Pros:
– Polished design with rounded edges
– Snug fit, good passive noise isolation
– Loud and punchy sound output
– 6-band equaliser for further sound tweaks
– IP55 dust and fluid resistance
– Very good battery backup
– Decent call quality
Cons:
– Bass-heavy output despite sound tweaks
– No volume control on the earbuds
– Bulky charging case, no fast charging
Price: Rs 2,199
Rating: 3.8/5
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When we reviewed the OnePlus Nord Buds 2 a few months back, we believed they were the logical successor to the first Nord Buds. In many ways they were, till the company chose to introduce one more model that sits right between the two, the Nord Buds 2r. On paper, other than a slight change in aesthetics, it seems a lot like its predecessor and carries forward all its key traits like a unique design and a 6-band equaliser to create custom sound profiles. So what has changed, if at all? Let’s find out.
OnePlus Nord Buds 2r: Design and Comfort (8/10)
OnePlus has stuck to the core design language of the Nord Buds here as well. You get the pill-shaped stems but with a different finish. While the Nord Buds and Nord Buds 2 have similar-looking stems, the newest member has nicely rounded edges and an even matte finish. The only bit of gloss is in the touch zones to make it more distinct. We got the Deep Grey variant for review; not my favourite colour, but I quite liked its understated look and minimalistic design approach. You also get a Triple Blue variant (releasing on 15th July) in case you want to jazz things up a bit.
The same smooth matte finish extends to the charging case that borrows the design from the Nord Buds 2. OnePlus has done away with the ‘tasteful speckled accents’ of the Nord Buds 2 – the grainy texture which looked more like dust anyway, so no complaints. The charging case is pretty much smudge-free and has rounded edges all around making it look much better than that of the first Nord Buds. It is marginally slimmer but still over an inch in thickness, and far from pocketable without a noticeable bulge.
Battery capacity is still the same at 480 mAh, but it promises better backup. A charge indicator LED is located at the front of the case, while a USB-C charging port is present at the back. Strangely, there is no Bluetooth pairing/reset button here, unless it’s so well hidden that I couldn’t find it. The buds are fairly light at 4.3 grams each. The fit is snug and comfortable, and they don’t pop out of the ear during a workout or a jog. The right-sized silicon tips offer good passive noise isolation.
OnePlus Nord Buds 2r: Features and Specifications (7/10)
The Nord Buds 2r have IP55 rated dust and fluid resistance, which makes it rainproof. But unlike more premium OnePlus earbuds like the Buds Z2 or Buds Pro 2, the charging case does not have any ingress protection. Each earbud is fitted with a 12.4 mm dynamic driver with titanized diaphragm; the same size as the original Nord Buds and Nord Buds 2. They have two microphones each for calling and to filter ambient noise. You do not get active noise cancellation here, which is the key differentiator from the Nord Buds 2.
Wear detection sensors continue to be absent, but I can let that slide given its price tag. The codec support remains the same – SBC and AAC on these Bluetooth 5.3 earbuds. There’s support for Dolby Atmos too when paired with compliant devices; of course, the processing happens on the paired device and not the buds. You don’t need to install any app if you use these buds with a OnePlus phone released over the past 4 years and running OxygenOS 11 or later. You get access to various settings of the buds in the Bluetooth settings itself.
For other phones, you will need to install the HeyMelody app and sync the earphones to access the same features. The app lets you alter the sound profile and configure the controls. You can assign play/pause, previous/next track, voice assistant or nothing to single-tap, double tap and triple-tap gestures. I would suggest not assigning a function to single tap to avoid registering accidental taps while adjusting the buds in the ear or removing them.
Touch-and-hold gesture lets you switch between the last two paired devices. They could have let you assign volume control to that gesture, but that’s not an option here. The touch sensitivity is good and the buds produce a small beep every time you tap in the zone. Another thing I noticed is that while the companion app displays the firmware version, it is greyed out to suggest updating it is not an option. Maybe it will be activated if and when a new firmware is available, but we cannot say for certain.
