The OnePlus Buds Pro 3 pack all the right upgrades over their predecessor

Summary

• The OnePlus Buds Pro 3 arrive with superior ANC, longer battery life, and better sound quality than previous models.
• The new earbuds feature a redesigned case with a faux leather finish and improved tap controls for easy use.
• Priced at $179, OnePlus Buds Pro 3 promise a total runtime of 44 hours with the bundled charging case.

Despite being over a year old, the OnePlus Buds Pro 2 are among our favorite wireless earbuds for their stylish looks and solid sound quality. While not perfect, the earbuds impressed us with an expansive feature set, including multipoint connectivity and Fast Pair. Earlier this year, the company launched the OnePlus Buds 3, bringing the best bits of the Pro model at a lower price point. There was no word on the OnePlus Buds Pro 3, though. Six months later, OnePlus is finally announcing its new flagship earbuds with impressive upgrades.

OnePlus has not reinvented the wheel with the Buds Pro 3’s design. It resembles the Buds Pro 2 and retains the same two-tone design with IP55 certification. The most notable improvement is the switch to new tap controls, as seen on the regular OnePlus Buds 3. You can tap to control music playback and slide up/down on each stem to change the volume.

The case has received a significant redesign, featuring an oval-shaped design and a faux leather finish on the front. The new shape should allow the case to slip into your pocket easily.

As for sound quality, OnePlus promises its new flagship earbuds will deliver the “best audio experience” the company has ever offered. Like their predecessor, the OnePluds Buds Pro 3 has dual drivers inside each stem: an 11mm woofer and a 6mm tweeter. But OnePlus claims to have revamped its design and made other internal changes, like adding a second magnet and using a ceramic-made diaphragm, for improved sound quality.

Supposedly, each earbud has dual DACs (Digital-to-Analog Converter) for better sound separation and no crosstalk. OnePlus has once again taken Dynaudio’s help with sound tuning.

OnePlus says it has moved to Google’s Spatial Audio implementation with the Buds Pro 3 for wider compatibility with other devices.

OnePlus Buds Pro 3 get better ANC, longer battery life

ANC is also better than before, with up to 50dB of noise cancelation — up by 2dB from the Buds Pro 2. Voice noise cancelation is purportedly better by up to 6-8dB.

More importantly, the company has made its noise cancelation implementation smarter. The Adaptive ANC will automatically change its level based on your environment, so you won’t have to fiddle with the settings constantly. This will include reducing the ANC level in more peaceful environments for longer battery life.

OnePlus claims the Buds Pro 3 will provide 43 hours of music playback with the bundled case. The earbuds will last about 5 hours with ANC on and at 50% volume. Thanks to fast charging support, a 10-minute top-up will provide an additional 3.5 hours of runtime.

Other features of the earbuds include Fast Pair, Bluetooth 5.4 for multipoint connectivity, and Find My network support. The OnePlus Buds Pro 3 will retail for $179 in the US.