10 Earbuds That Outperform The OnePlus Buds 4

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OnePlus has been a stable different to giants like Apple and Samsung for years, however sadly now it is bowing out of the US market. The curtain name got here after the discharge of the OnePlus 15 phone and the OnePlus Buds 4. Though the latter are a stable pair of earbuds, they’re competing in an area full of fantastic choices on the similar worth — and generally much less. As such, we want to take a look at earbuds that outperform the OnePlus Buds 4.

“Outperform” is a tough phrase with regards to audio gear. Since we will not examine easy issues like benchmarks, it principally comes all the way down to a small handful of {hardware} specs. Earbuds, to our drawback, depend on a ton of subjective opinion and desire; good luck attempting to show, objectively, that one pair has higher sound high quality, match, or energetic noise canceling (ANC) than one other. So with that in thoughts, we’re headphones that may beat the OnePlus Buds 4 in no less than a few classes at, close to, or under the identical $129.99 worth level.

The Soundcore Liberty Buds 2 are fairly new, releasing in September 2026. They value $129.99, similar because the OnePlus Buds 4, and belong to the Anker family. Soundcore exchanges them primarily for calls, together with a bone conduction sensor along with the microphones — one thing the Buds 4 haven’t got. They additionally supply extra battery life; about 7 hours of playback per cost with ANC on, for a grand whole of 27 hours when utilizing the case, versus roughly 6 hours of playtime (as much as 24 hours with the case) on the Buds 4.

The Liberty Buds 2 embrace the extra trendy Bluetooth 6.1 normal, in comparison with Bluetooth 5.4 on the Buds 4; Bluetooth 6.0 onward added a big enchancment in pairing velocity, battery effectivity, and latency, amongst different issues. Finally, the Liberty Buds 2 have a superior 10-minute quick cost that provides an additional 4 hours of listening time, in comparison with the Buds 4 getting about 3.5 hours additional playback time in the identical timeframe.

All of that is nicely and good, however how do the Soundcore Liberty Buds 2 stack up with reviewers? Quite nicely. They’re praised for consolation and match in addition to surprisingly good name high quality and noise cancellation. Having stated that, the Buds 4 are very shut within the race, together with the identical IP55 mud and water resistance, and related weight at 4.73 grams every for every bud. The Buds 4 do have some benefits over the Liberty Buds 2, too, resembling built-in AI translation. You can buy the Soundcore Liberty Buds 2 on Amazon here.

The worst half about EarEnjoyable is that they selected a reputation that makes them sound like a forgettable low-cost audio model, which is not the case. The EarEnjoyable Air Pro 4+ are a few of the best noise-cancelling earbuds you can get on a budget. Stacked up in opposition to the OnePlus Buds 4, they’ve a number of benefits. One, they get about eight hours of playback with ANC on, two hours greater than OnePlus. In addition to their dynamic driver, they embrace a balanced armature (BA), a compact sort of driver beloved in in-ear displays (IEMs); top-of-the-line audiophile IEMs that value hundreds of {dollars} choose BAs as a result of they’ll produce distinctive audio.

The EarEnjoyable additionally helps Qualcomm Snapdragon Sound, a wi-fi audio protocol really able to transmitting lossless audio; one of many biggest limitations of Bluetooth is that it can’t do lossless. They additionally assist LDAC, one other hi-fi wi-fi codec. They have Bluetooth 6.0 over the Buds 4’s Bluetooth 5.4, too. Reviews of the EarEnjoyable Air Pro 4 Plus are favorable.

All of that is made extra spectacular by the truth that the EarEnjoyable Air Pro 4+ has an MSRP of $99.99, $30 lower than the OnePlus Buds 4. They match lots of the similar specs, resembling AI translation, a 6-microphone array, and IP55 water and mud resistance. These earbuds are proof that you do not have to pay by the nostril for good Bluetooth earbuds, and so they definitely give the Buds 4 a run for his or her cash. You can buy them here on Amazon; at time of writing they’re on sale for $79.

The EarEnjoyable Air Pro 4 are a barely cheaper different to the EarEnjoyable Air Pro 4+ at $89.99. Still, they provide quite a bit in comparison with the OnePlus Buds 4 — now $40 is dearer, on this case. The Air Pro 4 helps Qualcomm Snapdragon Sound for lossless audio playback; the case helps wi-fi charging, a function the OnePlus Buds 4 surprisingly lacks; lastly, the Air Pro 4 nonetheless have higher general battery life: 7.5 hours playback with ANC on, or 35 hours whole with the case.

Though some options naturally needed to be reduce to drop the value — the Air Pro 4 would not have a balanced armature and the sweat and water resistance is barely IPX4 — they’re nonetheless spectacular with a 6-mic array, multipoint pairing, and in-ear detection. Not dangerous earbuds by any stretch of the creativeness.

