OnePlus Nord Buds 2 review: middle of the road

OnePlus is back in the budget audio game with the Nord Buds 2. These headphones offer active noise cancellation (ANC) and decent battery life for a very attractive price.

The addition of ANC is a step up from the previous generation of Nord Buds, but how do these headphones hold up in everyday life?

Design and build

• Choice of two colors
• IP55 sealing
• Prone to take marks

The Nord Buds 2 share the same design language as its predecessor, with rounder and thicker stems than models like the OnePlus Buds Pro 2.

You can get them in a choice of two colours: white or grey. I tested the former, which also features silver accents on the buds and accompanying case, as well as a speckled finish on the white sections.

Although the design looks quite premium, the buds tend to pick up scuffs and marks – an issue also seen on the previous generation.

Hannah Cowton / Foundry

The buds weigh 4.7g and never felt heavy in my ear. There’s a choice of three silicone tips in the box – using the smallest option was the most comfortable for me, although my ears hurt a little after several hours of use.

The case that comes with it is oval in shape and on the wide side – it’s not as compact as the others I’ve used. However, it is lightweight at 37.5g and feels stable and durable.

These buds can also be worn for exercise, as they have an IP55 rating, so they can handle light sweat and even a bit of rain. They stayed securely in my ear, even as I scrambled to do high knees and sit-ups.

Software and features

• ANC modes and transparency
• Tap the controls
• Works with the HeyMelody app

Pairing the headphones was a painless process and will be even easier for OnePlus phone users, thanks to the inclusion of Fast Pair. However, Google Fast Pair is not supported for other Android devices.

Additional bud checking is done via the HeyMelody app, which is available on Android and iOS – however, the iPhone app does not appear to support the Nord Buds 2 at the time of writing.

Hannah Cowton / Foundry

There are four generic sound profiles: balanced (which is selected by default), fat, serenade, and bass. There is also a BassWave toggle which, when activated, boosts the lower tones even further.

If you want further customization, you can also enable a custom sound profile and adjust the settings to your exact preferences.

While Dolby Atmos support and a Dirac audio tuner are technically included on the Nord Buds 2 Buds, these features are only accessible on OnePlus phones – which is a shame for other users.

Hannah Cowton / Foundry

Touch controls are used to play/pause your audio, skip tracks and activate the voice assistant or game mode – although sadly there’s no volume control option. Again, you can customize the control of your faucets within the app.

The buds are perfect when it comes to touch sensitivity. I don’t need to press very hard, but my hair rubbing it doesn’t accidentally pause a track. However, there is a nearly two second delay when you want to pause/play something.

Unfortunately, the buds don’t come with auto-pause, so if you take your buds out, a track will continue to play unless you manually stop it yourself.

Sound quality

• Punchy volume and decent bass boost modes
• Custom sound modes for different genres
• Impressive ANC for the price

I tested the different sound profiles on the OnePlus Nord Buds 2, but the standard box setting is to have it on Balanced, with the BassWave toggle set to medium. The 12.4mm speakers pump out extremely loud sound, which means you rarely need to crank the sound all the way up.

Sebastian Böhm’s ‘Blue Monday’ remix sounded good. The strings and synths all stood out clearly from each other, and the bass had a decent thump. It’s not as powerful as what you’ll find on more expensive buds, but listening to rock tunes such as Måneskin’s ‘Zitti E Buoni’ with the bass modes turned all the way sounded loud.

The jazz track ‘I’m Not The One’ by Snarky Puppy feat. Malika Tirolien has kept all her richness and color, with a well-balanced voice with mids and highs. However, instruments such as cymbals had a sharp edge.

Hannah Cowton / Foundry

Podcasts and Twitch streams had clear vocals above background sound effects. There was also no noticeable lag on the videos I watched, which is quite common on cheaper wireless buds.

There’s a game mode in the app that’s supposed to further improve latency. I tested this with Genshin Impact, but found there was still a slight lag even with this enabled – games are more susceptible to this latency than other content.

For the price, the ANC is good. That’s enough to block out some of the roar of the London Underground when commuting, and doesn’t have low-level hiss like the Skullcandy Indy ANC headphones do. Of course, if you want more effective noise blocking, you should consider something more premium.

Hannah Cowton / Foundry

The transparency mode is also useful. Provided your audio is below midrange, you should be able to hear traffic around you or keep the buds going when ordering a coffee.

The Nord Buds 2 come with two microphones, which amplify your voice during a call. I received no complaints from anyone on the phone or chatting via Messenger – even when I was on the go.

The Bluetooth range also impressed – I was also able to use the Nord Buds 2 on a different floor from my phone, which I can’t say for the other buds I tested.

Battery and Charging

• Up to 36 hours of use with the case
• Single-use battery life of approximately six hours
• USB-C charging

The Nord Buds 2 have excellent battery life. According to OnePlus, the buds can last around five hours with ANC on and seven without. With the 480mAh case, this is then extended to 27 hours and 36 hours respectively.

Using ANC, taking a long video call, and switching between podcasts, videos, and music, I managed to stretch the battery to almost six hours, which was a pleasant surprise. Long story short, you should be able to use these headphones for long periods of time – like traveling on a long-haul flight – without having to worry about running out of juice.

Hannah Cowton / Foundry

You can see each bud’s charge in the app, but it only shows it in 10% increments, not the exact number. This can be annoying if you know your charge is low and want to estimate how much time you have left.

The charging case supports fast charging, which gives five hours of use from a ten-minute quick charge. The Nord Buds 2 don’t support wireless charging, but that’s standard at this price point.

Price and availability

The OnePlus Nord Buds 2 cost $59 / £69 and are available now from the OnePlus website in the US and UK. You can also get them from Laptops Direct in the UK.

The price is excellent for buds with ANC, but there is similarly priced competition from Anker Soundcore Life A2 NC and Mobvoi ANC headphones.

If you have a OnePlus phone, the addition of Dolby Atmos and the Dirac Tuner is an added incentive. However, if you have an iPhone, we recommend that you first check if the iOS app is updated to support these headphones before purchasing.

You can find more options in our table of the best budget headphones. We also have more premium options in our table of the best headphones overall.

Verdict

There’s a lot to like about the OnePlus Nord Buds 2. For the price, you get impressive sound, long-lasting battery life and, best of all, decent ANC – a rarity at this price.

However, they are not without flaws. The case has a slightly awkward shape and they may feel uncomfortable after long periods of time. Additionally, only OnePlus phone users have access to the additional audio processing features that improve performance.

Either way, there’s no denying that the Nord Buds 2 offer great value for money. If you want a pair of true wireless ANC buds that don’t break the bank, this is a solid option.

Specifications

• 12.4 mm titanium coated drivers
• 4x microphones (2x per earpiece)
• IP55 certified
• Dolby Atmos (with OnePlus phones)
• Dirac Tuner (with OnePlus phones)
• AI noise reduction (calls only)
• Touch controls
• ANC (25 dB depth) and transparency modes
• Quick change of paired device
• EQ controls
• OnePlus Quick Pairing
• Android compatible (via the HeyMelody app)
• Bluetooth 5.2
• Battery life:
  • 5 hours of playtime (headphones only with ANC)
  • 7 hours of playtime (headphones only without ANC)
  • 27 hours of playback (headphones + case with ANC)
  • 36 hours of playback (headphones + box without ANC)
• 4.7g (per bud)
• 37.5g (case only)
• Colors: Lighting White and Thunder Gray