The OnePlus Buds Pro 2 replaces the first Buds Pro, which we thought were best-in-class ear buds in their price range. Because although they’re OnePlus’ flagship, they cost only half is Apple’s famous AirPods Pro. Which OnePlus copies quite shamelessly, just in black and chrome instead of white.
Aside from the sound quality, we were particularly pleased with the quality of noise cancellation and sound reproduction, while various sleep and relaxation sounds seemed more of a gimmick. We missed the EQ function, though the sound was very good nonetheless.
Sound by Dynaudio
With the Buds Pro 2, which is also both waterproof and dustproof with IP55 approval, OnePlus has focused even harder on sound quality. They’ve had acoustic engineers from Danish company Dynaudio on the development team. Dynaudio makes studio monitors and some of the most successful speakers on the market, so we have high expectations for the sound quality of the new Buds Pro 2, which are on their way to us for testing.
Two drivers
There are two drivers in each earbud: an 11mm woofer and a 6mm tweeter. This is for better dynamic performance with more control over the sound – and especially the bass. The goal, according to OnePlus, is to “experience the music as it was recorded in the studio”.
Unlike their predecessors, the earbuds have four preset EQ filters, adjusted in collaboration with Dynaudio. Whether the user can make adjustments himself is not stated in the press release.
Long battery life
OnePlus promises “crystal clear conversations” from the built-in microphones, and also a battery life of 39 hours in total when you add the battery life of the plugs themselves to the battery life of the charging case. With fast charging, you get up to 10 hours of playtime from just 10 minutes of charging! Wireless charging is also supported.
The earbuds also have Multipoint, so two Bluetooth devices can be connected at the same time. Pairing is fast with Google Fast Pair, and the audio delay with Bluetooth 5.3 is just 54 milliseconds, making audio better synced when playing games.
Smart noise reduction
The earplugs feature Smart Adaptive Noise Cancellation (ANC), which cancels ambient noise by up to 48 dB over a wide frequency range (up to 4 kHz, at which point the earbuds acoustically attenuate the rest). This means that human voices around you can also be better distinguished from other sounds.
But it also means that the sound reproduction setting can produce a more natural, high-frequency sound than you’re used to. Smart enough when you need to hear the traffic around you, or you want to join in a conversation with others without having to take the earbuds out.
Bluetooth with better sound
To get the best possible sound over Bluetooth, the OnePlus uses the LHDC 4.0 codec. This codec is developed by Huawei and competes with Sony’s LDAC. The goal is to achieve CD quality with up to 960 kbps bandwidth. Higher resolutions are also supported, but the frequency range above 20 kHz is not reproduced losslessly.
Like its predecessor, the Buds Pro 2 has a built-in hearing test that adjusts the sound according to the user’s hearing. As a novelty, the hearing aids also perform a scan of the ear canal.
Enveloping sound
The OnePlus Buds Pro 2 supports Google’s 3D sound, which is included in Android 13. Spatial sound is optimised specifically for the Buds Pro 2 and is intended to simulate the enveloping surround sound you get in the cinema. You’ll also benefit from multi-channel audio tracks on streaming services YouTube and Disney+.
When paired with the OnePlus 11 mobile phone, the earbuds benefit from Dolby Atmos as well as Dolby Head Tracking, which keeps the sound image in one place even if you move your head. Stereo sound sources are also ‘mixed’ for 3D sound. If you want it.
Two-coloured
The OnePlus Buds Pro 2 are two-coloured, with matte and metallic materials, and we are promised “a superior tactile experience”. In other words, the touch function on the mic stems should supposedly work really well.
You can choose between the colors Arbor Green, which matches the green color of the OnePlus Pad and OnePlus 11, and Obsidian Black, which is of course black.
More info: oneplus.com
