OnePlus Nord Buds CE review: My new morning walk companion

The Buds CE are water-and-sweat resistant with an IPX4 rating. (Image credit: Anuj Bhatia/Indian Express)

Audio quality

I am not an expert in audio but these truly wireless earbuds sound good to me. The audio quality is actually decent for the price. Throughout my testing, regardless of which genre of music I listen to, the Buds CE maintained clarity. The sound is crisp and clear. The 13.4 mm titanium drivers bring improvement in bass while cutting distortion in the highs at top volumes. When listening to Phir Le Aya Dil by Rekha Bhardwaj, the vocals and instruments seemed surprisingly well-balanced. Usually, listening to classical music and podcasts on cheap wireless earbuds sounds harsh on the ears. That’s not the case here. But yes, keep your expectations under check as these are not Sony’s LinkBuds or AirPods Pro in audio quality.

Beyond listening to music, my experience of attending calls using the Buds CE has been satisfactory. I make and receive a lot of phone calls, and devices like these truly wireless earbuds come in handy especially when on the go. The microphone performance was okay but they struggle when it comes to cancelling background noise. But then, I was not expecting ANC on wireless earbuds that cost just Rs 2,299. That said, using the Buds CE for phone calls or attending video calls worked well indoors, and in quiet environments. You can actually get decent results in public spaces like parks which are comparatively quieter where I stay.

The Buds CE have shorter stalks. (Image credit: Anuj Bhatia/Indian Express)

Battery life

The Buds CE come in an egg-shaped charging case with a flip-top lid. The earbuds feel very secure in their case. The case is very much pocketable, and comes in a white glossy plastic finish, which acquires light scratches very quickly. The moment you slot these earbuds into the case, they start charging automatically. Charging can be done via a USB-C cable, which is included in the box. OnePlus claims a decent 4 and a half hours of battery per charge and the case stores an additional 20 hours of juice. A quick charge of 10 minutes gives an additional 81 minutes of listening time, which comes in handy when you are running late for the office and need to attend an important call.

The case is very much pocketable, and comes in a white glossy plastic finish. (Image credit: Anuj Bhatia/Indian Express)

Observation

The Buds CE setup is painless. I unboxed the new wireless earbuds, turned on the Bluetooth connectivity on my iPhone, opened the case lid, and the earbuds paired to my phone in seconds. The Buds CE work best with OnePlus phones or Android smartphones, but I used them with my MacBook Air, iPad mini and iPhone 13 mini too without any trouble. There is a HeyMelody app (iOS/Android) that not only makes pairing to a phone easy but also lets you customise listening experiences. Unfortunately, as observed during my testing, the app on the iPhone does not support the Nord Buds CE wireless earbuds yet.

Should you buy the new Nord Buds CE?

The idea behind the Buds CE is not to compete with premium wireless earbuds, and that’s very much evident in the performance. That said, the Nord Buds CE do standout in the budget truly wireless earbuds segment, thanks to their high overall quality, excellent battery life, and improved sound. The OnePlus brand is also a major factor that will move consumers towards the Buds CE. As a user, I am less bothered about features like ANC or wireless charging. Instead, I always look for TWS that sound good, offer good battery life, look nice and are compact enough to be easily carried in my track pants or jeans pocket as I head out.