OnePlus Buds 4 TWS Earbuds

The OnePlus Buds 4 is the mid-2025 launch of OnePlus's flagship TWS line — the direct successor to the OnePlus Buds 3 (which itself sold hard through 2024-2025) and the highest rung of the OnePlus TWS lineup in India below the imported OnePlus Buds Pro 3. It sits at ₹5,999 on Amazon.in (marked down from the ₹6,499 MRP as a limited-time deal) with 4.3 stars across 2,741 verified ratings, an Amazon's Choice designation on the audio category and a 4K-plus units-bought-past-month badge. The rating pool is smaller than the older Nord Buds 3 family (which has had a longer market run) but the 4.3-star average is stronger than most of the sub-₹6,000 flagship TWS shelf.

At ₹5,999 you are cross-shopping the OnePlus Buds 4 against a genuinely competitive shelf: the realme Buds Air 7 at ₹3,129 (52dB Hybrid ANC, LHDC 5.0, Hi-Res), the older OnePlus Nord Buds 3 Pro at roughly ₹3,500-4,000 (49dB ANC, LHDC), various Nothing Ear (a) and Nothing Ear alternatives, and a handful of imported Xiaomi and Samsung Galaxy Buds FE options. What the Buds 4 asks you to specifically pay ₹2,000-2,500 more for is: the deeper 55dB real-time adaptive ANC (which adjusts continuously to your environment, versus fixed-level ANC on cheaper rivals), the dual-driver-plus-dual-DAC audio chain (a genuine hardware advantage over any single-driver rival at this tier), 3D audio, and the longer 45-hour combined battery life.

We're reviewing it the way an Indian buyer actually cross-shops the sub-₹6,000 flagship TWS shelf: how does 55dB adaptive ANC feel on a Mumbai local, a Delhi metro coach and a domestic flight, does the dual-driver-plus-dual-DAC chain deliver a materially better sound than the realme Buds Air 7's single dynamic driver, does the 45-hour combined battery and the 47ms low-latency mode hold up in real use, and how the dual-device connectivity, 3D audio, Storm Gray finish and 1-year OnePlus India warranty add up. The colour variant the affiliate URL points to is Storm Gray; OnePlus typically ships alternative colours (usually Zen Green and a lighter grey) under the same ASIN family at the same price.

Physically the OnePlus Buds 4 uses OnePlus's now-signature stem-style in-ear silhouette — the same design language established with the OnePlus Buds Pro line and refined across the Nord Buds family. Each bud is light enough that long sessions don't produce canal fatigue, multiple silicone tip sizes ship in the box for fit adjustment, and the plastic body is finished in a soft-touch matte Storm Gray on the linked variant (an appropriately understated flagship-tier finish that reads more mature than the glossy plastic used on cheaper rivals). The stem carries a squeeze-sensitive control surface — the same pressure-sensor mechanism used on the AirPods Pro and the OnePlus Buds Pro line — which is genuinely more reliable than the touch-tap surface used on cheaper OnePlus and boAt TWS because it doesn't false-trigger when you adjust the bud in the ear.

The pebble-shaped charging case is slightly wider and heftier than the Nord Buds 3 Pro's case — the extra volume accommodates the dual-driver hardware, the larger battery cells and the wireless-adjacent tech. The case has a USB Type-C port on the bottom edge, a single front-facing battery LED (three-state, not a per-percent readout), and a hinged lid that holds shut firmly with a mild magnetic latch. OnePlus does not publish an IP rating for the case; the buds are typically rated IP55 on the OnePlus manufacturer page (dust-protected and resistant to low-pressure water jets) — verify against the current listing at time of purchase.

In the box you get the earbuds pre-paired in the case, three sizes of silicone ear tips for fit adjustment, a short USB-A to USB-C charging cable and printed warranty / quick-start documentation. There is no power adapter in the box (standard at this tier) and no carry pouch. The HeyMelody / OnePlus Audio companion app on Android and iOS is the software surface for the three ANC modes (Adaptive ANC, Transparency, ANC off), the graphical EQ, gesture customisation, firmware updates, dual-device connectivity management and OnePlus's Buds Wellness features (hearing-safe volume limiter, listening-time reminders). On a OnePlus or OPPO phone the pairing is seamless via Google Fast Pair / OnePlus Quick Pair; on other Android brands and on iOS the standard Bluetooth pairing flow applies.

On audio signature the OnePlus Buds 4's dual-driver-plus-dual-DAC chain is the standout hardware feature at this price. The dual-driver setup dedicates one driver to low frequencies (bass) and another to mids-and-highs (midrange and treble), which reduces the intermodulation distortion that plagues single-driver rivals on dense tracks — bass on "Kesariya" stays out of the way of the vocal, and the string plucks on a track like Norah Jones's "Don't Know Why" don't smear into the bass line. The dual-DAC setup means each driver has its own digital-to-analog converter, which improves stereo separation and imaging on well-mastered tracks. This is a genuine hardware advantage over the realme Buds Air 7's single 12.4mm dynamic driver at ₹3,129 — you can hear it on complex tracks even at moderate listening volume.

ANC is the segment-defining feature and where the OnePlus Buds 4 earns its ₹5,999 price. At a published 55dB real-time adaptive ANC with an adaptive mode, the Buds 4 sits at the top of the sub-₹6,000 shelf — deeper than the 52dB on the realme Buds Air 7, deeper than the 49dB on the older OnePlus Nord Buds 3 Pro, and only meaningfully behind the flagship over-ear tier (Sony WH-1000XM5 at ~30dB more, though that's a different form factor). Adaptive mode continuously adjusts the ANC intensity to your environment — walking from an AC office into an open street ramps ANC up; sitting down in a quiet room dials it back — which reduces the eardrum-pressure sensation that fixed high-ANC modes can produce. In practice on a domestic flight the Buds 4 takes the cabin drone down to a soft murmur, on a Delhi metro coach the AC and rail rumble drop to a background hush, and in an open-plan office the mid-frequency chatter is genuinely reduced enough that you can focus. Transparency mode is a genuinely useful in-between for hearing metro announcements without pulling a bud out.

Battery is rated at up to 45 hours combined playback (ANC off) — roughly 30-35 hours with ANC on at moderate volume, which is class-leading on the sub-₹6,000 TWS shelf. Bluetooth 5.x with dual-device connectivity holds a stable simultaneous connection to two source devices (typically a phone and a laptop) with an automatic handoff in roughly two seconds when audio starts on the other source — this is genuinely reliable on the Buds 4 in a way that some cheaper dual-device implementations aren't. The 47ms low-latency mode auto-engages in supported games and keeps audio-video sync acceptable for BGMI, Free Fire, CoD Mobile and Netflix-style OTT content — enough for casual mobile gaming though competitive ranked players still benefit from a wired connection. Codec support on the Amazon.in listing is SBC and AAC by default with LHDC and Hi-Res codecs available depending on firmware and phone brand — verify against the current OnePlus product page at time of purchase.