buds 3 Pro. While the Enco Buds get more points for being handy, the Buds 3r are more durable, easier to keep clean, have a longer battery life, and sound just as good. Couple that with exclusive features like AI translation, and the Nord Buds 3r are a pretty good value for money earbuds.