The earbud market has gotten interesting over the past few years. There are a ton of really great choices at fantastic prices. The OnePlus Buds 4 are the first set of earbuds that I’ve used from OnePlus, and they join a fairly large market that is massively competitive. The good news is, the OnePlus Buds 4 have come out swinging, and they know they have to, considering the market opposition. But, there are some minor grievances I have with this iteration of the Buds.
Estimated reading time: 14 minutes
Though, I will admit, my negatives may not even bother you. Still, even with the minor gripes that I have, these earbuds are certainly very worth considering. Let’s get into the full review.
The Quick Take
This was my first experience with a pair of OnePlus earbuds, and it was a pretty great experience. The sound quality is remarkable, and the battery life is amazing. The price point is excellent, and the design is pleasing to look at. The only areas I think could use improvement are the lack of wireless charging and the app could be better. Other than that, these are outstanding earbuds that compete right alongside many others at this same price point.
Score and Bottom Line
OnePlus Buds 4
$129.99
Nailed it
- Nice looking design, compact and lightweight
- Easy to use and setup, especially with Google Fast Pair
- Sound and call quality are excellent
- Fantastic battery life
- Price point is excellent
Needs work
- No wireless charging
- App could be better
The pill shaped charging case of the OnePlus Buds 4 is pretty neat, I love the way it opens, and I like how slim it is. There isn’t any wireless charging for the case, and that’s something I think needs to be here. It’s not a dealbreaker due to the price, but I think it could be added.
The OnePlus Buds 4 are easy to set up as well, though I think the HeyMelody app could be better. As far as I can tell, this app isn’t a dedicated app for OnePlus, but it is shared with other brands. The app works fine, but maybe more options for a broader EQ could be added. This is a very minor complaint.
What really matters, with any earbuds, is the sound quality, ANC, and battery life. These are all fantastic on these earbuds, and this is why the OnePlus Buds 4 are a winner. Not to mention the incredible price point of under $130. Overall, the Buds 4 are entering a hot market for earbuds and these are some top ones you can get now.
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OnePlus Buds 4 Specifications
- Colorways:
- Size:
- Earbuds: 624.2mm
- Charging case: .425.3mm
- Weight:
- Earbuds: 4.73+/-0.2 g
- Charging case: 39.97 ± 1 g
- Total: 49.42 ± 1 g
- Audio:
- Drivers: 11mm woofer + 6mm tweeter
- Frequency Response: 15Hz~40KHz
- Driver Sensitivity: 118±1.3dB @1mW
- Microphone Sensitivity: -38±1dB
- Microphones: 3 mics per side
- Impedance:
- Sound Pressure: 96.5dB
- Rated Power: 10mW
- Noise Cancellation:
- Noise Cancellation Type: Real-Time Adaptive Active Noise Cancellation
- Noise Reduction Depth: Up to 55dB
- Noise Reduction Frequency Range: Up to 5,500Hz
- Noise Control Modes: ANC on / Adaptive Mode / Transparency Mode / ANC off 3-mic AI Call Noise Cancellation
- Connectivity:
- Bluetooth® Codec — LHDC 5.0 / AAC / SBC
- Bluetooth® Version — Bluetooth® 5.4 with Steady Connect
- Bluetooth® Effective Distance — 10m
- Bluetooth® Transmission Protocol — HFP/A2DP/AVRCP
- Google Fast Pair
- Dual-Device Connection
- Battery:
- Battery Capacity:
- Earbuds: 62mAh
- Charging Case: 530mAh
- Playback (ANC Off, 50% volume, AAC):
- Earbuds: 11 hours
- Earbuds + Case: 45 hours
- Playback (ANC On, 50% volume, AAC):
- Earbuds: 6 hours
- Earbuds + Case: 24 hours
- Playback (ANC Off, 50% volume, LHDC):
- Earbuds: 9 hours
- Earbuds + Case: 37 hours
- Playback (ANC On, 50% volume, LHDC):
- Earbuds: 5.5 hours
- Earbuds + Case: 22 hours
- Talk Time (ANC Off, 50% volume, AAC):
- Earbuds: 6 hours
- Earbuds + Case: 24 hours
- Talk Time (ANC On, 50% volume, AAC):
- Earbuds: 4 hours
- Earbuds + Case: 17 hours
- Battery Capacity:
- Charging:
- Fast Charging (ANC Off, 50% volume, AAC):
- Earbuds: 10 minutes charge for 3.5 hours playback
- Earbuds + Case: 10 minutes charge for 11 hours playback
- Charging Time:
- Earbuds: about 50 minutes
- Earbuds + Case: about 80 minutes
- Charging Interface: Wired USB Type-C
- Fast Charging (ANC Off, 50% volume, AAC):
- Special Features:
- OnePlus 3D Audio
- Sound Master EQ
- Golden Sound
- 47ms Low Latency
- AI Translation
- Voice Assistant Shortcut
- Find My Earbuds
- Double-Tap for Camera Control
- Compatibility with HeyMelody App
- OTA Updates
- IP55 Dust and Water Resistance
What’s In The Box
- OnePlus Buds 4
- Charging Cable
- Ear tips
- Manuals and Documentation
Design/Comfort
Let’s talk OnePlus Buds 4 design. First, the case. This pill shaped case is slim with the OnePlus branding on the front and an LED charging indicator. There’s nothing on the back, and the bottom houses the charging port. The lid flips up, a lot like the Apple AirPods Pro case. I was surprised to see that this case can stand up on its edge. The one thing missing from this case is wireless charging, I wish that would have been included.
