It has been two years since OnePlus launched its flagship TWS product, the OnePlus Buds. Now, the corporate has launched the much-awaited reboot with the OnePlus 11. The successor is named the OnePlus Buds Pro 2, and to reclaim the ‘Pro’ title, OnePlus has packed it with a variety of options. From a brand new twin driver setup to a collaboration between Dynaudio and Spatial Audio, these headphones appear to have all of it. Nonetheless, options alone do not make a pair of headphones price your hard-earned cash. In 2023, it’s equally necessary to have setup, a good sufficient microphone and a protracted battery life. Priced at ₹11,999, the OnePlus Buds Pro 2 competes with the likes of the OPPO Enco X2 and the Jabra Elite Energetic 4. Therefore, it faces stiff competitors in its value bracket.
OnePlus Buds Pro 2: construct, design and match
OnePlus Buds Pro 2 have a easy and fashionable design. The case is extraordinarily just like the case of the final technology with a number of nuances. It is a modern matte case that matches simply in your pocket and purse. The highest incorporates a easy OnePlus brand and Dynaudio branding to emphasise the collaboration.
OnePlus Buds Pro 2 is offered in two colours – Obsidian Black and Arbor Inexperienced. We obtained the previous for assessment, however the inexperienced variant additionally appears incredible and matches the OnePlus 11 Everlasting Inexperienced shade variant. Nonetheless, the case can’t be simply opened with one hand, which is a bit disappointing. As well as, the matte floor may also be simply scratched and rubbed throughout long-term use, so we advocate that you just watch out about the place you retailer the case.
The charging case has an LED battery indicator on the entrance and a USB Kind-C charging port on the again. Whenever you open the case, you will additionally see “Designed in affiliation with Dynaudio” on the within of the lid. The buds are firmly secured contained in the case, and the magnets that maintain them are fairly sturdy. There’s additionally a pairing button right here. The general construct appears fairly stable, however the case cowl is a bit flimsy because it is not held in place by metallic.
The information are half matte, half shiny, similar to the unique OnePlus Buds Pro headphones. On the ft you get strain delicate controls which labored like a attraction. We have all the time most popular pressure-sensitive controls over conventional contact controls as a result of they’re much less vulnerable to unintentional touches.
By way of consolation, the OnePlus Buds Pro 2 match completely within the ear. Whereas we weren’t capable of obtain as safe a match as with the OPPO Enco X2, the buds keep in place throughout gentle train and working. They’re additionally fairly light-weight, so you possibly can comfortably put on them for hours on finish. OnePlus additionally added IP55 mud and water resistance to the buds. As a bonus, you may get an IPX4 waterproof charging case!
OnePlus Buds Pro 2: options
The OnePlus Buds Pro 2 are full of options. The truth is, it is considered one of, if not essentially the most, versatile pair of actually wi-fi headphones we have examined up to now. Sadly, a few of these options are restricted to OnePlus customers, and some are even restricted to OnePlus 11 customers solely. We’re not followers of this method, however OnePlus appears to be following the Apple and Samsung route in making an attempt to draw customers to its “ecosystem.”
The most recent addition to the headphones is help for Spatial Audio. Developed in collaboration with Google and Dolby, Spatial Audio on OnePlus Buds Pro 2 permits customers to hearken to supported content material with encompass sound that provides a stage of immersion. It additionally options Dolby Head Monitoring, which adjustments the sound whenever you transfer your head. Sadly, this characteristic is at the moment solely supported on the OnePlus 11, however on its web site, OnePlus guarantees that different fashions will help it “within the close to future.” So there’s hope for that.
The headphones are additionally outfitted with a twin or multi-point connection, which lets you join them to 2 units on the similar time and seamlessly change between them. The characteristic labored fairly flawlessly on an Android cellphone and a Home windows laptop computer. There’s additionally help for Google Quick Pair, which permits for super-fast pairing and additionally hyperlinks the headphones to your Google account. That manner, even when you’re making an attempt to pair with a brand new machine, you will shortly be prompted to take action by signing in to your Google account.
OnePlus has additionally added a 54ms low latency mode, however this characteristic is proscribed to just a few OnePlus telephones. OnePlus additionally said that LE (Low Vitality) Audio might be launched through OTA replace later in 2023. Bluetooth LE Audio might provide longer battery life and decrease latency, in order that’s to be anticipated.
Now let’s transfer on to the HeyMelody app which supplies customers entry to many of the options of the OnePlus Buds Pro 2 set. OnePlus and OPPO smartphone customers can entry these settings of their settings with out having to make use of the app. For different Android and iOS customers, HeyMelody has all of the options.
The app has primary options like battery stage, noise canceling mode toggle and customizable controls. What goes past is the addition of many different options. One such characteristic is Customized Noise Cancellation, the place ANC results are customized based mostly on the construction of your ear canal. Whereas this did not change the NC stage a lot throughout our testing, your mileage might fluctuate. The identical applies to Golden Sound – customized sound adjustment based on your ear construction and listening to traits.
You even have a number of EQ presets custom-made by Dynaudio, together with Balanced, Daring, Serenade and Bass. The Balanced Dynaudio preset is what we principally examined as it’s activated by default out of the field. There are additionally sound settings tuned by well-known composer Hans Zimmer. There’s additionally an possibility within the EQ presets menu to activate BassWave, which boosts the bass response much more, though you may not need to do this. We’ll clarify within the subsequent part. You too can regulate the EQ utilizing the 6-band EQ, which is tremendous helpful.
