OnePlus Buds 4 review

Let’s get this out of the way: for the money, the OnePlus Buds 4 sound remarkably grown-up. They’re powered by a clever coaxial dual-driver system – basically, a big 11mm woofer for the rumbly bits and a separate 6mm tweeter for the sparkly bits. This isn't just marketing fluff; it translates to a sound that has a maturity you rarely find in this price bracket.

Spinning up A.R. Rahman’s Dil Se Re, the complex layers and thumping bassline are delivered with a tightness and control that feels like it’s coming from much pricier cans. For the best results, stick to the ‘Balanced’ EQ preset. There’s a ‘Basswave’ setting, but give it a wide berth unless you enjoy your bass with a side of woolly bloom.

These buds are proper detail detectives. Listening to Peter Cat Recording Co.’s I Deny Me, the sound is rich, and the subtle decay of the snare drum comes through with startling clarity without trampling all over the vocals. They can seriously punch, delivering energy and detail even at lower volumes, which is good, because these things can get seriously loud. Please listen responsibly.

They offer more texture and sonic resolution than even an Apple AirPods 4, though they can stray into brightness at times, pushing the higher frequencies forward. The AirPods, by comparison, sound more neutral and airy. On the Buds 4, the instrument separation can get a bit crowded, but there’s a button for that. Sort of.

Enter OnePlus 3D Audio. For music, I’d suggest you leave it off; it can make rock tracks like Led Zeppelin’s Black Dog sound a bit shrill. For movies, however, it’s a different story. Flick it on, and the soundstage widens up nicely. During the chaotic race in Ready Player One, you can pinpoint the exact location of a rampaging King Kong. It’s also a champ with dialogue. The verbal sparring between Dream and Lucifer in Netflix’s The Sandman is rendered with exquisite detail, capturing every ounce of snark and gravitas in the performances.

Now for a weird quirk. Despite being perfectly in sync with an iPhone 16 Pro, there was a noticeable half-second audio lag when watching Netflix on a OnePlus Nord 5. Ironically, the fix is a low-latency 'Game Mode' that was available in the iOS app but mysteriously absent on its own OnePlus handset.

Connecting to an Android phone unlocks the high-fidelity LHDC 5.0 codec, which should theoretically sound better than the standard AAC on an iPhone. While there's a marginal improvement in body and heft with Hi-Res mode enabled on the OnePlus phone, it’s not the night-and-day difference you might expect.

Mic quality is fantastic as well. It’s good enough to have a conversation with anyone, even on a Mumbai local train. It smartly cuts out the ambient noise while talking and does a good job. However, sudden sharp noises like clapping or a mechanical keyboard sound might not get suppressed and be carried to the listener.

Beyond the sound, the Buds 4 are packed with genuinely useful tricks. My absolute favourite? Swiping up and down the stem to change the volume. It’s simple, it’s intuitive, and it works flawlessly every single time. It’s the sort of feature that makes you wonder why everyone isn’t doing it.

Then there’s the Active Noise Cancellation (ANC). OnePlus claims a massive 55dB of noise reduction, and in practice, it’s mightily impressive. It munches through low-frequency hums and office chatter with ease, making your commute significantly more tolerable. There's even an 'Adaptive Mode' that intelligently balances noise-cancelling and ambient sound, so you don't have to manually switch when someone tries to get your attention.

For the jet-setters and the merely curious, there’s an AI Translation feature that turns your earbuds into a pocket Babel Fish. It uses your OnePlus phone to provide real-time, two-way translation, with the translated audio beamed directly to your ear. It’s a slick, slightly futuristic feature that works surprisingly well, though it’s an Android-only party for now.

Battery life is, in a word, immense. You get up to 11 hours of playback from the buds alone with ANC off, and a frankly ridiculous 45 hours in total when you include the charging case. Should you get caught short, a mere 10-minute charge will give you a combined 11 hours of playback. That’s enough to get you from Mumbai to Delhi four times with time to spare. Add in an IP55 rating for dust and water resistance and dual-device connection, and you’ve got a seriously reliable daily driver.

The OnePlus Buds 4 are a fantastic pair of earbuds that get an awful lot right. They deliver a detailed, energetic, and surprisingly mature sound that punches well above its weight, making both music and movies a joy to listen to. The battery life is epic, the noise-cancelling is effective, and the swipey volume controls are a stroke of genius.

They aren't perfect, mind. The sound can lean a little bright on Serene preset and bloomy on Balanced, and the ecosystem is a bit weird, with audio lag appearing on its own-brand phone while working perfectly on a rival's. But these are minor grumbles in what is otherwise a stonkingly good package. If you’re looking for flagship features and top-tier sound without the flagship price, the OnePlus Buds 4 are an absolute knockout.