Everyday, there seems to be a new pair of true wireless earbuds getting released. The OnePlus Buds Pro are the latest from the Chinese manufacturer and they come with features and performance that allow them to compete with the best in the market. In this article, we’ll be comparing them against one of the most popular pairs of ANC earbuds—the AirPods Pro. Can they hold their own against the immensely popular Apple earbuds? Here is our OnePlus Buds Pro review and comparison against the AirPods Pro, starting with a comparison chart highlighting their differences.
OnePlus Buds Pro vs AirPods Pro Comparison Chart
| Model | OnePlus Buds Pro | AirPods Pro |
 |  | |
| Price | Check Price at Amazon | Check Price at Amazon |
| Size & Weight | 1.26 x 0.9 inches (buds) 2.36 x 1.92 x 0.98 inches (case) 0.1lbs (case) | 1.22 x 0.86 inches (buds) 1.8 x 2.39 x 0.85 inches (case) 0.1lbs (case) |
| IP Rating | IP55 (buds) IPX4 (case) | IPX4 |
| ANC | Smart adaptive noise cancellation | Active noise cancellation |
| Transparency Mode | Yes | Yes |
| Bluetooth Version | 5.2 | 5.0 |
| Battery | 5 hours ANC on 7 hours ANC off Up to 38 hours total with case | 4.5 hours ANC on 5 hours ANC off Up to 24 hours total with case |
| Charging | Qi wireless USB-C Warp charge – 10 minutes for 10 hours playback | MagSafe wireless Qi wireless Lightning to USB-C Fast charge – 5 minutes for 1 hour playback |
| Colors | Matte Black, Glossy White | White |
| What’s Included | OnePlus Buds Pro Charging case Ear tip (S, M, L) USB-C cable | AirPods Pro MagSafe charging case Ear tips (S, M, L) Lightning to USB-C cable |
Design
They have the same design, but the OnePlus Buds Pro are dust and water resistant, whereas the AirPods Pro are only water resistant.
These earbuds have a similar form factor that feature stems which the AirPods popularized. Both of them have a sleek and modern look, and as to which pair looks more premium, that will depend on your preference. The OnePlus Buds Pro come in two color options—matte black and glossy white. Both color options have a two-tone design that features plated aluminum stems. On the other hand, the AirPods Pro are only available in white with black accents.
When it comes to comfort, both are quite good. Their designs allow them to sit on your ears, with the help of the stems, so they don’t need to go in too deep into your ear canals. You can wear both of them for extended periods without feeling discomfort. Also, both earbuds have three ear tip sizes to choose from so that you’ll get the best fit.
As for durability, both are made of plastic, so you’ll need to be wary of dropping them from a considerable height since they might get cracked. The OnePlus Buds Pro earbuds have an IP55 rating for dust and water resistance while the case has an IPX4 rating. The
Features
The OnePlus Buds Pro have better noise cancelling, but the AirPods Pro have more exclusive features.
Right off the bat, the OnePlus Buds Pro are better than the AirPods Pro when it comes to active noise cancellation. They can lower surrounding noise by up to 40 decibels, which is very good. The AirPods Pro, in comparison, perform slightly worse than that, but they are still good. Both earbuds can limit low and mid frequency noise, but like other ANC earbuds, they struggle with high frequency sounds. Their transparency modes are comparable in that they can amplify surrounding noise for better awareness.
When it comes to controls, the two earbuds are quite similar. They are both touch sensitive and they are very responsive. You won’t have an issue with missed inputs on either earbuds. However, one advantage of the AirPods Pro here is their “Hey Siri” voice activation. You also get voice assistant support on the OnePlus Buds Pro, but they don’t support hands-free voice activation.
While the OnePlus Buds Pro have better ANC, the AirPods Pro beat them in sheer number of exclusive features. Features such as Spatial audio with dynamic head tracking, adaptive EQ and audio sharing are just some of the exclusive ones that you’ll only get with the AirPods Pro since they are tied-in with Apple’s H1 chip.
Sound
The AirPods Pro are more suitable for voice and video calls due to their mic’s superior performance.
The OnePlus Buds Pro have a slightly V-shaped sound, where the bass and the treble are overemphasized and the mids are pushed back. This results in a sound that’s exciting since you’ll hear the details in the high frequency range and there is plenty of rumble and thump in the low frequency. However, this can also be quite tiring since the bass can get overwhelming and in case of bad mixes, the highs can sound harsh and piercing.
In contrast, the
Call quality is where the AirPods Pro have the clear advantage over the OnePlus Buds Pro. The earbuds are equipped with beamforming microphones that can minimize background noise so that you and the other person on the line can hear each other without problem. The wind resistance is also very good on these earbuds. On the other hand, the OnePlus Buds Pro are just okay in this department. They are not terrible, but they don’t block out external sounds as well as the AirPods Pro.
Battery
The OnePlus Buds Pro have a longer battery life than the AirPods Pro.
Battery life is not something that these two earbuds excel at. That said, the OnePlus Buds Pro have the advantage here since they can last slightly longer than the AirPods Pro. They have a battery life of up to 5 hours with noise cancelling enabled and up to 7 hours without those features. The OnePlus Buds Pro case gives you 30+ hours more. Meanwhile, the AirPods Pro have a battery life of up to 4.5 hours with ANC on and up to 5 hours without. The case gives you four more charges for a total 24 hours. Talk time is similar with these two earbuds at around 3-3.5 hours.
When it comes to charging, the OnePlus Buds Pro have a feature called Warp Charging. This features gives you 10 hours of music playback for 10 minutes of charging, which is quite impressive. The AirPods Pro have a similar feature, but theirs’ is a 1 hour playback for 5 minutes of charging. Both of these earbuds support wireless charging—Qi wireless on the OnePlus Buds Pro, and MagSafe and Qi wireless on the AirPods Pro.
Verdict
These earbuds shine in different areas.
The OnePlus Buds Pro are better than the AirPods Pro when it comes to design (durability), active noise cancellation performance and battery life. On the other hand, the AirPods Pro sound slightly better, have better mic performance and they have more exclusive features (and more to come with iOS updates).
FAQs
August 2021.
They are priced $149.99 when they were released.
Yes, they have a decent sound profile, they are priced reasonably and they come with many features that a lot of people will love.
Yes, but there are features that you won’t have access to since these earbuds are designed first and foremost for Apple devices.