OnePlus Nord Buds 4 Review: Not the Best Value at This Price

Quick Verdict

The OnePlus Nord Buds 4 at ₹3,199 is a solid pair of earbuds — 52dB ANC, 54-hour total battery, Bluetooth 6.1, 47ms gaming mode, and OnePlus’s signature bass-heavy tuning that hits like a small subwoofer in your ears. Comfortable 4.3g fit, IP55 rated, and the Astral Teal colour genuinely stands out. But here’s what I found in 7 days of testing: it’s 95% identical to the Oppo Enco Air 5 (same product, different brand), and three earbuds at similar or lower price offer better sound quality with Hi-Res codec support. If you specifically want a bass-heavy earbud and use a OnePlus phone, this makes sense. For everyone else, better options exist.

Rating: 7.5/10

Buy the Nord Buds 4 if: You’re a bass lover with a OnePlus phone and want tight ecosystem integration. Skip it if: You care about Hi-Res audio, balanced sound signature, or maximum value for money.

Nord Buds 4 Specifications

Design and Comfort: Same Formula, Different Case

The Astral Teal variant is what I got, and this colour is genuinely unique in a segment drowning in black-and-white options. Slightly muted, a touch metallic, and it stands out without being loud. Multiple people at my chai spot noticed and asked about it.

The case is squarish with rounded corners — thinner than the Enco Air 5’s oval case, and it slides into jeans pockets more comfortably. Matte finish, small front LED, satisfying magnetic close. Nothing about the build feels cheap.

Each bud weighs 4.3g, and the shape is straight-up borrowed from the Oppo Enco Air 5, Nord Buds 4 Pro, and Enco Air 5 Pro. That’s not a criticism — this is one of the most comfortable earbud shapes in the budget segment, and OnePlus rightly kept it. I wore them through a 4-hour work session, a 40-minute walk, and a gym session. No fatigue, no fit issues, no readjustment needed.

IP55 rating covers dust, sweat, and light rain. Fine for gym, cycling, running, and monsoon commutes. The case doesn’t have an IP rating (standard for this price).

One quality-of-life miss: No volume swipe control on the stem. Touch gestures don’t include volume either. You have to reach for your phone. OnePlus saved swipe controls for the Pro variant, and it’s the one design decision I disagreed with — even the Realme T500 Pro at ₹2,799 has volume swipes.

Sound Quality: Built for Bass, Everything Else Follows

Let me be direct — this is a bass earbud. The default tuning is OnePlus’s signature bass-forward signature that Nord Buds 2 and 3 also had, and it’s back with a slight refinement.

Bass: Deep, punchy, and pushes hard. Bollywood tracks with heavy production (think anything from 2020 onwards), Punjabi music (Sidhu Moose Wala, Diljit, AP Dhillon), EDM, and hip-hop absolutely thrive on this tuning. The kick drums in Alan Walker tracks have real weight. Sub-bass extension is genuinely impressive at this price.

Vocals: Clear, positioned slightly forward, but here’s the honest part — when the bass gets busy, mid-range detail thins out. In tracks like “Kesariya,” you can hear the vocal texture flatten during the bass-heavy sections. Not a dealbreaker, but audiophiles will notice.

Treble: Smooth, non-fatiguing, and never harsh. This is a genuine strength for long listening sessions. Cymbal work doesn’t shimmer like it does on the Realme Buds Air 8, but you also won’t be reaching to turn the volume down after two hours.

Soundstage: Narrower than what the older OnePlus Buds Pro or Nord Buds 3 offered. Every brand has moved toward this closed, bass-forward tuning at the budget end, and Nord Buds 4 is squarely in that pack.

The HeyMelody app gives you three EQ presets — Ultimate Sound (default, bass-heavy), Pure Vocals (my preferred for podcasts and dialogue-heavy content), and Thundering Bass (if the default wasn’t enough for you). Plus a 10-band custom EQ if you want to build your own signature.

The one real audio miss: No LHDC, no LDAC support. AAC and SBC only. If you’re on any current mid-range or flagship Android that supports Hi-Res codecs, you’re leaving audio quality on the table. This is where the price starts feeling questionable — I’ll cover the alternatives below.

ANC: Solid for the Price

52dB claimed, and real-world performance holds up for the segment. Ceiling fan, air conditioner, general office chatter — cut down to around 30% of the original volume. Traffic drone on two-wheeler rides — noticeably softened. Metro engine noise — cuts the low frequencies but announcements and sudden loud sounds still leak through.

This is standard behaviour for the sub-₹5,000 segment. Anyone promising you 55dB+ real-world cancellation at this price is selling marketing, not truth.

Four ANC levels with an Auto mode that actually reads the environment reasonably well. Not perfect, but noticeably better than what Nord Buds 3 offered last year. Transparency mode works but compresses voices slightly — you can hear people talking, but it doesn’t sound completely natural.

Call Quality: Genuinely Improved Over Nord Buds 3

Six mics with AI ENC, and OnePlus claims wind resistance up to 25 km/h (5 km/h more than the Enco Air 5). In practice, this is where Nord Buds 4 gets an edge.

