OnePlus Nord Buds 2r review: Nord Buds 2 without ANC

Smoother buds design and case similar to Buds 2

While the OnePlus Nord Buds 2r retains the design language of the first Nord Buds with pill-shaped stems for the earbuds, they are more rounded now, and come with a smooth matte finish which is different to all the earlier Nord Buds; a welcome change from a glossy body that made the first Nord Buds look a lot more plasticky. The case gets the same finish too which makes it smudge-free. The case design has been borrowed from Nord Buds 2. The grainy finish or the 'tasteful speckled accents' have been done away with. The metallic paint and elevation on the touch zones on the Nord Buds is replaced with a subtle glossy circle here; the only glossy element on the buds. The touch sensitivity is good and the buds produce a sound every time you tap in the zone. The Nord Buds 2r has an IP55 rating for dust and splash resistance, but the case has no ingress protection. Battery capacity stands at 480mAh for the case and 36mAh for each bud. A charge indicator LED can be spotted at the front of the case, while a USB-C charging port is located at the back. The Bluetooth pairing button has been given a skip. The buds are fairly light at 4.3gm each, while the case weighs a shade over 38gm. The case isn't heavy but it's still bulky. The in-ear fit is extremely comfortable and the buds stay put even during a workout or a jog. The right-sized silicon tips from the three bundled pairs offer good passive noise isolation.

Basic feature set barring custom sound profiles and configurable controls

Just like its predecessors, each earbud is fitted with a 12.4mm dynamic driver as well as two microphones for calling and AI noise reduction in calls. As I mentioned earlier, there is no ANC here, something that's only available on the Nord Buds 2 in Nord branded earbuds so far. None of the Nord Buds have wear detection sensors, and it would be foolish to expect them on the 2r, one of their most inexpensive products. The Nord Buds 2r is compatible with the HeyMelody app that you need to install on non-OnePlus phones or on older phones from the company prior to the OnePlus 6. The HeyMelody app is available for iOS and Android both. The app lets you configure the controls and play around with the sound output. The Sound Master EQ (equalizer) has been retained here. It lets you tweak the output and create your own sound profiles. More on that in the next section. Through the companion app or Bluetooth settings on compliant OnePlus phones, you can assign play/pause, previous/next track, voice assistant or nothing to single, double and triple tap gestures for the left and right earbuds. Touch+hold lets you switch between two previously paired devices. You still cannot assign volume control to any of the gestures though. The Bluetooth version has jumped from 5.2 to 5.3 since the original Nord Buds, but the codec support remains the same-SBC and AAC. These earbuds also support Dolby Atmos when paired with compliant devices. The latency figure stands at 94ms, and there was no noticeable lag between the video and audio when streaming videos from various OTT platforms. The wireless range is perfectly fine with a strong connection at 10 meters with a clear line of sight.

Bass dominates but the equalizer helps in balancing it somewhat

These buds are loud enough at 50% volume in most cases, and rarely did I need to go beyond 60% even when outdoors. Just like the Nord Buds, the default sound signature of the 2r in 'Balanced' mode is bass-heavy. There's just too much boomy bass that causes auditory masking in the midrange spectrum leading to softness in the vocals and several instrument sounds. The 'Bold' preset offers better balance, and we would highly recommend that if you do not wish to play with the equalizer. The 'Serenade' preset has been omitted here. It wasn't so great for music but better suited for content like podcasts. If OnePlus had to drop a preset, it should have been the 'Bass' preset, for which I cannot think of any practical use case given the abundance of bass here by default. As we have learned in the past two iterations of the Nord Buds, the presets are a mere formality, and the real deal is the Sound Master EQ. It offers a six-band equalizer that lets you tweak the sound and create your own audio profiles. While it isn't a miracle worker, it does make a significant difference to the overall sound quality by bringing better balance. By pushing the mid bars (third and fourth) up by a few units and lowering the bass (second bar) a bit , you get significantly better vocal clarity. You may want to boost the highs a bit too for extra sharpness as the default ones are a little muted. Feel free to play around with the equalizer, and if something works better for you, just save it as a custom preset with a name. And then try something else. The Nord Buds 2r is one of the rare products priced around Rs. 2,000 that offers this level of sound customization, though you cannot entirely suppress the boomy bass.

Good call quality, impressive battery backup, but no fast charging

The call quality on the OnePlus Nord Buds 2r is better than that of the Nord Buds and almost as good as the Nord Buds 2. It is quite good indoors as well as outdoors. The person on the line was clearly audible, and I was heard by the caller with ample clarity. When outdoors, the AI noise reduction does a good job of keeping the ambient noise in check. It cannot eliminate the noise entirely but makes sure it does not impact the conversation much, making this a good option for those looking for budget TWS earbuds for calling. The battery backup has been a strong point of all Nord Buds, and the 2r continues the tradition forward. Despite the Nord Buds 2r case housing a similar capacity battery as its predecessors, it promises a bit more juice. And the same goes for the buds despite the battery reserves being 5mAh lighter. There is no ANC here to drain it faster, and the company advertises a generous eight hours for the buds and an additional 30 hours with the case. During our testing with loudness under 60%, the earbuds managed to go on for a little under seven and a half hours. The case could recharge them thrice more fully and then some more, thus taking the overall battery backup close to 33 hours, which is quite impressive. What's not impressive is the lack of fast charging here. Charging the Nord Buds 2 for 10 minutes would keep them going for close to five hours of playtime without ANC. The figure drops to just over an hour for the Buds 2r after 10 minutes of charging. The battery level of each earbud as well as the charging case is visible on OnePlus phones or in the HeyMelody app.

Good option around Rs. 2,000 if you don't need ANC

The OnePlus Nord Buds 2r is priced at Rs. 2,199 with a one-year warranty. That's Rs. 800 lower than the Nord Buds 2 and Rs. 600 lower than the first Nord Buds. The 2r trounces the first Nord Buds on all counts, but we would recommend the Nord Buds 2 if you have some extra money to spare.The ANC is not great on the Nord Buds 2, but some amount of noise reduction is better than none at all. That along with slightly better sound quality, call quality and fast charging translates into better value for money than the 2r given the modest price difference. Another product the Nord Buds 2r needs to watch out for is the OPPO Enco Buds2. The sound quality of those buds is cleaner and more detailed, and though you do not get an option to fine-tune the audio using an equalizer, the three presets there do their job a lot better catering to different tastes in sound. The call quality is not that great on the OPPO earbuds but the battery life is comparable, and the product is a lot more pocketable too. And one can currently buy it for just Rs. 1,799. If OnePlus can bring the price of the 2r under Rs. 2,000, the contest would be a lot more even.