New information has surfaced online for the OnePlus Buds 3 revealing that it may have similar performance to the OnePlus Buds Pro 2 while also being cheaper.
This leak originates from German tech news site Allround-PC and a translation is provided by 9To5Google. According to the report, each of the earbuds will house a 6mm tweeter along with a 10.4mm woofer. And with the case, they’ll have a 44-hour battery life, five hours longer than the Buds Pro 2. Notable features of the Buds 3 include support for 3D sound for spatial audio, LHDC 5.0 that enables low-latency streaming, and Google Fast Pair. , plus 48 dB of active noise cancellation. Everything listed so far is almost identical to what the Buds Pro 2 are capable of, although the older devices have a slightly larger 11mm bass woofer.
It is unknown if the two models will share any other features. However, as 9To5Google points out, the OnePlus Buds 3 drops the word “Pro” from its name, suggesting it could be considered a “sequel” of sorts to previous releases. So we could see the new pair have similar, if not the same, capabilities as the Buds Pro 2.
Cheaper than expected
Despite potentially being a direct follow-up to a high-end product, the Buds 3 may be cheaper than the previous generation. The report claims that it will launch at €99 in Europe, which is considerably cheaper than the €179 price of the OnePlus Buds Pro 2. The earbuds will reportedly be available in Space Gray or Clear Sea Blue.
Design-wise, the Buds 3 have changed considerably in recent weeks. Leaked CAD renderings of the earbuds from mid-December showed each piece with a segmented appearance and an egg-shaped charging case. OnePlus itself has since released official images of what the devices will look like at launch. Gone is the segmented look. Now each button will be a solid unit housed in a box-shaped case.
The report concludes by stating that the OnePlus Buds 3 are expected to launch on January 23 alongside the global launch of the OnePlus 12 and OnePlus 12R flagship smartphones.
If you’re thinking about purchasing a OnePlus phone, check out TechRadar’s list of the best OnePlus models that includes the best premium and budget devices.