XDA - Headphone Reviews

OnePlus Buds Pro 2 review: Great sound and looks, but lacking ANC

Ben Sin — Sun, 12 Feb 2023 14:00:16 GMT

OnePlus recently launched a new phone, the OnePlus 11, that is priced reasonably well and offers performance that punches above its price class. So do the OnePlus Buds Pro 2, which launched alongside the phone, fare similarly?

Bose QuietComfort Earbuds 2 review: How much extra would you pay for silence?

Ben Sin — Sat, 04 Feb 2023 16:01:16 GMT

Wireless earbuds are a dime a dozen these days, and overall standards have improved so much that you could pick up a $30 pair of wireless earbuds and get at least decent audio and solid connection. If you pay above $99, you're going to get a good pair with quality sound, solid construction, and perhaps even active noise cancelation (ANC). So the big question for me when I was asked to review the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds 2 wasn't whether the earbuds are any good — of course they are! — but rather, "do these things justify the high $300 price tag?".

Nothing Ear Stick Review: Looks great, sounds good

Ben Sin — Wed, 02 Nov 2022 15:00:15 GMT

How much do looks matter for consumer gadgets? The pretentious side of me wants to say "not much. I only care about performance."

AirPods Pro 2 review: They're everywhere for a reason

Ben Sin — Thu, 29 Sep 2022 13:00:05 GMT

Apple did not invent the wireless earbuds -- there were several brands pumping out truly untethered earbuds up to a full year before the AirPods made its debut in late 2016. But Apple made the wireless earbuds mainstream, and whether for better or for worse, the AirPods heavily influenced the design of wireless earbuds immediately after its debut.

Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro Review: The smartest transparency mode wins it for me

Ben Sin — Tue, 13 Sep 2022 13:00:51 GMT

Samsung's been making wireless earbuds for many years, but it wasn't until last year's Galaxy Buds Pro did the South Korean tech giant really make a great pair of wireless earbuds. Before the Buds Pro, previous Samsung buds were unpolished, like those kidney bean-shaped Galaxy Buds Live which I liked, but had the world's most pointless "active noise cancellation" because the earbuds did not cover the wearer's ear canals at all.

OnePlus Nord Buds CE Review: Excellent AirPods alternative

Kishan Vyas — Sat, 27 Aug 2022 07:00:23 GMT

Following the success of the Nord Buds, OnePlus has come out with another pair of Nord-branded earbuds. The new Nord Buds CE are OnePlus' cheapest truly wireless earbuds yet, and they pack a powerful punch. However, they're not simply recycled Nord Buds with the same design and a few missing features. Rather the Nord Buds CE are an entirely different beast. They ditch the ear tips for an open-back design which is both an advantage and disadvantage, depending on how you see it. At ₹2,299 (~$29), the OnePlus Nord Buds CE are one of the cheapest TWS on the market. I have been using them for over two weeks, and here's what I feel about them.