The new $100 OnePlus Buds 3 is a solid pair of earbuds for the company that’s very easy to recommend, in my opinion. From great audio quality and noise canceling to good fit-and-finish and commendable battery life, there is a lot of value packaged here for what is a very reasonable asking price. It’s not the only set of true wireless earbuds out in this price range, but they stack up very well against the competition and leave very little room to complain about.
OnePlus Buds 3
Great earbuds for $100
Can’t go wrong with these for $100
You’ll love the OnePlus Buds 3 earbuds for their audio quality, design, and particularly battery life. It also offers other features like ANC, Fast Pair, multipoint, and more for just $100, making it an easy recommendation.
- Great audio quality
- Good design and build quality
- Reliable battery life
- No wireless charging
- ANC could’ve been better
Pricing, availability, and specs
The OnePlus Buds 3 earbuds debuted alongside the new OnePlus 12 and OnePlus 12R on January 23, 2024. They’re readily available to purchase in the U.S. now via the official OnePlus web store and a bunch of other retailers, like Amazon. It’s priced at $100, which means it goes head-to-head with the likes of Samsung Galaxy Buds FE. You can grab the OnePlus Buds 3 earbuds in Splendid Blue and Metallic Gray colors.
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Specifications
- Battery Life
- Up to 6.5 hours with ANC On; additional 28 with case
- Charging Case Included?
- Yes
- Microphones
- 3x per bud
- Supported codecs
- AAC, SBC, LHDC 5.0
- Price
- $100
- IP Rating
- IP55
- Driver Size
- 10.4 mm woofer + 6 mm tweeter
- Charging type
- USB-C
- Dimensions and weight (earbuds)
- 31.7 x 20.2 x 24.4 mm
- Dimensions and weight (case)
- 58.7 x 50.2 x 25.8 mm
- Colors
- Splendid Blue, Metallic Gray
- Noise Cancellation
- Yes
- Earbud weight
- 4.8 g (each)
- Charging case weight
- 40.8 g
What I like
Lightweight design and great features
OnePlus hasn’t changed the design of its earbuds in a while, but I’d say that’s a good thing because the OnePlus Buds 3 are just as lightweight and comfortable as the Buds Pro 2 earbuds from last year. In fact, they look identical to each other, and the one way to tell them apart is by looking at the control strip that lets you adjust the volume. I remember my colleague Ben highlighting the lack of these controls on the OnePlus Buds Pro 2 as a glaring omission last year, and I am happy to see it being taken care of this time around.
The OnePlus Buds 3 are just as lightweight and comfortable as the Buds Pro 2 earbuds from last year.
In addition to its sleek design, I also like that these earbuds come with a respectable array of features. These earbuds, in case you are wondering, are compatible with Bluetooth 5.3 and support the AAC, LHDC 5.0, and SBC codecs. Notably, you also get support for Google Fast Pair and multipoint pairing, making it extremely convenient to use them daily. The HeyMelody app also deserves a special shoutout for packing additional rich features like Golden Sound, which determines your hearing and creates a custom EQ profile specifically for your ears.
Good audio quality for the price
The OnePlus Buds 3 earbuds cost $100, and they sound great compared to other earbuds that cost around the same price. Granted, you won’t get the same sound quality that you’ll get with the likes of the Sony WF-1000XM5 and the Sennheiser Momentum TW 3, which rank high up on our list of the best wireless earbuds on the market in 2024, but these earbuds generally sound great for the asking price.
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You’ll have an enjoyable listening experience with these earbuds.
I spent most of my time testing these earbuds with Apple Music’s Lossless audio with the high-bitrate LHDC codec, and the 10.4mm woofer + 6mm tweeter setup delivered a fairly balanced sound signature. They have punchy and fast-attacking bass that don’t bleed into the lower mids. There’s plenty of details in the high end, too, and these earbuds also have pretty good soundstage and imaging. I suggest playing with the EQ in the HeyMelody app to find a good and comfortable setting for the kind of music you listen to, and you’ll have an enjoyable listening experience with these earbuds.
Reliable battery life
A quick look at OnePlus’ website will give you a rather comprehensive list of battery life figures. I’ll save you the hassle of going through all those numbers by simply saying that the OnePlus Buds 3 earbuds offer good battery life, both with and without ANC. The 58mAh battery in each earbud lasted me approximately 7 hours while testing with ANC enabled using AAC. Those numbers dropped by a bit while streaming high-quality LHDC 5.0 with ANC enabled, as they only lasted me about six hours.
These earbuds are pretty good and reliable when it comes to battery life.
You can easily get upwards of 10 hours of battery life when using OnePlus Buds 3 earbuds with ANC off, so I’d say these earbuds are pretty good and reliable when it comes to battery life. It is true that there are other earbuds out there with relatively longer battery life, but I was quite satisfied with getting through a full working day with a combination of ANC on and off playback. In fact, I’d say you can get through even a full workday with ANC enabled, provided you drop them in the case for quick top-ups in between. The included charging case, by the way, holds three additional charges worth of power, which is also great.
What I don’t like
No wireless charging
The lack of wireless charging isn’t necessarily a deal-breaker, but it’s definitely something to consider if you are shopping for a pair of wireless earbuds in 2024. It particularly sticks out like a sore thumb when you consider the fact that both the OnePlus Buds Pro and the OnePlus Buds Pro 2 earbuds had support for wireless charging. In fact, the OnePlus Buds Pro 2 earbuds can be had for just $125 right now, which is a great price for it. I highly recommend considering that as well if you are looking for a slightly more premium pair of earbuds with additional features.
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Noise canceling isn’t strong
Active noise canceling has become a fairly standard feature in this price range, so I am glad the Buds 3 earbuds deliver on that front, too. There is, however, nothing to write home about the noise-canceling you get with these earbuds. It’s not entirely surprising, considering the Buds 2 Pro earbuds also had middling ANC, but a part of me wished the overall quality of ANC improved at least by a slight margin.
The OnePlus Buds 3’s noise canceling isn’t particularly strong, and I could definitely hear the chattering of people when I was working out of a coffee shop while using these earbuds. There is an option to adjust the ANC on these earbuds via the app, but even the highest setting wasn’t fully able to eliminate all the noise. You really have to crank the volume up to be able to suppress the noise, so keep that in mind.
Should you buy the OnePlus Buds 3 earbuds?
You should buy the OnePlus Buds 3 earbuds if:
- You are looking for a pair of wireless earbuds with good audio and battery life.
- You are looking to buy a pair of earbuds that’s lightweight and comfortable to wear.
- You only have $100 to spend on a pair of wireless earbuds.
You shouldn’t buy the OnePlus Buds 3 earbuds if:
- You are looking for the best audio quality for a no-compromise listening experience.
- You really want a strong ANC to suppress all the ambient noise.
- You can afford to spend more money.
It delivers good audio and lasts for a long time while doing so, which are two of the hallmark features that make it an easy recommendation.
The OnePlus Buds 3 earbuds stand as a solid choice for those who are looking to buy a pair of wireless earbuds under $100. It may not be competing with the top dogs in the category with its feature set, but it delivers good audio and lasts for a long time while doing so, which are two of the hallmark features that make it an easy recommendation over plenty of other options. The ANC could have been better, but I like the fact that it’s lightweight and comfortable to wear for long periods, and it also has a good set of features like multi-point connectivity and Fast Pair that make it very convenient to use.
OnePlus Buds 3
Get this if you only have $100 to spend on a pair of wireless earbuds right now. These earbuds sound great for the price and they also have pretty good battery life.
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