The Galaxy Buds Pro have been the go-to recommendation for many Android smartphone users (especially Galaxy device owners) who want truly wireless earbuds with ANC, compact design, good audio quality, and long battery life. However, OnePlus is challenging the Galaxy Buds Pro with the OnePlus Buds Pro, the company's first ‘Pro'-grade truly wireless earbuds.
The OnePlus Buds Pro were unveiled a few days ago alongside the OnePlus Nord 2 5G. These new truly wireless earbuds use 11mm dynamic drivers that claim to offer powerful audio with rich bass. They have an in-ear canal design for noise isolation. They use a Bluetooth 5.2 chip that supports SBC, AAC, and LHDC audio codecs. LHDC (Low Latency High-Definition Audio Codec) is similar to Sony's LDAC and allows a bitrate of up to 990Kbps. LHDC has Hi-Res Audio certification for better audio quality compared to AAC and aptX. OnePlus says the audio latency of its Buds Pro is 94ms, which is higher than that of the Galaxy Buds Pro's 50ms.
Similar to the Galaxy Buds Pro, the OnePlus Buds Pro have three microphones on each earbud for ANC (Active Noise Cancellation) capabilities to reduce background noise while listening to music and during voice calls. There is a transparency mode as well, similar to Galaxy Buds Pro's Ambient Sound feature. They have an IP55 rating for dust and sweat resistance. Zen Mode Air can be used for listening to relaxing sounds. Android and iOS smartphone users can use the HeyMelody app for customizing controls, audio tuning, checking the battery level, and updating the firmware.
They have a total battery life of up to 38 hours, as per OnePlus' claims. The earbuds can last up to 7 hours with ANC turned off and up to 5 hours with ANC turned on with a single charge. That's longer than what the Galaxy Buds Pro offer. They also feature OnePlus' Warp Charge feature that helps them last up to 10 hours with just 10 minutes of charging. The charging case supports Qi wireless charging and has a USB Type-C port.
The OnePlus Buds Pro seem to offer higher bitrate audio, a newer Bluetooth version (that could support a more modern LC3 codec), faster charging, and longer battery life when compared to the Galaxy Buds Pro. Moreover, they are priced at just $150, which undercuts the Galaxy Buds Pro's price by $20 and is similar to the upcoming Galaxy Buds 2. However, it remains to be seen if the OnePlus Buds Pro can match the audio quality of the Galaxy Buds Pro's dual-driver setup as well as their ANC performance and voice call quality.
Would you buy the OnePlus Buds Pro over the Galaxy Buds 2 and the Galaxy Buds Pro? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
