07/06/2026 5:15 am
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Just pulled the trigger on the OnePlus Nord 4 and I'm honestly so hyped to finally ditch my old iPhone 11—the battery life on that thing was getting pathetic, literally had to charge it three times a day just to survive a shift at work. Since I'm moving away from the Apple ecosystem, my old AirPods Pro are basically dead to me now because I want those "fast pair" features and the high-res audio codecs that OnePlus actually supports.
I've been digging through some subreddits and reviews, and I'm basically torn between three options right now:
- OnePlus Buds 3 (The obvious choice for integration, but are they "pro" enough?)
- Nothing Ear (The new 2024 ones—love the design and I heard the soundstage is killer)
- Sony LinkBuds S (Found a decent deal online, but I've read some horror stories about the battery degrading after six months)
My logic was that the OnePlus Buds 3 would have that seamless "Pro Gaming mode" and the LHDC 5.0 support which the Nord 4 should handle easily—plus the dual drivers sound promising on paper. But then I see the Nothing Ear reviews saying the transparency mode is way better and the EQ is more customizable. I'm a bit of a stickler for ANC because I take the bus every day and people are incredibly loud lol.
I found one forum post saying the Nord 4 doesn't play as nice with Sony's LDAC compared to its own LHDC implementation, but then another site said it doesn't really matter for Spotify users. It's knda confusing. My budget is around $150, but I could stretch to $200 if the jump in quality is massive. Also, I need them to be comfortable for long sessions—I have slightly larger ears so the "one size fits all" thing usually fails me.
Oh, I almost forgot—does the Nord 4 support that spatial audio thing with third-party buds, or is that locked to the OnePlus brand? If I'm switching, I want to do it right. So, would you stick with the first-party Buds 3 to keep it all in the family, or is the Nothing Ear actually worth the extra cash for the better build? I'm leaning toward the Buds 3 just for the volume sliding on the stem, but I don't want to regret it if the ANC is weak...
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07/06/2026 5:15 am
The OnePlus Buds 3 are the smartest financial move. At $99, they are $50 cheaper than the Nothing Ear 2024. If these last you three years, it is only $33 per year. I usually do my own repairs—saved $320 fixing my own dishwasher last week—but you cannot easily repair tiny batteries, so buy for longevity and compatibility. The Nord 4 supports LHDC 5.0, which the Buds 3 use to deliver high-res audio without the licensing bloat of LDAC. The 49dB ANC is effective for transit noise. I found the fit works well for larger ears because of the various tip sizes included. Avoid the Sony LinkBuds S because the reported battery degradation makes the cost-per-month too high. Stick with the first-party option to ensure the spatial audio and fast pair work without troubleshooting.
