The OnePlus Nord Buds 2r are the company’s entry-level earbuds and a stripped-down version of the Nord Buds 2 we looked at a few months ago. The new model mostly loses ANC and Transparency Mode, among other little things, while retaining the core audio performance and feature set.
Design
Nord Buds 2r look similar to Nord Buds 2; the basic shape of the earbuds is the same, but the stem have been rounded, and the earbuds are generally smaller. Compared to the Nord Buds 2, this does make them more finicky in handling.
The shells of the two models look similar, but the Nord Buds 2r shell is slightly smaller and has a redesigned interior. It also lacks the pairing button on the Nord Buds 2 case; now you have to press and hold the touch-sensitive area on both earbuds at the same time to enter pairing mode. This is much more convenient than the pairing button on the case, but it’s not something you have to do very often.
The Thunder Gray and Lightning White colors of the Nord Buds 2 with speckled finish have been replaced by Nord Buds 2r with Dark Gray and Triple Blue, with the speckle removed. The overall build quality and finish are otherwise identical, which is to say the price is reasonable, and you also get the IP 101 Dust and water resistance rating.
Like the Nord Buds 2, the Nord Buds 2r are very comfortable to wear for extended periods of time. The silicone eartips do feel thinner and less expensive than the ones on the Nord Buds 2, but that doesn’t compromise comfort.
SOFTWARE
Nord Buds 2r natively support OnePlus devices and are supported through the HeyMelody app on non-OnePlus Android devices. The iOS version of the app can’t detect these earbuds, nor can the Nord Buds 2.
The software experience is barebones; you can choose from three EQ presets, which is one less than the Nord Buds 2. I’m not sure why cheaper models must also have fewer EQ presets, as if they cost money to implement, but I digress. You also get a custom equalizer with six bands, and you can create multiple profiles.
In addition to this, you can also adjust the gesture controls for individual taps. I found this useful because the touch area on the earbuds is very sensitive and easy to click when inserting or removing the earbuds. I had to disable the click gesture to prevent unintentional play/pause. It’s important to note that the Nord Buds 2r, much like the Nord Buds 2, don’t have wear detection, so you’ll have to manually play and pause when inserting or removing them.
OnePlus Wireless Headphones software
Other than that, there really isn’t much else to do here. The software experience is pretty barebones, and there isn’t even an option to update the firmware. OnePlus says the option will be available before the earbuds go on sale. As of this writing, the version of the earbuds is 106. 018. 95 There is no update option. We will update the review when the ability to update the firmware becomes available.
I do hope OnePlus does plan to add this feature, as my review device could definitely use a software update. During use, the sound has a tendency to drift from channel to channel, with one driver slowly becoming louder than the other. It can go in either direction, but usually turns left, only to be centered by a restart or a long pause. Questions like this are why we do software updates, and not including this option would be a huge disadvantage.
Performance
Nord Buds 2r have the same 010. 4mm dynamic drivers are the same as the Nord Buds 2, with the same Bluetooth 5.3 connectivity and SBC/AAC support.
The Nord Buds 2r have a typical OnePlus sound with overwhelming bass. The mids are soft and smooth with no sudden dips, but the highs are dull and boring. The overall sound is loud, but the vocals are pleasant and the high frequencies are obscure. It sounds pleasing enough and will appeal to those who like lots of bass, dislike bright highs, or both.
The more expensive Nord Buds 2 are better in bass and mid The vocal section sounds similar, but with a more pronounced hiss on top, something the Nord Buds 2r lack.
If you prefer a more balanced tuning, you can try the “Bold” preset, which significantly controls the low frequencies while also boosting the high frequencies. This preset does have a weird drop in the mids, which pushes the vocals to the back of the mix, so I personally prefer to use EQ, which can provide some good results. Any changes you make are saved on the earbuds and carry over to the next device you pair them with.
Unfortunately, the sound is dull and indistinguishable. That’s pretty standard for budget wireless earbuds, but it always amazes me that wired earbuds cost so much less than these Nord Buds 2r sound in comparison. Switching to my 7HZ Salnotes Zero, the difference is night and day, both in terms of tuning and resolution.
OnePlus loves to brag about its Dolby Atmos support, but as I’ve mentioned countless times in previous OnePlus reviews this is a feature of their phones, not their headphones . The earbuds have no native Atmos capability, and are only “Atmos-ready” if the paired device supports it. You can also pair different brands of earbuds with your Atmos-equipped OnePlus phone and get Atmos sound.
Microphone performance is good; in a quiet room, voices sound reasonably clear, though they sometimes fluctuate as background noise cancellation kicks in. In noisy environments, the noise cancellation does a good job of cutting out noise. The sound is understandably muffled, but still audible. Overall, performance is good enough for voice calls.
The Nord Buds 2r have good latency performance. By default, latency is low enough that it won’t really be an issue unless you’re gaming. With Low Latency Mode enabled, whether manually via the HeyMelody app or automatically when a game is detected on the OnePlus phone, the lag is so low it’s not noticeable at all.
Headphones also have good connectivity performance. Aside from audio drifting issues, there were no drops or stutters and everything worked as expected.
BATTERY
The Nord Buds 2r have a claimed battery for 8 hours of continuous playback. In my test I had 7 hours and 12 minutes, which is a good enough result. After 10 minutes of fast charging from 0%, the earphones can be used for another 2 hours and 9 minutes. Nord Buds 2r have a smaller battery (36mAh vs. 017 mAh Nord Buds 2), so the battery life is reduced by about an hour.
in conclusion
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Nord Buds 2r is priced at INR 2, 55, i.e. INR 212 lower than Nord The price of the Buds 2. In my opinion, there really isn’t any reason to choose the Nord Buds 2r over the Buds 2 when the price difference is so small, and the latter are generally better. The cheaper, better-sounding Oppo Enco Buds2 are also a smarter choice. If the Nord Buds 2r are to justify their basic functionality and performance, they need to cost significantly less.
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