OnePlus Buds Pro to challenge AirPods Pro with ANC and Warp Charge

OnePlus Buds
(Image credit: Future)

OnePlus is upping its wireless earbuds game for the OnePlus Buds Pro, as the upcoming headphones will feature both adaptive active noise cancellation (ANC) and a form of the Warp Charge fast-charging tech seen on the OnePlus 9.

Kinder Liu, VP of research and development at OnePlus, told CNET that the OnePlus Buds Pro is a “a truly flagship-level wireless audio device,” with “top-tier features” designed to help it compete with the best wireless earbuds.

In other words, this pair looks to be a big step up from the original, budget-minded OnePlus Buds

Adaptive noise cancellation looks like the biggest new addition: unlike the standard ANC of the AirPods Pro, adaptive ANC can dynamically adjust how much sound needs to be blocked according to the volume of ambient noise. The Buds Pro can apparently silence between 15 and 40 decibels by tweaking the noise-cancelling frequencies it produces.

Liu also said that with noise cancellation, the Buds Pro will be able to last for up to 28 hours through repeated use of the charging case — though didn’t specify how much playtime you’d get from a single charge. Still, this beats the AirPods Pro and its 24-hour limit. And if you switch off ANC, the Buds Pro will supposedly stretch out to 38 hours; for a set of true wireless earbuds that would be very impressive indeed.

On the subject of battery, the case will support both wireless charging (over Qi-compatible pads) and Warp Charge, a fast-charging protocol that’s been common on OnePlus phones since the OnePlus 7T. Allegedly, refuelling the charging case over a wired connection for just 10 minutes will yield 10 hours of uptime — and you won’t need any specific Warp Charge power adapters or USB-cables, unlike how OnePlus phones have such requirements.

There’s no pricing and availability info for the Buds Pro yet, or even an image of what the earbuds look like. But then, despite Liu’s interview, OnePlus hasn’t officially revealed it yet. That’s apparently set to happen on July 22, during a joint launch event for the OnePlus Buds Pro and the OnePlus Nord 2.

James Archer

James is currently Hardware Editor at Rock Paper Shotgun, but before that was Audio Editor at Tom’s Guide, where he covered headphones, speakers, soundbars and anything else that intentionally makes noise. A PC enthusiast, he also wrote computing and gaming news for TG, usually relating to how hard it is to find graphics card stock.