Still, the case is lightweight and very slim and pocketable. The build quality is good and mostly plastic, with the hinge having a good tactile response. The OnePlus Buds 4 also come with a few different sized ear tips, which are very comfortable.
The buds themselves are a familiar design. These look a lot like many other brands on the market, including the AirPods Pro. It seems the earbud market is sticking with this design, at least for now. It’s not a bad design, it looks very impressive, and the gray color I have here looks fantastic. Better than straight black.
Overall, the OnePlus Buds 4 have a very minimalist feel to them. The pill shaped case is neat looking, and the buds themselves look really nice and are comfortable. The colorway choices are also some of the better ones on earbuds. The Storm Gray colorway I have looks slick, almost utilitarian. A very impressive design.
Ease of Use
Getting started with the OnePlus Buds 4 is straightforward and with Google Fast Pair, it’s even easier. Getting connected is quick and easy, and if you wanted to just stop there, you could. If you want more control and adjustment, you’ll need to download the HeyMelody app.
Getting started with the HeyMelody is app is simple as well. Just find your earbuds in the app and connect. The app offers controls and firmware updating and some other features.
The touch controls on the stems are intuitive and easy to master and overall, the OnePlus Buds 4 are easy to use and the majority of users will settle right in with these.
App/Software
Given that the OnePlus Buds 4 is my first time using earbuds from OnePlus, I thought they would be controlled by a dedicated OnePlus app. But that is not the case. These buds share an app called HeyMelody. That’s not a bad thing, I was just expecting a OnePlus branded app.
- The app shows you the battery status of both buds and the case.
- Allows you to change from ANC, Adaptive, Transparency, and off modes.
- Has a toggle for 3D audio (which is like spatial audio and is a nice feature).
- Provides you with access to a simple EQ or a custom EQ, which has 3 bands.
- Allows you to set up Golden Sound, which attempts to personalize your sound experience using your hearing.
- Allows you to toggle Game Mode, which I did not test.
- Gives you the option to connect 2 devices with dual connect.
- Allows you to find your earbuds by playing a sound.
The app is pretty simple to use and fairly basic. I would like to see the EQ expanded to a 9-band EQ with more options for tuning the sound. But overall, this app works fine and most of what the general user needs is here.
Sound/Call Quality/Features
Powered by a coaxial dual-driver system, dual DACs, the high-resolution LHDC 5.0 codec, personalized Golden Sound tuning, and immersive OnePlus 3D Audio, the OnePlus Buds 4 deliver some impressive sound for this price point. I don’t usually list the manufacture’s sound features, but I decided to list a few for this set of buds.
- The OnePlus Buds 4 feature a flagship-level coaxial dual-driver system engineered to handle high and low frequencies, respectively.
- With an ultra-wide frequency response range of 15Hz to 40KHz, the earbuds deliver a precise, balanced sound signature.
- An upgraded 11mm 30-layer ceramic-metal diaphragm woofer produces deep, powerful bass with rich texture, while the 6mm flat diaphragm tweeter reproduces crisp, shimmering highs. The coaxial integrated design aligns both drivers on the same axis.
- The OnePlus Buds 4 feature dual DACs (Digital-to-Analog Converters), a rarity in their class. This setup eliminates the signal interference often found when a single DAC drives both audio channels in a dual-driver system.
- Each DAC processes the high and low frequencies independently, enabling precise signal control and delivering a full-bodied audio performance. Highs remain clear and smooth, lows are deep and powerful, and the overall sound is rich and immersive across the entire frequency range.
