Both Realme and OnePlus have carved out a strong presence in the TWS market. Now, the new Realme Buds Air 7 offers high-res LHDC support in the sub-₹3500 range. So, can these earbuds dethrone my previous favorite in this price range, the Nord Buds 3 Pro? Let us break these down and find out.
Design & build
Let’s start with how they look and feel. The Realme Buds Air 7 looks nothing like the older model. Gone is the oval case; instead, you have a new rectangular unit, with a transparent upper part. It looks quite funky, although the transparent lid feels quite plasticky. You can opt for the available ivory gold colour if you don’t want this transparent lid. The new case is also bigger than its predecessor's, but that’s because of a bigger battery which we’ll talk about later.
The OnePlus Nord Buds 3 Pro feel a bit more refined. The case has a matte lid and a speckled design at the bottom. It feels nicer and more compact in the hand. These earbuds here are also periscope-style, but have thicker A-shaped stems.
Fit-wise, both are solid, but I found the Relame Buds a bit more comfortable over extended use. However, the durability rating for both of these is IP55. Its alright, but could have been better.
Controls & app experience
Both earbuds support touch gestures. You can tap to play or pause, switch modes, do all that. The good thing is that the taps can be customised on both of these, which makes our livers very convenient. The two earbuds also have wear detection, which is incredibly handy.
Both buds have dedicated apps. We get the Realme Link for Buds Air 7, and HeyMelody for Nord Buds 3 Pro. The two apps work well on both Android as well as iOS, and let you switch between different modes, tweak the EQ, and pair the devices with two devices at once.
Audio quality
Now let’s get into the sound. Even though both of these earbuds use the same 12.4mm drivers, they don’t sound the same. Right out of the box, OnePlus goes big on bass. The low end hits harder, giving tracks a heavy and punchy feel. The Realme is a lot brighter and strikes a better balance, I feel.
Treble is also where Realme brings more sparkle.
In the mids, OnePlus pulls ahead, by only a slim margin. Vocals are front and centre, which makes it great for podcasts, acoustic music, or anything that’s voice-heavy. When it comes to instrument separation and detail, Realme wins again, especially if your phone supports LHDC. Yes, these Realmes are one of the more affordable earbuds with LDHC support, whereas the Nord Buds 3 Pro don't have any high res codec.
At full volume, both buds stay clean, and I didn't notice any distortion. But the Buds Air 7 win the sound battle thanks to the extensive audio tuning options. Beyond the existing EQs, you can manually adjust the lows, mids and highs on them, giving you more control over the sound.
All in all the Realme Buds Air 7 offer a more detailed sound, with better comfort over longer listening sessions. On the other hand, the Nord Buds 3 Pro are built for bassheads.
Call quality & gaming
Call quality is often a major caveat with affordable earbuds, so how do these two perform? Well, Realme does a great job with wind suppression. Your voice stays clear even with background noise. Some ambient sounds still get through, but it’s manageable.
OnePlus also has noise cancellation, but it’s a bit inconsistent. Voices come through fine, but it’s not quite at the level of Realme in tricky environments. That said, I wouldn't say that call quality on either of these earbuds matches that of a smartphone. While Realme is better of these two, it still falls short of being truly impressive.
Then, for gaming the claimed latency is 45ms on Realme and 47ms on OnePlus. These earbuds mostly work great for gaming, but I have noticed occasional delay during gameplay on both.
Noise cancellation & transparency
Realme says that the Buds Air 7 can cancel up to 52dB of noise, while the Nord Buds 3 Pro have up to 49dB of ANC. Both buds do a good job in cutting out the low to medium frequencies, like one would find in a cafe. Although, transparency mode is a clear win for the Realme Buds Air 7 Pro because it sounds a lot more natural on these buds.
Battery life
Now, let's address why the Realme Buds Air 7’s case is so big. Well, because there’s up to 52 hours of combined battery life on offer, which frankly, is mind blowing. For each earbud, you can get up to 7.5 hours with ANC on and 13 hours with ANC off.
Although these figures will go down if you use LHDC codec. But even then, it was virtually impossible for me to kill the battery on these earbuds during my testing period, so I’ll just take Realme’s word for it.
The Nord Buds 3 Pro, offer up to 44 hours of combined battery life with ANC off, and up to 20 hours with ANC on. I’ve been using the Nord Buds 3 Pro for a long time, and they easily last me about a week with medium to heavy use. But, yes, they can’t keep up with the Buds Air 7.
Verdict
So, have the Nord Buds 3 Pro been dethroned? Yes. If you want better sound, much better battery life, and good transparency mode, the Realme Buds Air 7 are the better pick. But if you care more about how your earbuds look and feel, or if you use a OnePlus smartphone, the Nord Buds 3 Pro might suit you better.
Both offer great value for the money. But, the Nord Buds 3 Pro have seen a price drop of late, so they might tempt many of you.