The app even enables you to activate Zen Mode Air, which performs white noise that can assist you focus or go to sleep. The app has quite a lot of white noises that you could select from. Now, whereas OnePlus says the 54ms low-latency mode is just lively on OnePlus telephones, there’s a gaming mode within the app that you could allow. Once we turned it on, there was a slight enchancment in latency so far as we may inform, however nothing revolutionary. Bluetooth LE ought to assist with this much more.
The app additionally features a headphone match checker (which we love), a helpful management information, and the power to toggle between totally different noise canceling settings – Delicate, Reasonable, Max, and Good. The final one – Good – detects your environment and adjusts ANC ranges accordingly, which may be very handy.
As we talked about earlier, the strain controls work as marketed and you possibly can regulate them to your liking within the app, however there aren’t any quantity controls. So, if that is necessary to you, think about the OPPO Enco X2, which comes with a built-in quantity management on the foot.
OnePlus Buds Pro 2: Efficiency
The unique OnePlus Buds Pro had twin 11mm dynamic drivers that delivered good, highly effective sound, however they did not measure as much as the opposite heavyweights of the time. With the OnePlus Buds Pro 2, the corporate has partnered with Dynaudio, the identical individuals who created the fantastic-sounding OPPO Enco X2. On high of that, they’ve additionally changed the driving force system – you now have one 11mm woofer dealing with the lows and mids, and one 6mm tweeter dealing with the highs.
You possibly can instantly hear the distinction. The sound is barely extra balanced than the OG OnePlus Buds Pro and the separation is MUCH higher. The headphones help LHDC, AAC, SBC and LC3 codecs. LHDC helps high-resolution, low-latency audio with almost thrice the information charge of a standard SBC. Nonetheless, the LHDC codec is just not as common as LDAC and is proscribed to just a few telephones – OnePlus 9, OnePlus 9R, OnePlus 9 Pro, OnePlus 10 Pro, OnePlus 10R, OnePlus 10T, OnePlus 11, Nord 2 and Nord 2T.
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Let’s focus once more on the sound signature. The OnePlus Buds Pro 2, whereas sounding extra balanced than the originals, nonetheless have a heat, U-shaped sound signature that accentuates bass and treble. Sub-bass from 20 Hz to 160 Hz is clearly boosted, making compositions with bass devices and rhythms sound sharp and dynamic. Nonetheless, because of the important bass increase, there’s a sonic masking within the midrange that drowns out a few of the element on vocals and lead devices.
From 160Hz to 1kHz, the headphones intently match our take a look at impartial response, however the excessive frequencies as much as 6kHz rise once more, which might trigger undesirable hiss. Treble is sweet and vibrant, however the total sound profile lacks the timbre and readability of the OPPO Enco X2. That stated, it is a extra mass-oriented sound than the OPPO Enco X2, and many individuals, particularly bass lovers, will take pleasure in this dynamic sound profile. The headphones sound good in genres like rap, pop, hip-hop, EDM and Bollywood. However for podcasts and classical music, we advise you look elsewhere.
General, these headphones – regardless of OnePlus advertising and marketing them as “audiophile” – aren’t superb for purists and audiophiles, because the bass bias is on the upper facet and the sonic masking of the mids cuts out a ton of element in tracks. Nonetheless, for the lots, it’s a sound signature
positive to be a crowd pleaser.
We additionally in contrast the OnePlus Buds Pro 2 with the Jabra Elite Energetic 4 and the Oppo Enco X2. Here is how they did it:
[Click on the pair you want to see the comparison graph of]
Alternatively, we had been very impressed with the efficiency of the microphone. OnePlus Buds Pro 2 options six microphones (3 on every earbud) that work with synthetic intelligence to dam out ambient sounds from alarm calls. The microphone setup is certainly an enchancment over the unique OnePlus Buds Pro. The announcer’s voice is clearly heard, it doesn’t sound muffled or distant. There’s additionally important ambient noise discount, permitting for distraction-free calls indoors and respectable efficiency outside.
OnePlus Buds Pro 2: battery life
Whereas the OnePlus Buds Pro 2’s battery life is spectacular, it is not a lot of an enchancment over its predecessor. You get 39 hours of battery life (headphones + case) with ANC off and 25 hours with ANC on (headphones + case). These numbers are supplied by OnePlus and had been achieved with the AAC codec lively.
We examined the headphones with AAC lively and ANC on, and we obtained 5.5 hours on the headphones and 22 hours whole with the charging case. When you flip off ANC, your headphones will final for much longer. Nonetheless, the advance in battery life is minimal in comparison with the final technology, which is disappointing. Particularly since many audio corporations dramatically improve, and generally even double, battery life from technology to technology.
The headphones additionally include Qi wi-fi charging help, so you possibly can merely place the case on any Qi charger and cost your machine. There’s additionally help for quick charging, the place a 10-minute cost provides you with 10 hours of listening time, which may be very good.
OnePlus Buds Pro 2: Verdict
The OnePlus Buds Pro 2 is a reasonably main improve to the unique Buds Pro headphones that had been launched two years in the past. That is the embodiment of cool and common headphones. Not solely do these earphones have a horny design, however in addition they have a variety of options and a mass-appealing bass sound that’s improved over the unique OP Buds Pro. You additionally get good battery life, a powerful microphone, and a incredible feature-rich companion app. Nonetheless, the place it falls quick is in audio constancy – the place the OPPO Enco X2 shines – on the similar value. Though the audio sign is far more balanced in comparison with the unique OnePlus Buds Pro, the auditory masking of the midrange signifies that audiophiles and purists ought to keep away from these headphones. Nonetheless, when you’re a bass lover and searching for a pair of actually wi-fi headphones with just about all of the options below one roof, the OnePlus Buds Pro 2 is an effective selection. When you’re a OnePlus person, that is an excellent better option!
