Put everyone on notice. The OnePlus Buds Pro 2 might just be the best true wireless earbuds that OnePlus has to offer. And it has a legitimate claim to being one of the best at its price point. 

To put things into perspective, the OnePlus Buds Pro 2 currently retails for PhP 9,990 / US$ 179. That’s a fraction of the price of more mainstream options like the AirPods Pro and Sony WF-1000XM4. The aforementioned devices both hover around US$ 200. 

At a lower price you’re getting Active Noise Cancellation (ANC), Dual Drivers, a promise of up to 39 hours of playback, Hi-Res audio, fast charging, and something rarely found at this price point – Spatial Audio. 

But we’re getting ahead of ourselves, let’s take a quick look at the packaging and design first.

“Dim the Headlights” (Unboxing and Design)

It starts with a stare. We’re both well aware. You’re pulling closer. Pulling me in. 

 

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Quick notes from the unboxing: 

The box still has OnePlus’ signature red. The OnePlus Buds Pro 2 opens like a clamshell. Most other earbuds have a vertical orientation that opens from the top with the stems magnetically sliding into a couple of slots. Only real advantage is that it’s easier to put down on a table or on your palm without it feeling wobbly. That’s great for not losing your earbuds or its case. 

Controlling the device is also pretty straightforward. You only need to pinch the stem. Once to play/pause, twice to play the next track, thrice to go back to the start of the current track or go back to the last track.

If you pinch and hold, you cycle through the ANC settings. That’s ANC to shut everyone out, Ambient, to hear what’s going on in your surroundings, and Zen to play relaxing audio that’s stored on the earbuds itself. 

Nope, there are no volume controls. Perhaps that’s the biggest bummer on this pair of earbuds. 

“A Method to Chaos” (Audio Features)

Voices aren’t loud enough. You’re tuning your ears, while waiting for something to hear.”

Perhaps the primary reason anyone splurges at all for earbuds is the Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) feature. ANC is implemented a little differently by each manufacturer and has varying degrees of success depending on the price point. 

The best ones use both hardware and software to achieve a credible ANC. The OnePlus Buds Pro 2 does something similar. It promises to shut out up to 48dB of noise, provided you do the whole ear scan thing they have going on.

The ear scanning thing isn’t new at all. If you’ve owned any pair of smart earbuds, many manufacturers do this to help tune the device optimally for your pair of ears. If the more premium earbuds are a 9-10/10 on ANC, I’d say the OnePlus Buds Pro 2 are a solid 7-8/10. Not the best, but not a pushover either. It does enough to drown out sounds, especially when music is blasting. It just doesn’t achieve the same level of quiet when no music is playing. But that’s to be expected for something that’s relatively cheaper. 

Spatial Audio is a nice little addition. But the feature on the OnePlus Buds Pro 2 specifically only works on Android 13 phones on YouTube and Disney+. Might seem limited but it’s there and offers a different audio experience. Spatial Audio still feels a little gimmick but it tickles your ears just enough to make it interesting. 

My favorite feature, however, is the support for Hi-Res audio. Specifically, the LHDC 4.05 codec which is the best you can get when streaming via Bluetooth. OnePlus also promised an update to support  LHDC 5.0. 

But I have a rather peculiar experience with Hi-Res audio.

“Evidence” (Pairing on OnePlus vs iPhone)

Caught you in the arms of another. I’ve been dying everyday since then.

I used the OnePlus Buds Pro 2 on both the OnePlus 11 and the iPhone 14 Pro Max. For some reason, the audio comes out better when paired on the iPhone 14 Pro Max. And this is across many apps: Spotify, YouTube, Apple Music, Netflix, and more. 

I personally can’t give an explanation why. But this happened even after I did the whole audio personalization thing by OnePlus. 

But I’m skipping ahead again. Pairing is naturally faster between OnePlus devices. You get the fast pair option that shows up without diving into the settings. And when the OnePlus devices are paired, you don’t need a separate app to access the more granular settings. That includes EQ, Game Mode, Dual Connection, and more. 

When pairing with an iPhone 14 Pro Max, you have to go into the device’s settings first. And to access EQ, Game Mode, and other settings, you need to download the HeyMelody app.

Seems odd but that’s how it is. Also, with the iPhone 14 Pro Max, you don’t have access to the Spatial Audio settings. 

But like mentioned earlier, Spatial is a nifty trick but one that I don’t think is made for more daily listening. For that purpose, I value the support for Hi-Res audio more. Which, in this case works so well on Apple Music played with an iPhone paired with the OnePlus Buds Pro 2. 

It’s an unlikely combo but it works and one that I’ve been rocking with for the most part of my time with OnePlus’ earbuds. 

Is this your GadgetMatch? 

The OnePlus Buds Pro 2 has cemented its place as my primary in-ear earbuds, relegating my Freebuds Pro 2 as backup (Sorry, Huawei). Personally, it’s the Hi-Res audio that really does it for me. Listening to my favorite tracks, whether that’s rocking out to UrbanDub, dancing to TWICE, or just chilling to my favorite K-RnB titles, it felt like experiencing the music again. 

As for the other features, they’re what you can expect from earbuds at this price point. The ANC isn’t perfect but it’s more than good enough. The battery life hovers around the 39-hours advertised. Naturally, it’ll vary depending on your usage. Personally, I only charge once a week on moderate usage. 

The OnePlus Buds Pro 2 is a good pick-up if you can’t splurge for the mainstream choices but want a feel of their premium audio features. The no volume control is a bummer if you plan on using this while working. But that’s a minor gripe on an otherwise excellent value device.