The OnePlus Buds 3 are wallet-friendly buds equipped with active noise cancelling (ANC) technology. Included in their repertoire is LHDC support, which is a codec designed for streaming Hi-Res Audio. There have also been a couple of small tweaks in performance compared to their predecessors. We check in to see if they're on par with competitors like the Anker Soundcore Liberty 4 NC Truly Wireless or Nothing Ear (2).
Our Verdict
The OnePlus Buds 3 are great for sports and fitness. These portable, lightweight, and comfortable buds have a stable fit despite lacking stability fins, so they won't fall out while you're running or working out. They're also certified IP55 for resistance against dust and direct water contact, so getting caught in the rain won't damage them.
- Comfortable and stable in-ear fit.
- IP55 rating.
- Graphic EQ and presets available.
- No play/pause controls by default.
The OnePlus Buds 3 are good for commuting and traveling. Thanks to their ANC system, they can block out a good amount of sound around you, from the rumbles of bus and plane engines to passenger chit-chat. They last nearly seven hours with their ANC on, too, and if you need more battery life, you can pop them back into the case, which has four extra charges. The buds have a comfortable fit and are pretty portable, so you can easily put them into most pockets and bags on the go.
- Good overall noise isolation performance.
- Comfortable and stable in-ear fit.
- Graphic EQ and presets available.
- No play/pause controls by default.
The OnePlus Buds 3 are decent for office use. These comfortable buds are equipped with ANC to help reduce chatty coworkers and clacking keyboards. Even with the ANC on, they last shy of seven hours continuously, but their carrying case supplies an additional four charges in a pinch. They also support multi-device pairing, so you can simultaneously stay connected with your work PC and smartphone. On the downside, if you need to make calls, their mic has mediocre recording quality, so you don't sound very full-bodied.
- Good overall noise isolation performance.
- Comfortable and stable in-ear fit.
- Support multi-device pairing.
- Graphic EQ and presets available.
- No play/pause controls by default.
- Passable mic recording quality.
The OnePlus Buds 3 are Bluetooth headphones, and their latency is quite high, so you'll experience high lip-sync mismatch, which can interrupt your gameplay. While they have a low-latency Game Mode, the manufacturer advertises audio lag to fall just under 100 ms with a OnePlus device, which is still high enough to cause a slight mismatch that could be especially noticeable if you're gaming with others.
The OnePlus Buds 3 are truly wireless buds; you can't use them wired.
The OnePlus Buds 3 are decent for audio reproduction accuracy. Their peaks and dips show that, for the most part, they reproduce your audio smoothly, albeit with select treble frequencies that can jump out in the mix. Their stereo matching is also good, though there's a slight shift in the mids between the L/R that careful listeners may notice during playback. They're tuned with a prominent bass emphasis, which doesn't align with our target, but the mids and treble more closely follow our curve. Their low harmonic distortion also means there's no audible coloration of your audio, even if you crank your volume to unsafe levels.
The OnePlus Buds 3 are good for noise isolation. Their full-range noise isolation is very good, ensuring that, between the ANC and the passive isolation provided by a solid fit, they effectively attenuate across the various tested frequencies. Depending on the situation, however, their noise isolation is somewhat weaker in common scenarios, particularly in the mid-range.
The OnePlus Buds 3 are decent for microphone use. Their mic sounds okay and captures your voice as sounding intelligible enough for calls. The mic system also does a good job of handling background noises, so the other person on the call can hear you without interruptions from your environment.
The OnePlus Buds 3 have superb frequency response consistency. Typically, earbuds do well in this regard, and these are no exception. Between sessions, they can sound a bit different in the treble range, but overall, they sound very consistent.
Performance Usages
Changelog
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Updated Mar 25, 2026:
This review has been updated to Test Bench 2.1, which removes the Group Delay test and rebalances scoring for the Harmonic Distortion test and Audio Reproduction Accuracy performance usage. For more details, consult our full changelog.