The EarEnjoyable Air Pro 4 does nicely with reviewers, regardless of sitting firmly in finances territory. They’re simple to suggest, although they do elevate the query of why you should purchase them when the Air Pro 4+ solely prices $10 extra and gives a complete bunch of improved specs. You can buy them here on Amazon.

We’re not fairly executed with Anker Soundcore model fairly but. The Soundcore P42i are one other pair of ANC earbuds beginning out at $79.99, and managing to beat the OnePlus Buds 4 in a handful of classes we predict matter.

For one, they boast 8.5 hours of ANC playback on a single cost, or 40 hours whole with the case’s battery; they assist wi-fi charging on the case, regardless of being $10 cheaper than the EarEnjoyable Air Pro 4; additionally they assist LDAC, but once more a curious omission from the Buds 4 contemplating how widespread this codec is; and lastly, the Soundcore P42i have Bluetooth 6.1 assist, bringing the various benefits in stability, latency, and effectivity that we talked about beforehand.

We once more have a scenario the place earbuds that now value $50 lower than the OnePlus Buds 4 are matching them in a number of key specs. Both buds right here have a 6-mic array, IP55 water and mud resistance, multipoint connectivity, and AI translation. The Soundcore P42i even manages to weigh much less at 4.4 grams apiece. Reviews we have seen would additionally agree that these are wonderful headphones, greater than something at that worth level. You can buy the Soundcore P42i on Amazon here, the place gross sales will convey them as little as $59.99.

The Soundcore Liberty 5 are one more pair of Soundcore earbuds, this time in the identical worth bracket because the OnePlus Buds 4 at $129.99. They supply fairly a bit extra. The Soundcore Liberty 5 have 8 hours of playback when ANC is on, a complete of 32 hours with the case, two hours greater than the Buds 4; they assist the LDAC codec; they assist Dolby Audio, a proprietary encompass sound format widespread on streaming providers; they’ve a case that helps wi-fi charging.

One small space the place the Soundcore Liberty 5 could have a slight benefit is pinch controls. Similar to the AirPods Pro, you may pinch the stem to manage music and different capabilities on the earbuds. The OnePlus Buds 4 solely helps stem quantity swipe controls. Anecdotally, the pinch controls could also be preferable to some as a result of they’re much more troublesome to by accident set off, although we admit it might be good to have the quantity swipe controls too. It’s a toss-up right here, relying on whether or not you’d choose.

We’ve seen fairly favorable critiques for the Liberty 5 usually. They launched in the identical 12 months because the OnePlus Buds 4, so this is among the closest comparisons on the listing. You should purchase the Soundcore Liberty 5 on Amazon here, with gross sales bringing it as little as $79.99.

Another Buds 4 competitor is the Soundcore Liberty 4 Pro. For starters, they’ve a touchscreen on the case for indicating the cost stage; the OnePlus Buds 4 solely have a charging gentle indicator. They additionally cost quicker, getting 4 hours of playtime and simply 5 minutes of charging. Similar to the Liberty 5, the Liberty 4 Pro function pinch controls, which once more could also be a bonus or an obstacle relying on the way you see it. The Liberty 4 Pro are additionally considered one of few earbuds on the market that includes a barometric stress sensor, which Soundcore says ought to (in principle) enhance the ANC; a standard situation with ANC is that it could possibly create uncomfortable stress when energetic.

It’s price mentioning that the Liberty 5 Pro is out already, beginning at $169.99 (it is at present on sale for $144.99). It has a much bigger display screen that shows extra data, eight microphones and two bone-conduction sensors for higher voice high quality, Dolby Atmos with head monitoring, three-device multipoint connection, and voice controls. However, they’re $40 greater than the OnePlus Buds 4, making them a bit tougher to check aspect by aspect.

The Soundcore Liberty 4 Pro launched in 2024 for $149.99, a 12 months after the OnePlus Buds 4. Although they’re dearer than the latter, they now obtain such frequent reductions that they stands out as the higher possibility. Reviewers appear to love them. You can buy the Soundcore Liberty 4 Pro from Amazon here.

Nothing has been within the earbuds marketplace for some time now, with its first pair released in 2021. Its pitch has all the time been respectable specs at finances costs, plus a cyberpunk-y design you both love or hate, so they seem to be a good level of comparability in opposition to the previous flagship-killer model OnePlus. The released-in-2026 Nothing Ear (3a) sells for $99, occurring sale to $79, and gives some benefits over the Buds 4 for about $30 much less. For one, they’ve a much bigger 12mm driver, in comparison with the 11mm woofer on the Buds 4. Larger drivers normally produce higher sound than smaller ones.

The Nothing Ear (3a) additionally has assist for LDAC, and options pinch controls. Same as with the Liberty 5 and Liberty 4 Pro, we now have pinch controls however no swipe for quantity, so you will need to resolve if that is good or dangerous. They even have Bluetooth 6.0. Reviews we have seen get pleasure from them.

