OnePlus Buds Pro 2 review: great sound, ANC with delays

For the Buds Pro 2, OnePlus teamed up with audio experts from the Danish speaker manufacturer Dynaudio. Film composer Hans Zimmer mixed a preset for the equaliser. The in-ear headphones are right up there in terms of sound. However, I found a catch with the active noise cancellation.

Headphones

EUR151,92

OnePlus Buds Pro 2

ANC, 9 h, Wireless

72

Headphones

EUR135,14

OnePlus Buds Pro 2

ANC, 9 h, Wireless

72

Comfortable headphones, quickly connected

Newer Android smartphones automatically recognise the OnePlus Buds Pro 2 via the Fast Pair feature. You just need to confirm pairing in the pop-up window. For devices from the same manufacturer, automatic detection and connection work back to the OnePlus 6. Smartphones without Fast Pair are paired classically via the Bluetooth menu. Open the case then press and hold the button between the earpieces until pairing mode starts.

The Buds Pro 2 are comfortable to wear. When not in use, I could even forget I was wearing headphones. Unless I’m handling a bike helmet or a hat, I don’t worry about the buds falling out of my ears. The earpieces are waterproof according to IP55. In laboratory tests, this is one step above simple splash water protection. So sweat from jogging or rain shouldn’t be a problem.

OnePlus states a battery life of up to nine hours for the Buds Pro 2. However, this only applies if you don’t use active noise cancellation (ANC). It shortens the runtime by about a third, but that’s still more than sufficient for two-hour podcasts. I rarely use buds any longer. Recharging in the case extends battery life up to 39 hours, or 25 hours with ANC. The USB-C port is supposed to supply enough power for three hours of use in ten minutes.

App and touch controls

You control the buds by touching the elongated part of the earpiece with two fingers. OnePlus Touch Control, as it’s called. But you can’t just tap. You need to slightly press down to activate a function. This works flawlessly. You can single, double and triple press, as well as press and hold for one or three seconds.

I can define which actions occur with each gesture in the HeyMelody app (Android/iOS). Unfortunately, adjusting the volume isn’t one of them. Instead, there’s the classics: pause and play, next or previous track. I can also activate voice assistant from my smartphone and gaming mode, which offers even lower latency. In addition, I can control noise cancellation and start Zen Mode Air – which I’ll analyse in detail later.

I also find five preset equalisers in the app. Dynaudio was involved in four of them, and Hans Zimmer developed the fifth. I’d have expected a bit more bombast from Zimmer’s setting and mostly stick with the balanced settings. I can also make my own presets, using 13 values for each of the six frequencies. I can also have the sound and noise cancellation adjusted to my ear canal. All I have to do is wear the earpiece and press a few buttons. The software takes care of the rest. Although I think both features are making a difference, they don’t really change anything. Therefore, the perceived improvement could also be due to my expectations.

What I can test, on the other hand, is the dual connection. I have to explicitly allow this in the HeyMelody app. I can then connect two devices to the OnePlus Buds Pro 2 at the same time – a smartphone and a notebook, say. This is convenient for switching back and forth between devices for music, video calls, or phone calls without having to reconnect them each time.

Two drivers, up-to-date codecs and a lot of listening pleasure

OnePlus doesn’t only collaborate with Dynaudio for its equaliser presets. According to the manufacturer, the audio experts were also involved in the design of the earphones. Each bud contains two drivers, eleven and six millimetres long respectively. In contrast, most in-ear headphones only feature one driver.

The Buds Pro 2 support LDHC 4.0, lossless Hi-Res Audio and Audio ID2.0, among others. They can also use Spatial Audio if the player and sound source offer it.

Even without Spatial Sound, I’m very fond of the OnePlus Buds Pro 2. Their sound is clear and detailed, seeming to fill the space around me. Trebles and mids are well distinguishable and seem nicely matched. The bass booms audibly, but doesn’t physically rumble. All in-ear models have to deal with this due to their physical limits. But comparatively, the bass on the Buds Pro 2 does very well.

Noise cancellation with slight delays

Active noise cancellation on the OnePlus Buds Pro 2 is supposed to reduce ambient volume by 48 decibels. There’s three levels, Mild, Moderate and Max, and Smart Mode should select the right level to match your surroundings.

I’m very satisfied with the noise cancellation itself. It completely blocks out background noise in the city and pleasantly quiets down loud environments. I can enjoy the tales of Heldendumm without having to turn up the volume on a busy six-lane road.

However, noise cancellation bothers me in one important aspect. It needs several seconds to adapt to a new noise source, even in Max mode. For example, when I come from a quiet side street onto a noisy main road. I haven’t experienced this with other headphones in this price range.

Switch off with Zen Mode Air

If you want to switch off without music, a podcast or similar, but still don’t want complete silence, Zen Mode Air is a good choice. Five white noise variants are available in the HeyMelody app. However, you can currently only download one directly to the headphones.

«Warm sunrise» conjures up chirping birds in a forest with a babbling brook nearby. «Iceland» on the other hand crafts the perfect backdrop to an endless snowy landscape. With «Nighttime camping» you’ll hear crickets, a campfire, cars in the distance, and the occasional owl. While «Summer seashore» has waves lapping against the beach. In «Meditation», piano sounds and a wordless polyphonic choir complement a continuous tone.

This also allows me to block out colleagues making calls in the office while I write this text.

Verdict: excellent headphones, which nevertheless won’t become my favourites

The OnePlus Buds Pro 2 convince me with an excellent sound and efficient noise cancellation. Unfortunately, it sometimes needs several seconds to do its job correctly. The controls work well, although I miss volume control directly on the earpieces. Zen Mode Air is a pleasant addition, providing peaceful respite from the outside world.

As good as the OnePlus Buds Pro 2 are, their minor flaws make me prefer other in-ear headphones in this price range. Specifically, I’m thinking of the Huawei Freebuds Pro 2 and the Nothing Ear (2) especially.