Indoor calls: Clean, warm voice pickup with almost no background noise. Zoom, Google Meet, WhatsApp video — all fine, no callers complained.

Outdoor calls: Handles moderate wind and traffic well. Push into a busy main road with lots of horns, and your voice starts to sound compressed to the person on the other end. This is a segment-wide limitation, not a Nord Buds 4-specific flaw.

For daily calls, video meetings, and general phone use, this is one of the better mic performers under ₹3,500. Genuinely impressed here.

Battery: Nothing to Complain About

My real-world numbers from a week of daily use:

• ANC off, 50-60% volume: 7-8 hours per charge
• ANC on, 50-60% volume: 5-6 hours per charge
• Case + buds total (mixed use): 35-40 hours actual, versus OnePlus’s 54-hour claim

That claim assumes ANC-off, low-volume usage — real numbers are lower for everyone, not just Nord Buds 4. Fast charging is genuine: 10 minutes on the case gave me around 11 hours of playback. Case charges fully in about 90 minutes via USB-C. No wireless charging.

Battery life across the buds and case is enough for a week of daily commutes and calls before I needed to plug the case back in. That’s the benchmark I care about.

Gaming: 47ms Latency Mode Works

Enable the low-latency mode in the HeyMelody app, and BGMI, Free Fire, and Call of Duty Mobile all play with no perceivable audio-video delay. I tested across multiple 30-minute sessions and didn’t miss a footstep cue or shot register.

Game Sound Spatial Audio is the feature worth noting here. Enable this and enemy footstep direction becomes clearly audible — left, right, behind. This was a Nord Buds 4 Pro exclusive at launch and has now trickled down to the base model. Genuinely useful for competitive mobile FPS players.

The bass-heavy tuning also plays nicely with gaming — explosions and gunfire have real weight and punch.

The Oppo Enco Air 5 Question: Same Product?

OPPO Enco Air 5 Review

Here’s the elephant in the room. OnePlus Nord Buds 4 and Oppo Enco Air 5 are 95% the same product.

Both launched within one week of each other. Both priced at ₹3,299. Both use the same 12mm titanium driver, 52dB ANC, 54-hour battery, Bluetooth 6.1, IP55, six-mic setup, and the same HeyMelody app. Both come from BBK Electronics, the parent company of Oppo, OnePlus, Realme, and Vivo.

The two real differences:

1. Case shape. Nord Buds 4 is squarish. Enco Air 5 is oval. That’s it.
2. Default sound tuning. Nord Buds 4 defaults to bass-heavy. Enco Air 5 defaults to balanced.

But since both use HeyMelody, you can EQ your way to matching the other’s sound signature in five minutes. There’s no meaningful reason to compare these two beyond preference for case shape, colour, or ecosystem loyalty. Pick whichever brand matches your phone or aesthetic preference.

What You Should Actually Consider Instead

This is the section that matters. The Nord Buds 4 is decent, but at ₹3,299 it faces real competition. Here’s the honest breakdown of what else exists.

CMF Buds 2 Plus (₹2,599 – ₹2,799)

CMF Buds 2 Plus Review

Nothing’s budget sub-brand, and the sound quality alone justifies the pick. LDAC codec + Hi-Res audio certification + 12mm LCP driver + 50dB hybrid ANC + 61.5 hours total battery (longest in this segment).

Nothing X app is genuinely better designed than HeyMelody. ChatGPT tap integration if you use it. Personal Sound hearing profile setup adds a nice touch. Sound is cleaner, more natural, and better detailed — closer to what audio-focused listeners want.

Downside: Cheap ear tips (you’ll want to swap them), Bluetooth 5.4 (versus 6.1 on Nord Buds 4, but real-world you won’t feel it), and the default fit takes some adjusting.

Verdict: Better sound, longer battery, LDAC codec, cheaper. If you don’t specifically want the bass tuning of Nord Buds 4, this is the smarter buy.

Realme Buds T500 Pro (₹2,599 – ₹2,799)

Realme Buds T500 Pro Review

LHDC 5.0 codec + Hi-Res certified + 12.4mm titanium driver + 50dB ANC + 56-hour total battery + triple-device connectivity (Nord Buds 4 only does dual).

Sound signature is honestly close to Nord Buds 4 — turn on Bass Boost in the Realme Link app and you get similar feel. But LHDC support means better detail retention in the bass region and cleaner mids.

Nord Buds 4 wins slightly on ANC and mic quality, but the gap is 15-20% at best. For ₹500 saved, that’s a trade most buyers should take.

Verdict: Nearly identical sound with Hi-Res codec support for ₹500 less. Best budget pick if you want the Nord Buds 4 tuning without paying full price.

Moto Buds 2 (₹2,799-2,999) — The Dual-Driver Surprise

This is the one I’m recommending more actively than most reviewers. Dual driver setup + LHDC Hi-Res support + 55dB ANC. Rare feature combination at this price.

The dual driver handles bass and mids separately, which means you get high bass without the mid-range compromise that hurts single-driver bass earbuds like the Nord Buds 4. Audio detail is noticeably cleaner. If you want bass-heavy sound but also want to hear the vocals clearly, Moto Buds 2 delivers what Nord Buds 4 promises but can’t quite achieve.

