I have been a fan of wireless earphones for many years now, because I hate those dangling cables that obstruct my movement. Worse, one little nick on the wire and you can’t use them anymore, which is a total waste.
And so when the true wireless earbuds (known by a different name for a specific brand) became the thing, I immediately jumped on the bandwagon, because, well, why not? They’re compact, easy to use, and much sturdier than those with wires.
But practicality dictates that a pair must not burn a hole on one’s pockets. The most money that I will allow for a pair is P6,000. That’s it.
I own quite a few, but my go-to pairs are from a popular American audio equipment brand (slightly worth over P5,000) for my “me” and quality time when I need to savor my favorite music down to the last guitar note and drum roll; and a relatively unknown Chinese brand specializing in audio tech (worth slightly below a thousand pesos) for my everyday use, like zoom meetings, calls, etc.
And then I got to test the OnePlus Buds Pro 2—which drastically changed the way I looked at TWS (true wireless stereo) earbuds.
The thing is, I was completely satisfied with my US-made earbuds as my listening experience with it has always been good. Never did I realize that sound from a pricier brand will produce way better results.
The OnePlus Buds Pro 2 did that to me.
Snug Fit
First thing that matters when you get a new TWS buds is how it fits into your ears. With the OnePlus Buds Pro 2, this is never a problem because included in the unit are various silicone tip sizes for various ear sizes. Mine were super snug and even when I was practically head-banging to rock music, there was no danger of them falling out at any point.
It is also splash-resistant just like the previous generation (OnePlus Buds Pro), so no worries if you get caught in a torrential downpour or if sweat has accumulated around your ears during a heavy workout.
Battery life
According to its press release, the OnePlus Buds Pro 2 delivers 6 hours of playback + 19 extra hours in the case (for 25 hours total battery life). If you turn ANC off, you should get around 9 hours from the buds and 30 extra hours from the case (39 hours total). We were not able to test it for long hours, but battery life looks legit, as we haven’t charged it since using it for a week.
Bluetooth
This 2023 iteration of the OnePlus Buds Pro has Bluetooth 5.3 support, like most other premium buds, meaning they can get connected to two different devices at once. Pairing with my smartphone is always a breeze.
Hey Melody App
And, like other premium brands, the OnePlus Buds Pro 2 has a dedicated app called Hey Melody, where you have a bunch of different control settings and can play around with the noise control and the equalizer to suit your listening styles.
In the app, there is also the Golden Sound, Zen Mode Air, Spatial Audio and Game Mode, which is self explanatory.
In Golden Sound, you can actually create a personalized soundscape, where it plays several different pitches, and you just need to adjust the onscreen slider until you can’t hear the noise anymore. And then after all that, you’ll have your own personal audio profile to boost the areas that you would otherwise struggle to hear.
Spatial Audio, the fad these days, is a technology, which transcends typical left-right stereo setup and tricks your brain into perceiving instruments and sounds as if they are taking up actual space somewhere around you. Many will love it, but for the purists, ‘old-school’ stereo sound is the only thing.
On the other hand, the Zen Mode Air is very valuable if you feel a little bit stressed out. You just have to long press one of the buds’ stems for around four or five seconds and then it will start pumping in nice relaxing sounds to soothe you.
Ain’t that cool?
Quick controls
For the quick control of the earbuds and if you’re kind of lazy to open your smartphone, you can do a quick squeeze of either of the buds’ stems. One squeeze will either pause or play your music, a double squeeze will skip the music forward, while a triple squeeze can skip back a track. You can also do a long squeeze in order to quickly cycle between the noise cancellation boards and the transparency modes. The only real complaint is that there’s no volume controls using the stems.
Noise cancellation
The noise cancellation in the OnePlus Buds Pro 2 is also one of the most impressive I’ve tried with its 48 decibel noise cancellation support. Cancel kung cancel. The only outside “noise” that you’d hear is your breathing.
Of course, it all boils down to the sound that you hear.
With the OnePlus Buds Pro 2, there is a perfect balance of bass and treble, and clear vocals, with the sound staying sharp and undistorted even at max levels, delivering an impressive listening experience.
So yes, you can shell out a couple of thousand pesos more for the OnePlus Buds Pro 2, which retails a shade under P10,000. The additional peso spent will be all worth it.