Admittedly, the listing of benefits is small right here. But the considerably cheaper price — $99 versus $129 — could also be all of the impetus it’s good to click on “purchase.” You can buy the Nothing Buds (3a) on Amazon here, the place they have been roughly completely on sale at $79 since their launch, so a $50 distinction in worth in comparison with the Buds 4.

Apple’s new AirPods 5 are its entry-level AirPods, including ANC and a bunch of different options previously restricted to Pro fashions. They begin at $129 (the identical worth because the OnePlus Buds 4) and show sturdy competitors. For one, they’ve sensible ANC options like dialog consciousness — the place the ANC robotically, briefly switches off when it hears you talking — and voice isolation — the place background noise is trimmed away throughout a name. They additionally incorporate Apple’s Spatial Audio, which may observe the motion of your head to simulate a pair of audio system.

Further, the AirPods have in-ear sensors, a usually premium function, and far increased IP scores than a lot of the earbuds on this listing at IP57. Of course,  Apple isn’t identified for finances pricing; a complete host of earbuds are more affordable. However, that is considered one of Apple’s greatest worth choices on the AirPods lineup up to now. They maintain as much as the OnePlus Buds 4 on the very least. Reviews for them are optimistic.

You can buy the AirPods instantly from Apple for $129. Choosing the AirPods 5 with wi-fi charging case for $149 provides you (along with wi-fi charging) an additional hour of battery life on ANC and stem swipe quantity controls. You can even buy them on Amazon here.

The Soundcore Liberty 4 NC are like a finances model of the Soundcore Liberty 4 Pro. Compared to the OnePlus Buds 4, they provide extra battery life; eight hours playback time with ANC on, or 40 hours whole with the case. Their quick charging supplies an extra 4 hours of playback in simply 10 minutes. Also, they incorporate LDAC for Hi-Fi listening and assist wi-fi charging on the case.

There are some small additional advantages right here, too. For instance, the opening button on the case can put the earbuds in pairing mode or reset them. Reviews rank them favorably for his or her worth. Although they retail for $99, they’re at present listed on the official web site at $79.99. On Amazon, they appear to go on sale continually, hitting a rock-bottom worth of $54.14. It’s one other scenario the place the precise worth that you’ll discover these earbuds at might nicely make them extra compelling than the OnePlus Buds 4.

We’ll allow you to in on a bit secret: you need not purchase the newest premium earbuds to get premium options. You can wait a pair years for the present mannequin to exit of manufacturing and seize it on a deep sale. Case in level, the Samsung Galaxy Buds3 Pro. These got here out in 2024 as top-of-the-line earbuds, and nonetheless have wonderful specs as we speak that might be extra engaging than the Buds 4.

For one, they’ve the complete suite of contact and pinch controls: swiping for quantity, pinching for playback, and so forth. None of the either-or, as we have seen to this point. They even have a a lot increased IP57 score. Being that they are Galaxy Buds, they provide unique advantages to house owners of Samsung units like prompt switching to different Galaxy units and “neck stretch” reminders. If you need to go even cheaper, you might attempt to purchase the Galaxy Buds2 Pro, the mannequin earlier than this one — still a great pair today. These may have considerably higher ANC provided that (despite the fact that they seem to be a couple years outdated), they had been Samsung’s greatest buds on the time.

When they got here out, the Galaxy Buds3 Pro earned stable critiques. Now, in fact, their largest promoting level is worth. On Amazon, you may at present discover them new for $134 from the official Samsung storefront. The worth has gone all the way down to as little as $119.99 on sale.

We need to reiterate that it’s much more troublesome to check earbuds one-to-one than different units. You merely can’t know which pair you’ll choose most till you put on them your self. Unless we did rigorous, managed, side-by-side testing, it might be not possible to confirm claims resembling “two instances higher ANC” or “thrice higher name high quality.” So as an alternative, we regarded for goal {hardware} variations that will add worth to a pair of earbuds — having Bluetooth 6.0, for instance, or a case that costs wirelessly.

In every occasion, we tried to seek out no less than two {hardware} benefits over the OnePlus Buds 4 earlier than we’d suggest them. Our worth had a most threshold of $160, although as you may see, generally it was at or under that. Each choice needed to have no less than one evaluation from knowledgeable reviewer outdoors of SlashGear. We’d additionally prefer to level out that though there are numerous choices in the marketplace, the higher finances to midrange scene appears principally dominated by manufacturers like Soundcore.

Finally, this listing just isn’t meant to counsel the OnePlus Buds 4 should not good earbuds. To the opposite, these acquired sturdy critiques after they got here out. But since OnePlus is out of the US market, persons are proper to be apprehensive about future {hardware} and software program assist — and so now you already know a couple of of the good options out there.