The app experience is less polished than HeyMelody or Nothing X, and Motorola’s ecosystem features are minimal. But pure audio-per-rupee, this is genuinely underrated.

Verdict: My personal recommendation for anyone who wants bass without sacrificing detail. Dual driver + LHDC at this price is remarkable value.

Realme Buds Air 8 (₹3,499 – ₹3,899) — The One I’d Actually Buy

Realme Buds Air 8 Review

If you can stretch by ₹300-500 more, this is where your money should go. I gave it 8.5/10 in my full review earlier this year, and nothing since has changed that ranking.

The Air 8 offers:

• Dual driver setup: 11mm woofer + 6mm micro-planar tweeter
• Dual DAC processing
• 55dB ANC — highest in this segment
• Both LHDC 5.0 and LDAC codecs — the only earbud here with both
• 58-hour total battery
• Triple-device connectivity
• AI Translator working across 30+ languages regardless of phone brand

At ₹3,599 (sale prices drop it to ₹3,299 occasionally), it beats the Nord Buds 4, Enco Air 5, both Nord Buds 4 Pro and Enco Air 5 Pro on paper and in real testing. Bass is punchy, mids are clean, treble sparkles. Soundstage is wider than anything else in this bracket.

Verdict: Best value TWS under ₹5,000 in 2026. Full stop. If ₹500 more is doable, this is the answer.

Should You Upgrade to the Nord Buds 4 Pro?

Short answer: only if your phone supports LHDC and you specifically want the OnePlus ecosystem.

Longer answer:

OnePlus Nord Buds 4 Pro (₹3,680-3,999)

OnePlus Nord Buds 4 Pro Review

Adds 55dB TÜV Rheinland certified ANC, LHDC 5.0 codec, Hi-Res Audio certification, Bluetooth 6.0 (yes, older than base Nord Buds 4’s 6.1), and volume swipe control on the stem. The sound tuning is broadly similar to the base Nord Buds 4 — same bass-forward signature — but LHDC support means detail retention improves noticeably.

For roughly ₹500 extra, you get meaningful upgrades if you have an LHDC-compatible phone (most current OnePlus, Oppo, Realme, and Xiaomi devices support it). The volume swipe alone is worth the price bump for daily convenience.

But here’s the honest position I have to take: the Realme Buds Air 8 costs ₹100 less than the Nord Buds 4 Pro and offers a dual driver setup, dual DAC, and both LHDC and LDAC codecs. Unless you’re locked into the OnePlus ecosystem specifically, the Air 8 is the smarter buy at the ₹3,600-3,700 price point.

If you’re specifically a OnePlus phone user and want the OxygenOS integration (250m range, direct Bluetooth settings, no app switching), then Nord Buds 4 Pro makes sense. Otherwise, Air 8.

Who Should Actually Buy the Nord Buds 4

Not everyone. Here are the three buyer profiles this earbud genuinely serves:

1. You use a OnePlus phone and want ecosystem integration. Smart Bluetooth (250m range in open environments), direct Bluetooth settings without needing HeyMelody, and OxygenOS-specific features like the AI Translate integration all work smoothly on OnePlus devices. If you’re not on OnePlus, you’re missing half the value proposition.
2. You’re a committed bass lover. OnePlus’s default tuning is unapologetically bass-forward. If you listen to Bollywood, Punjabi, EDM, hip-hop, or rap primarily, and you want that gut-punch feeling, Nord Buds 4 delivers it better than the Enco Air 5’s balanced tuning or the CMF Buds 2 Plus’s cleaner signature.
3. You want the Astral Teal colour specifically. Sounds silly, but this colour is genuinely one of the few options in this segment that doesn’t look like every other TWS. If aesthetics matter to you, this is a legitimate reason to pick Nord Buds 4 over alternatives.

For everyone else, one of the four alternatives above will serve you better.

The Bottom Line

The OnePlus Nord Buds 4 is a well-executed budget earbud. Nothing about it is bad. Bass-heavy tuning that actually delivers on the promise, decent ANC, solid battery, comfortable fit, and reliable mic performance. The 47ms gaming mode with 3D Spatial Audio is a genuine bonus that base models rarely include.

But value in 2026 is a competitive game. At ₹3,299, the Nord Buds 4 faces two earbuds that cost ₹300-500 less and offer Hi-Res codec support (CMF Buds 2 Plus, Realme T500 Pro), one earbud at the same price that adds dual drivers plus LHDC (Moto Buds 2), and one earbud ₹300-500 more expensive that outclasses everything in the segment (Realme Buds Air 8).

Buy the Nord Buds 4 if you want the specific bass-heavy signature and OnePlus ecosystem. Buy the Moto Buds 2 if you want the bass without the mid-range compromise. Buy the CMF Buds 2 Plus if you want clean, natural sound. Buy the Realme Buds Air 8 if you can stretch the budget by ₹500 and want the best overall product.

The Nord Buds 4 isn’t a bad choice. It’s just no longer the obvious one.

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