The OnePlus Buds Pro and Nothing Ear (1) both look like unbeatable true wireless earbuds on paper, but which one is ultimately worth paying for? That's a question that's difficult to answer for any earbud comparison. Companies are regularly adding new features, improving sound quality, and being increasingly competitive with their pricing.

In the case of the Buds Pro and Ear (1), however, things are especially interesting. The Buds Pro are OnePlus's third entry in the true wireless niche and stand out as the company's most refined, feature-rich offering to date. The Ear (1) come from tech startup Nothing, which OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei created. These earbud cousins both bring a lot of good to the table, making the decision of which to buy pretty challenging.

To kick of this comparison, let's start with the design. Both earbuds look a lot like AirPods Pro at first glance, though they go about differentiating themselves in unique ways. The OnePlus Buds Pro are available in black and white colors and have a silver stem for a pleasing two-tone design. They're lightweight at 4.35g, super comfortable for long listening sessions, and feature customizable playback controls by pressing and holding the stem (not unlike AirPods Pro controls). The Nothing Ear (1) have roughly the same shape, but they feature a super unique transparent design. All of the internal components of the earbuds can clearly be seen through the stem. It doesn't change the function of the earbuds, but it does result in the Ear (1) looking like nothing else on the market. The earbuds are also quite comfy, are just slightly heavier at 4.7g, and have a capacitive touch area on the stems for playback controls. One big advantage of the OnePlus Buds Pro is their durability — with OnePlus confirming full water and dust resistance thanks to an IP55 rating. Not only do the Nothing Ear (1) have lesser protection against water with an IPX4 certification, but they aren't rated for any resistance to dust/sand.

Why The OnePlus Buds Pro Are Worth The Extra $50

That difference in design also carries over to the charging cases for both earbuds. The Buds Pro's case is super compact and completely solid — featuring a matte texture for the black variant and a glossy one with the white color. Similar to the earbuds, Nothing's case is a mixture of solid and transparent plastic. It's more eye-catching, but it's also larger and much more prone to scratching with daily use. Charging options are the same across the cases, with OnePlus and Nothing both offering USB-C wired charging and Qi wireless charging.

In regards to the audio experience, both earbuds look pretty similar on paper. They feature active noise canceling, a transparency mode, and large drivers (11m for the Buds Pro and 11.6m on the Nothing earbuds). In real-world use, however, the OnePlus Buds Pro end up coming out ahead. The overall audio profile sounds richer and more complete. Music has nice separation, good bass, and handles the mids and highs surprisingly well. The transparency mode is fairly weak with both earbuds, though OnePlus does take the clear lead when it comes to ANC performance. Battery life is good across the table, but as the story goes, OnePlus edges out Nothing yet again. The Nothing Ear (1) tout up to 34 hours of total use with ANC turned off, or up to 24 hours with ANC on. The OnePlus Buds Pro, by comparison, last up to 38 hours and 28 hours, respectively.

Rounding out the comparison are a few smaller details. Bluetooth 5.2 powers both earbuds, though there have been more complaints about connectivity issues with the Nothing Ear (1). Users will also find free Android and iOS companion apps no matter which one they choose, but this is an area where Nothing has an advantage. The OnePlus Buds Pro feature instant pairing only when used with a OnePlus device, whereas the Nothing Ear (1) support Google's Fast Pair system on all modern Android phones. While that more convenient pairing is a great perk to have, it's ultimately not enough to help Nothing win this battle. OnePlus's earbuds have a more practical design, sound better, deliver more capable ANC, and do all of that for just $50 more. Unless someone absolutely needs that transparent design of Nothing's earbuds, the OnePlus Buds Pro are the way to go.

Next: OnePlus Buds Pro Vs. AirPods Pro

Source: OnePlus

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