- The OnePlus Watch 2R has all the battery longevity of the previous version at a lighter weight and lower price.
- The OnePlus Nord Buds 3 Pro improve sound quality and noise cancellation at a less expensive price point.
- Both make the OnePlus ecosystem a little bit better.
I’ve been wearing this OnePlus Watch 2R on my wrist for four days already, and the battery indicator still has three of six bars on it. The Nord Buds 3 Pro have been in my ears exclusively for the same amount of days, and they’re working as advertised; music sounds good, and the noise cancellation works pretty well.
Even better? These two new OnePlus wearables are even less expensive than their previous iterations.
OnePlus Watch 2R Battery Life
OnePlus says its epic battery life is due to its self-developed dual-engine architecture that uses two powerful chipsets (Snapdragon W5 and BES 2600 MCU Efficiency) to ensure you get tons of performance and a long-lasting 500 mAh battery.
The Efficiency chip manages routine and simple background tasks when the more power-hungry Snapdragon W5 isn’t needed. When you kick in a task that needs more immediate power, the Snapdragon takes over. The result is a watch you can wear for days and days without even worrying about charging up. OnePlus promises 100 hours of power from a full charge (48 hours with heavy use), and I’ve seen nothing to dispute that.
The OnePlus Watch 2R runs on Wear OS 4, which means it gets all the bells and whistles that Google provides in its watch-centric operating system, along with the dual-chip functionality.
If you do need a charge, though, the Watch 2R fills up quickly, thanks to OnePlus’ Super VOC charging system, also included on its smartphones like the OnePlus 12. When the Watch came in the mail, it only had 50% charge in it; I dropped it on the charger with the included wall charger, and boom it was ready to go in just a few minutes.
Finally, the Watch 2R is 25% lighter than the previous OnePlus Watch 2 (in terms of the watch chassis itself) thanks to the aluminum body.
Watch 2R Tracking Your Fitness
The Watch 2R, like the Watch 2, relies on the OHealth app, which is Android-only. I was unable to get the Watch to connect to my iPhone using Wear OS for iOS.
The OHealth app has over 100 sports-tracking modes available, and has optimizations for badminton, running, tennis, skiing, and more, according to OnePlus. I didn’t go skiing with the watch, so can’t have an opinion on how well it works, but that’s quite a few sports that you can track, for sure.
The company says the Watch 2R has been “specifically designed for badminton enthusiasts,” which seems very specific. I’m assuming it can work with my own racket sport, pickleball, as well, since it can capture metrics like swing strength and speed.
For runners, the Watch 2R features a dual-frequency GPS with two antennas to track their location while running, too.
The OHealth app also collects all the other health and fitness things you’d expect, like steps, active calories, heart rate, stress, SpO2, and sleep. I wore this watch 24 hours a day while testing it and found out that I haven’t slept enough this week, thanks to some late nights out on the town.
The OnePlus Watch 2R is available in black (Gunmetal Gray) and green (Forest Green, specifically), and comes in at $229.99 US /$299.99 Canadian, making it $70 US/ $100 Canadian less than its predecessor, the Watch 2. There’s a $30 US discount right now, too, making it a more affordable $199.99
OnePlus Nord Buds Pro 3
These new earbuds from OnePlus come in the same colors as the Watch 2R above and feature pretty decent active noise cancellation (ANC) and sound quality. I was able to listen to Spotify without interruption despite the lawn mower going in my front yard, and while I could still hear voices in my immediate environment, I did need to take them out on occasion to hear what was being said.
OnePlus promises a smart noise cancellation with three levels of ANC, mild (with a 15 dB reduction, Moderate (25 dB), and Max (49 dB). The Nord 3 buds also have a Transparency mode, which you can activate with a tap and 1-second hold on either earbud.
Touch controls include a single tap on either earbud to play or pause a song, a double tap to answer or hang up a call, and three taps to reverse and play the previous track. The Nord Buds 3 Pro come with a cute little USB-A to USB-C cord for charging and three sets of ear tips for different-sized ears.
They pair nicely with iOS or Android, though to get special features, you’ll need to use an Android device. These include an ear canal test (which I could never get to work), 3D audio, access to earbud controls, and “find my earbuds” in case they end up in your couch cushions. I found these settings on my OnePlus 12 phone under Bluetooth. Just hit the little info button there next to your Nord Buds 3, and you’ll see them all.
Nord Buds 3 Pro Sound Quality
Sound quality is good; the Nord Buds Pro 3 offer solid bass and clear treble. Do they top the experience of AirPods Pro or even the Nothing Ear? In my opinion, they come close. Listening to a special Spotify playlist “Songs to Test Headphones With,” I was hard-pressed to find them lacking. These are great headphones, straight up. I tend to prefer a balanced EQ, but the Buds 3 Pro offer three presets and BassWave, a dynamic bass boost exclusive to OnePlus. YOu can also add custom EQ settings to tweak everything specifically to your taste.
OnePlus promises up to 44 hours of listening with the ANC turned off and using the charging case, which itself offers a flash charge to get you another 11 hours of listening time with only a 10-minute charge.
The Buds 3 Pro boast !P55 water and dust resistance so you can feel confident if they get hit by water jets or a stream of dust, and they feature a dual connection feature, which means you can pair them to a phone and a PC, then switch easily between the two devices. They also offer Fast Pair for Android, though I did have to pop into the Bluetooth settings to connect them at first.
Overall, the OnePlus Nord Buds 3 Pro may be a mouthful of a product name, but they’re all kinds of great to use as your daily drivers. They have more features when connected to Android, but iOS users will find them delightful to listen to, as well. They last a long time, can go with you anywhere, and cost an easy-to-swallow $79.99 USD / $119.99 CAD, and OnePLus has a special $20 deal happening right now.
If you’re looking for a great-sounding pair of earbuds for yourself or a friend, the OnePlus Nord Buds 3 Pro are definitely worth your time and money.
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