OnePlus Nord Buds 2r: Performance (7/10)
These earbuds are quite loud and perfectly audible close to 50 per cent when indoors, and I didn’t need to push it beyond 60 per cent when outdoors. Similar to its predecessor, the default sound signature of the Nord Buds 2 on the ‘Balanced’ preset is distinctly bass-heavy. The excess bass impacts the midrange frequencies and blunts the vocals and certain instrument sounds. And then there is the Bass preset that is best left untouched even if ‘Baby ko bass pasand hai’.
The ‘Bold’ present remains the best option in all Nord Buds including the 2r. It offers relatively better balance, without being bass-deficient. The ‘Serenade’ preset that is present in other OnePlus buds has been given a skip here for whatever reasons; not one of my favourites anyway, and I didn’t miss it. The BassWave slider is missing too; again not a deal-breaker. Thankfully the Sound Master EQ (Equaliser) that offers a 6-band equaliser to tweak the audio is available here too. Frankly, that’s the only one that matters.
You get two bars each for lows, mids and highs that let you alter the output and create your own sound profiles. While it doesn’t flip things on its head, it does make a noticeable difference to the sound output. Boosting the midrange frequencies by a few units improves vocal clarity. Similarly, you can reduce the bass or push the highs up a bit to suit your taste. You can try multiple permutations and combinations and save them as different profiles.
After a few sound tweaks, the Nord Buds 2r produces a punchy sound output with a relatively better balance and sharpness. But no matter what you do, the Bass still dominates things. And it is the boomy nature of the bass that I have a problem with; it needed to be tighter than that. The highs are decent but not sharp enough to balance the bass. Having said that, the overall sound quality using the Bold preset or after a few tweaks in the Sound Master EQ is perfectly acceptable for a pair of TWS buds selling close to Rs 2,000.
The soundstage here is not too broad but acceptable for the segment. The latency can go as low as 94 ms. While we could not measure it, there was no noticeable lag between the video and audio when streaming videos from YouTube or popular OTT platforms. The wireless range is as advertised with a strong connection of up to 10 metres with a clear line of sight.
OnePlus Nord Buds 2r: Call quality (7.5/10)
The call quality of the OnePlus Nord Buds 2r is pretty good indoors. People on the line were clearly audible to each other. When outdoors, the AI noise reduction does a more than decent job of isolating your voice from the ambient noise. In noisy areas, your voice seems to lose a bit of clarity, probably because of the aggressive noise reduction algorithm. But overall, it is one of the better budget TWS earbuds for calling, though not as good as the Nord Buds 2.
OnePlus Nord Buds 2r: Battery life (8/10)
All the OnePlus Nord Buds models are known for their impressive battery backup and the 2r is no different. The company claims 8 hours of audio playback for the buds alone and 38 hours overall with the charging case. The numbers are fairly accurate. With loudness of around 60 per cent during the test process, the earbuds went on for over 7 hours on a full charge. The case could recharge them thrice more with some juice left in the tank, taking the overall battery backup close to 33 hours, which is very good.
To differentiate from the Nord Buds 2, OnePlus has knocked off one more feature here that they shouldn’t have, and that’s fast charging. Nord Buds 2 last for close to 5 hours with a 10-minute charge. That is not the case with the 2r; they give you about an hour and a quarter of play time if you charge them for 10 minutes.
OnePlus Nord Buds 2r: Price and verdict
The OnePlus Nord Buds 2r can be purchased for Rs 2,199 with a one-year warranty. That makes it a good Rs 600 cheaper than the first Nord Buds and Rs 800 cheaper than the Nord Buds 2. There is no reason for the original Nord Buds to still exist as the 2r manages to do everything it does a little better, and for less money. However, it cannot beat the value proposition of Nord Buds 2. For a little more money, you get ANC, slightly better sound and call quality and fast charging.
If you don’t care about ANC, then Nord Buds 2r is not a bad option at all. I just wish OnePlus had kept its price under 2K. As for competition, there is one that can give the 2r a really tough fight. The Oppo Enco Buds2 which sells for Rs 1,799 at the moment has better sound quality, and though you do not get a custom EQ there, its 3 sound presets are a lot more useful than the ones here. It is also more pocketable and the battery life is comparable, but the 2r takes the honours in call quality. Choose one depending on which features appeal to you more.