- Equipped with the advanced LHDC 5.0 Bluetooth codec, the OnePlus Buds 4 support ultra-high sampling rates and deliver exceptional sound fidelity. The 24-bit depth enables a wide dynamic range, while the 1Mbps transmission bitrate preserves the richness and nuance of the original sound. Now upgraded to an impressive 192kHz sampling rate, the codec further extends the frequency response and enhances both clarity and detail in audio playback.
- The OnePlus Buds 4 introduce the Golden Sound, a personalized audio tuning system that combines two leading technologies, ear canal compensation and individual sound perception analysis, to craft a custom listening experience for every user.
- The OnePlus Buds 4 feature a major breakthrough in vocal noise cancellation by delivering best-in-class performance across the 15Hz to 40,000Hz range, precisely covering the frequencies where human voices are most prominent (50Hz to 3,000Hz).
- The OnePlus Buds 4 introduce Adaptive Mode, the latest innovation in OnePlus Audio, which eliminates the need to manually switch between Active Noise Cancellation and Transparency Mode. By using real-time microphone input and advanced algorithms, Adaptive Mode intelligently adjusts both ANC and transparency levels to provide a balanced listening experience tailored to your environment.
That’s a lot of features and tech packed into the OnePlus Buds 4. The simple explanation is, these buds sound really spectacular. The soundstaging is almost perfect out of the box. They do lean toward the bass side more than I prefer, but it’s not overwhelming and can be tuned back in the app.
Passive noise-cancelling on the OnePlus Buds 4 is decent, and you should try all the ear tips to get the best seal. Like many other earbuds, these also come with software that personalizes the sound to the user. This works fairly well, but results will vary.
Active noise-cancelling is fantastic, not perfect, but really better than most. There are better headphones with ANC, but OnePlus did not do a bad job here. I think most users will be pleased with the performance of the ANC here.
Call quality is incredible due to the vocal noise cancellation software on the OnePlus Buds 4. I don’t use earbuds for calls very often, usually only when testing do I use this. But for those who do use it regularly, the call quality is going to impress. Adaptive Mode switches between ANC and Transparency, and it works, I just don’t like it. I prefer to switch when I want to. The good news is, you don’t have to use it, but it’s here if you want it.
Overall, the sound quality of the OnePlus Buds 4 is excellent, for this price point. There is some favoring to the bass, out of the box, but you can adjust this in the app. ANC and PNC are splendid for the price point of these earbuds.
Battery Life
If you look up at the specs section, you’ll see a whole section with battery information for various scenarios. I will say this, as I usually do, battery life is subjective, and we all use our devices differently. So my results will not be your results, and the results OnePlus gives are in testing conditions with specific parameters.
That said, I had the ANC on all the time on the OnePlus Buds 4 and volume from my Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra and OnePlus 13R were set at about 45%. I don’t use Transparency Mode much at all, and some of the other OnePlus features I used only to test them. I’m a bare bones basic guy and prefer to use earbuds to listen to music and music only.
That said, the OnePlus Buds 4 lasted me about 7 hours until it was time to pop them in the case and get them charged up again. The case provides backup power on the move and gets you moving quickly, pretty much the same as any other TWS earbud case.
Overall, the battery life is excellent on the OnePlus Buds 4 and I believe on par with other earbuds in the same price range.
Price/Value
TWS earbud prices have come down a lot over the years. I remember when TWS first came out, not only were they horribly unreliable back then, they were also expensive. The OnePlus Buds 4 sit at one-hundred twenty-nine dollars, and that’s just about the norm for TWS earbuds these days. The feature set on these earbuds is well worth the price, and that sort of makes up for no wireless charging, LOL.
Wrap Up
The pill shaped charging case of the OnePlus Buds 4 is pretty neat, I love the way it opens, and I like how slim it is. There isn’t any wireless charging for the case, and that’s something I think needs to be here. It’s not a dealbreaker due to the price, but I think it could be added.
The OnePlus Buds 4 are easy to set up as well, though I think the HeyMelody app could be better. As far as I can tell, this app isn’t a dedicated app for OnePlus, but it is shared with other brands. The app works fine, but maybe more options for a broader EQ could be added. This is a very minor complaint.
What really matters, with any earbuds, is the sound quality, ANC, and battery life. These are all fantastic on these earbuds, and this is why the OnePlus Buds 4 are a winner. Not to mention the remarkable price point of under $130. Overall, the Buds 4 are entering a hot market for earbuds and these are some of the top ones you can get now.
