If you frown at the idea of spending a five-digit amount on good wireless earbuds, then, my friend, the new Nord Buds 3 Pro may be for you.
They are priced pretty well at ₹3,299, and offer a competitive set of features.
So, should you buy them? Also, how do they compare to the recently-launched CMF Buds Pro 2? let's find out.
Nord Buds 3 Pro Design & Comfort
Let’s kick things off with the design and ergonomics.
The case of the Nord Buds 3 Pro looks suspiciously like an Oppo Enco device, and that’s not a coincidence. These buds are basically rebranded Enco Air 4 Pro, so I wonder why they are coming to India wearing the OnePlus brand instead of Oppo.
That being said, the plastic quality of the case here is fantastic, even though I’m not a big fan of this dual-tone colour treatment.
Also, the Nord Buds’ case is a lot more portable and it passes the coin pocket test, which the CMF case fails badly.
CMFs come with a square-shared charging case which has become a Nothing design characteristic of late.
The case feels nice to hold thanks to its soft touch matt finish, but, the real standout feature of this case is this rotary dial. It not only gives a distinct personality to this case, but it’s also functional, and we’ll talk about its functionality a little later.
Also, if you just want to use it as a fidget toy, you can disable its functionality and do that too. However, this dial on my review unit was a bit loose.
Moving on, both earbuds come with the stem design which was pioneered by Airpods. The CMFs have a matt & glossy combination, while the Nord Buds have an A-shaped stem that’s thicker at the bottom.
In-ear fit was secure on both earbuds, but I did find the CMFs to be a lot more comfortable during extended wearing sessions.
Both buds have an IP55 rating as well.
Nord Buds 3 Pro Connectivity
In terms of connectivity, The CMF Buds Pro 2 come with Bluetooth 5.3, while the Nord Buds have Bluetooth 5.4. Dual connection is also available on both devices.
However, only the CMFs have LDAC support, Nord Buds 3 Pro only support SBC and AAC codecs.
The CMFs connect to your phone via the Nothing X app, which is one of the easiest to use companion apps out there. It is available on both Android and iOS.
For the Nord Buds 3 Pro, you will need to download the Hey Melody app. It works quite well with Android, but has a really bad reputation on iOS.
As far as controls are concerned, both earbuds use customisable tap gestures, which I’m not a big fan of. Frankly, squeeze-based controls should be standard on earbuds with stems because they are a lot more intuitive.
This is where the CMF buds try to do things differently. You can rotate that clicky wheel to adjust the volume of the buds, and it also supports multiple click gestures for various other functions.
Now I know that keeping the case in your hand all the time does not sound very practical, but still, using a physical wheel over annoying tap controls is so satisfying that it’s totally worth a shot.
Anyway, both earbuds thankfully have wear detection, which is always very handy.
Nord Buds 3 Pro Audio & Call Quality
Now, let's talk about sound, and spoiler alert, Oppo’s sound mastery shines through the Nord Buds 3 Pro, even though they are OnePlus-branded.
Out of the box, both earbuds have a bass-heavy sound tuning, which is to be expected in this price range. However, the Nord Buds 3 Pros still manage to keep the mids and highs quite clear, while the CMFs muffle the mids quite a bit.
However, the Nord Buds take a clear lead when it comes to customising the sound.
You see, in addition to presets, the HeyMelody app has a proper 6-band equaliser which gives you a better control over the sound tuning.
The Nothing X app, on the other hand, has this customisation wheel for bass, mids and highs. It is quite easy to use, but it makes the audio tuning less versatile. In fact, when I tried to lift the mids, they ended up sounding quite shrill.
According to me, the best sound signature on the CMF buds is this Dirac Opteo setting. It does not work with LHDC, but I still liked it over everything else.
Anyway, both these earbuds also have environmental noise cancelling for calls. But, neither of them sound very impressive.
Nord Buds 3 Pro ANC
Active Noise cancellation is a key feature of these two earbuds. The CMFs can block out sounds up to 50 dB, while the Nord Buds 3 Pro can handle up to 49 dB.
In my experience, both earbuds performed similarly in noise cancellation, but the CMFs were much more comfortable.
The Nord Buds 3 Pro, like other Oppo Enco earbuds, create a suction in your ears when ANC is on, leading to ear fatigue. The CMFs don't have this problem.
On the other hand, the transparency mode on both earbuds sounded quite artificial.
Nord Buds 3 Pro Battery Life
Finally, when it comes to endurance, the CMF Buds Pro 2s are rated for 43 hours of combined playback with the case, while the Nord Buds 3 Pro are rated for 44 hours. Mind you, these ratings are with noise cancellation turned off.
Nonetheless, I used these earbuds for five days before filming this review with noise cancellation on and couldn't fully drain either of them.
Therefore, both earbuds have impressive battery life.
OnePlus Nord Buds 3 Pro Review
The Nord 3 Buds 3 Pros have compact case, great build quality, but more importantly, they sound better than the CMF Buds Pro 2. They are also the more affordable option here.
On the other hand, you should give the CMF Buds Pro 2s a shot if you think you’ll use that cool clicky wheel for controls. Also, these are the more comfortable earbuds of the two for longer listening sessions.
But, if I have to put my money on one of these earbuds, it's going to be the OnePlus Nord Buds 3 Pro.
