OnePlus Buds 4 Review: Mid-Range Wireless Earbuds That Rock

	OnePlus Buds 4: $129 MSRP The OnePlus Buds 4 ($129) are mid-range wireless earbuds that tick (almost) all the right boxes.
	Outstanding value Supremely comfortable Great sound after EQ LHDC 5.0 support Impressive noise cancellation Competitive battery life	Budget look and feel Mediocre sound before EQ No LDAC support No wireless charging

Here in the US, when it comes to high-quality TWS (true wireless) earbuds for everyday use, Apple’s AirPods immediately come to mind, or Samsung’s Galaxy Buds, or Sony’s LinkBuds, or audio brands like JBL, Sennheiser, Bose, and Beats. Abroad, Chinese brands like Oppo, Realme, Xiaomi, TCL, and Honor are also popular. But here’s a little secret: Nothing and OnePlus make some of the best wireless earbuds we’ve ever tested.

Today we’re taking a look at the OnePlus Buds 4 ($129), the company’s latest mid-range TWS earbuds. These follow in the footsteps of OnePlus’ superb Buds Pro 3 flagship wireless earbuds, which alongside Nothing’s Ear and Ear (a), are currently our favorite TWS earbuds – though Samsung’s Galaxy Buds3 Pro also deserve an honorable mention. So, do the OnePlus Buds 4 live up to our high standards? Let’s find out.

OnePlus Buds 4 Design And Comfort

The OnePlus Buds 4 combine design elements of the company’s Buds Pro 3 and Nord Buds 3 Pro released last year. While the oval shape and dimensions of the charging case are similar to the Buds Pro 3’s, it’s noticeably lighter, and lacks the faux-leather finish, Dynaudio branding, and wireless charging coil from OnePlus’ flagship. You’ll find a USB Type-C port along the bottom edge, a pairing button on the right side, and a status LED in front.

As for the earbuds themselves, instead of inheriting the Buds Pro 3’s perfectly cylindrical, pressure-sensitive stems with a chrome finish, the Buds 4 have flattened cylindrical, touch-sensitive stems that match the color of the charging case, just like the Nord Buds 3 Pro. Speaking of colorways, the OnePlus Buds 4 are available in Storm Grey (like our review unit) and Zen Green, and are IP55 water and dust resistant.

Build quality is fine, but the Buds 4 look and feel less premium than the Buds Pro 3. In that regard, the Buds 4 are closer to the budget Nord Buds 3 Pro than to the company’s flagship. While this isn’t a dealbreaker, it’s slightly disappointing. Like both its cousins, the Buds 4 are supremely comfortable to wear, even for extended periods of time, thanks to color-matched silicone tips that come in three sizes (small, medium, and large).

OnePlus Buds 4 Sound Quality And Noise Cancellation

OnePlus’ TWS earbuds usually sound pretty decent out-of-the-box, and only require minimal EQ to sound excellent. That’s not the case with the Buds 4, which are bass-heavy by default, with a harsh top-end. Fortunately, after tuning the EQ, the Buds 4 went from sounding mediocre to sounding great. We came up with the EQ curve below, which is close to our preferred BeyerDynamic DT990 Pro and DT770 Pro studio headphones.

Despite packing the same driver configuration as the Buds Pro 3 – a 11mm ceramic-metal woofer and a 6mm coaxial tweeter powered by separate amps and DACs – the Buds 4 sound quite different out-of-the-box. Thankfully, and like with the Nothing Headphone (1) we recently reviewed, EQ is here to save the day. Listening to Steely Dan’s Aja really highlights how good the Buds 4 can sound once properly tuned.

The Buds 4 support LHDC 5.0, AAC, and SBC codecs (Bluetooth 5.4), but lack LDAC support, which is disappointing. This means that to enjoy high-quality wireless audio with the Buds 4, you’ll need a device that supports LHDC 5.0, like recent phones and tablets from OnePlus, Oppo, Realme, Vivo, Xiaomi, Redmi, Nothing, or Motorola. If you’re using a Google Pixel or Samsung Galaxy, you’ll be stuck on AAC, which isn’t ideal.

On the plus side, ANC (Active Noise Cancellation) is impressive on the Buds 4, just like with last year’s Buds Pro 3. OnePlus’ real-time adaptive ANC algorithm does a superb job at removing background noise in most conditions. And, with three microphones on board, the Buds 4 also do a great job at reducing background noise during calls. In our tests, calls sounded loud and clear for both parties, even in louder environments.

OnePlus Buds 4 Features and Battery Life

Like other modern TWS earbuds, the OnePlus Buds 4 boast features like in-device EQ, transparency mode, in-ear detection, dual connection, spatial audio, earbuds fit test, hearing test, find my earbuds, and camera control. You can access these features using the HeyMelody app, which is available in the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store, or directly inside the Bluetooth menu on OnePlus, Oppo, and Realme devices.

Unfortunately, the Buds 4 lack the Buds Pro 3’s pressure sensors which let you squeeze the stems to play / pause, like with Apple’s AirPods Pro and Samsung’s Galaxy Buds3 Pro. You get regular touch sensors instead, which let you customize what happens when you single tap, double tap, triple tap, and touch and hold. Like with the Buds Pro 3, the Buds 4 support swiping up and down on the stems to change the volume or skip tracks.

When it comes to battery life, OnePlus claims that the Buds 4 will last 6 hours on a charge for the earbuds alone (AAC codec, ANC enabled) and 24 hours for the earbuds (62mAh each) plus the charging case (530mAh). As such, you should be able to refill the Buds 4 three times with the charging case. These numbers are pretty competitive and match what we recorded while testing the Buds 4 for the past couple months.

OnePlus Buds 4: Our Verdict

Overall, the OnePlus Buds 4 tick (almost) all the right boxes, and offer supreme comfort, great sound (after EQ), impressive ANC, and competitive battery life. Plus, these mid-range wireless earbuds – which are currently on sale for $99 (regular $129) – deliver outstanding value. So, as long as you don’t mind the budget look and feel, missing LDAC support, and lack of wireless charging, we highly recommend the OnePlus Buds 4.