Buying truly wireless earbuds under Rs 4000 is both easy and confusing. Easy because there is no shortage of options, and confusing because almost every pair promises the same things: active noise cancellation (ANC), bigger drivers, long battery life and AI-powered features. On paper, they often look nearly identical. The real differences only become apparent after using them for a few days. I have been using the OnePlus Nord Buds 4 as my primary earbuds for work, music, videos and calls for a week to find out whether they justify their Rs 3299 price tag. They promise features such as up to 52dB active noise cancellation, 12mm dynamic drivers, a six-microphone AI Clear Call system, up to 47ms low-latency gaming mode, up to 54 hours of battery life and some AI-powered features. The answer to whether they’re worth buying is already in the title, but the real question is how well these features perform in everyday use. Let’s find that out.
The OnePlus Nord Buds 4 may not lead the segment in every technical aspect, but they deliver a polished everyday experience. They are comfortable, sound good across genres, offer reliable ANC, long battery life and a feature-rich app. If you prefer a warmer, more relaxed sound signature over an analytical one, they are worth considering at Rs 3299.
However good-looking or good-performing a TWS earbuds pair is, if the case isn’t portable enough, then it fails the point. The good thing is Nord Buds 4’s case is compact and chic in looks and profile. Even the firmness with which the hinge snaps adds to the earbuds’ appeal. The teal colour is easy on the eyes, but it can get worn out over time.
Inside, the earbuds have a tried-and-true stem form. The fit and comfort are also superb. The default ear tip worked fine, but you can swap it with the alternative pairs in the box.
Last but not least, the OnePlus Nord Buds 4 carry an IP55 rating, which means they should easily withstand sweat during workouts or light rain.
OnePlus Nord Buds 4 share the infatuation that most budget earbuds have for bass. While the bass here isn’t too much, it is still more noticeable than on a Realme Buds Air 8 (review). This is true for the sub-bass in Childish Gambino’s ‘Retro’, and the reverb in ‘Retrograde’ by James Blake, which are tighter on the Realme earbuds pair.
In another test track, ‘Feel Good Inc’ by Gorillaz, the guitar bassline sounded deeper and punchier on the Realme Buds Air 8. Meanwhile, Damon Albarn’s vocals also sound clearer, while the rap verses were easier to follow. The OnePlus Nord Buds 4 delivered an enjoyable listening experience, but the Realme earbuds brought forward more detail from the track. Even the signature laughter effects sounded more open and prominent on the Realme, whereas they felt slightly recessed on the OnePlus.
Basically, with OnePlus, you can expect a smoother, more relaxed character that many listeners may actually prefer during longer listening sessions.
Meanwhile, in the treatment of higher frequencies, the Realme Buds Air 8 does a cleaner job. The OnePlus Nord Buds 4 sounded itsy bitsy shrill in the elevated portions of ‘Dawn of the Iconoclast’ by Dead Can Dance. The opening drum sequence and percussion in the same track sounded weaker on the OnePlus earbuds, but had some weight in the Realme earbuds’ presentation.
That said, all these differences aren’t large enough to take away from the overall listening experience, and for casual listeners switching between genres, the Nord Buds 4 deliver a warm and enjoyable sound signature.
By the way, I tried all of these with the Balanced (default) EQ preset with BassWave feature disabled. The latter dynamically boosts bass in tracks. Within the HeyMelody companion app, you can enable Gaming mode for low latency in fast-paced titles. We’ll talk more about this app later. So, all in all, you have options to tweak the sound to some extent, which is good.
Also Read: Realme Buds Air 8 Pro review: Expressive and easy to recommend
The Nord Buds 4 with its 52dB ANC ceiling, can reduce the background noises, be it office chatter, clacking of keyboard keys, traffic noises, AC, fan and vacuum cleaner noises to a great extent. But the Realme Buds Air 8 offers a marginally better cancellation up to 55dB, which is noticeable if you really pay attention.
So, the noise doesn’t vanish completely, but it becomes far less distracting. As for the various ANC modes available, the High mode offers more aggressive noise cancellation, and the Moderate mode was also effective in cancelling most of the noises and was slightly less overpowering.
Transparency mode is suitable for brief conversations or hearing announcements without removing the earbuds. Voices sound normal, but you can feel there is a thin sieve in between. Considering the price, I can’t complain, but the Realme Buds Air 8 does a better job here, too. Realme gives a voice enhancement option as well.
Besides noise handling, the mics on the Nord Buds 4 earbuds do a good job for calls. OnePlus underlines the use of AI to enhance clarity.
Like the OnePlus Nord Buds 4 Pro, the standard model also delivers a day-long battery life. During my testing, with ANC off and music (FLAC format) continuously playing at 80 per cent volume, the Nord Buds 4 ran for 11 hours and 12 minutes. And so in everyday use, it is but obvious that I never actually managed to drain them completely in a single working day. The total playback with ANC off can go up to 54 hours, as per OnePlus’s claims.
And with ANC on, at 50 per cent volume, the brand says the earbuds will last for 6.5 hours and with the case, they can last as long as 27 hours. Your mileage may vary.
Even if it drops dead, the fast charging support is very useful. After the battery drain test, I plugged them in for some time, and when I checked them, the earbuds had regained 90 per cent health. The Nord Buds 4 is said to take 55 minutes to fully charge, and the case takes another half an hour.
The pairing was straightforward and quick. The OnePlus Nord Buds 4 supports Google Fast Pair and Microsoft Swift Pair.
After pairing, you will need the HeyMelody app for controlling the rest of the experience. This app shares the same simple design philosophy as the earbuds’ design. It offers two screens. The main screen shows the remaining battery life and has noise control, dual connection, equaliser, game mode, etc. The second screen offers touch controls, with plenty of customisable gestures for both the left and right earbuds. The earbuds also give Spotify Tap, which lets you quickly launch the streaming app. Since I primarily use Spotify, I liked this integration.
You can configure tap gestures to trigger an AI assistant, and there’s also an AI-powered translation feature. These are nice to have.
If you simply compare specifications, the OnePlus Nord Buds 4 don’t always come out on top. The Realme Buds Air 8 also edges ahead in areas such as sound detail, transparency mode and active noise cancellation. However, that doesn’t mean the Nord Buds 4 is bad.
I had a comfortable experience using it over the past week. This includes the lightweight build of the earbuds, the compactness of the case, the comely finish of the earbuds and case, reliable battery life, dependable call quality, a breadth of touch controls, and a simple-to-use yet feature-rich HeyMelody app. The sound signature is also easy to listen to across different genres. Even here, you get customisation options so that you can choose based on your taste.
That matter of taste is what makes you choose between the Realme Buds Air 8 and the OnePlus Nord Buds 4. Listeners who enjoy picking apart every layer in a song may prefer the Realme Buds Air 8. Realme also offers a more aggressive noise cancellation and transparency mode. The differences are meagre, though, and if you are a casual listener, you would enjoy the OnePlus earbuds’ sound too.
And that brings us back to the question posed at the beginning of this review. When almost every pair of earbuds under Rs 4,000 promises the same features, what really matters is how those features come together in everyday use. The OnePlus Nord Buds 4 may not win every technical comparison, but they are comfortable, reliable, feature-rich and consistently enjoyable to use. So, at Rs 3299, you can consider them as your next TWS earbuds if you like a warmer and more relaxed sound profile.
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Also Read: Huawei FreeBuds SE 4 review: Should you buy these TWS earbuds under Rs 6000?