- Updated Mar 24, 2026: We've converted this review to Test Bench 2.1, which features minor updates to our sound tests.
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Updated Dec 17, 2025:
This review has been updated to Test Bench 2.0, which adds the following tests: Stereo Mismatch, Group Delay, Cumulative Spectral Decay, PRTF, Harmonic Distortion, and Electrical Aspects. We've added new performance usages and updated the text throughout the Sound tests.
- Updated Dec 15, 2025: We've converted this review to Test Bench 2.0, which updates our sound tests and performance usages. You can read more about this in our changelog.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
The OnePlus Buds 3 come in two color variants: 'Metallic Gray' and 'Splendid Blue.' We tested the 'Metallic Gray' variant, and you can see our model's label here. If you encounter another variant of these headphones, please let us know in the comments, and we'll update our review.
Popular Headphones Comparisons
In many ways, the OnePlus Buds 3 offer a similar performance to their audio-centric sibling, the OnePlus Buds Pro 2. They have a similar fit and feel, their companion app offers sound customization, and they support LHDC for Hi-Res Audio. However, there are a couple of differences. The third generation's ANC can block out more bass-range noise like rumbly plane engines, and their mic offers better overall performance. They also have a more excited sound profile, which can be ideal if you're looking for thumpy, boomy bass and sparkly vocals and instruments. If you're looking for a more neutral sound, you're better off checking out the Nothing Ear (2), which have a flatter sound out of the box.
If you're looking for more headphones, check out our recommendations for the best wireless Bluetooth earbuds, the best wireless earbuds for Android, and the best noise cancelling earbuds.
Choosing between the Nothing Ear and the OnePlus Buds 3 is a tight race, though the Nothing just about shade it. The Nothing have a longer continuous battery life and an IP rating for the buds and case, as opposed to just the buds on the OnePlus. Both have capable apps with EQ and support multi-device pairing, though the Nothing support LDAC in addition to the same SBC, AAC, and LHDC codecs on the OnePlus. That said, for many folks, the choice can probably come down to experiential preferences, such as whether you prefer pinch controls on the Nothing or touch commands on the OnePlus.
In many ways, the OnePlus Buds 3 offer a comparable performance to their sibling, the OnePlus Buds Pro 2. Both buds are comfortable and well-built, support multi-device pairing, and support LHDC for higher-quality audio via Bluetooth. The third-gen model does offer a couple of additional benefits, though. They have a better noise isolation performance, particularly in the bass range, where you can find sounds like traffic. You can access different ANC modes and presets in the companion app. Their integrated mic also offers a better overall performance, and overall, they have a higher total battery life. That said, the Pro 2 model has a more neutral sound, which some users may prefer, and their carrying case supports wireless charging.
The Anker Soundcore Liberty 4 NC Truly Wireless and the OnePlus Buds 3 are found in the same wallet-friendly price bracket. In some ways, they have a similar performance. Both headphones have comfortable and well-built designs, and sound profile customization options in their respective companion apps. That said, the Anker have a better overall noise isolation performance and longer continuous battery life, while the OnePlus' integrated mic can capture your voice more clearly, even in noisy environments.
The OnePlus Buds 3 and the Nothing Ear (2) have slightly different strengths, so either could be right for you, depending on your needs. While both buds are similarly comfortable and support LHDC codec for streaming Hi-Res audio, the OnePlus have better overall noise isolation and battery performance, which is particularly handy if you're always on the go. That said, the Nothing have a flatter, more neutral sound, which some users may prefer, and their mic offers a slightly better overall performance. They're also better-built and their carrying case also supports wireless charging.
Our How We Test Headphones article takes you behind the scenes in our lab. You'll learn how we choose and purchase products and dive into the details of our review philosophy, from testing and scoring to writing and editing.
You can also discover how we produce recommendations like this one so that you can find the best headphones (or earbuds!) for your needs.
Test Results
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