OnePlus’s next cheap wireless earbuds don’t look that different from its last pair

New details about the upcoming OnePlus Nord Buds 2 have been revealed – and so far the differences with their predecessors appear to be only skin-deep

The original OnePlus Nord Buds can’t compete with the very best wireless earbuds out there, but they’re not trying to be amazing. Instead, they’re designed to offer great value for money – and they deliver, offering solid sound and impressive battery life for a relatively low price of $39 / £49 (about AU$55), which is why we gave them a four-and-a-half-star score in our review.

So, even though they aren’t sonically on a par with the likes of Sony’s WF-1000XM4 earbuds, we’re nevertheless excited to hear that OnePlus has plans to release the follow-up OnePlus Nord Buds 2. However, details revealed in a regulatory filing in the US suggest they won’t be much of an upgrade – at least where the battery is concerned.

Documents filed with the Federal Communications Commission (opens in new tab) (FCC) reveal that the OnePlus Nord Buds 2 will boast a 41mAh battery capacity, and their case will use a 480mAh cell, both of which are the same size as in the original Nord Buds. This certainly isn’t the end of the world – the battery life of OnePlus’s first Nord Buds was one of their best qualities – but we always like to see follow-up products offer an improvement over what came before.

Another minor gripe we have is that the case used by the Nord Buds 2 looks set to be just as annoyingly bulky as the original case. We’d have loved to see the new Nord Buds get a sleeker case that can be more easily slipped into a pocket, but that doesn’t appear to be the… case.

The only change that has been revealed is that the Nord Buds 2 will have a slightly different design. Based on images in the FCC filing, unlike the original Nord Buds the Buds 2 don’t have a stem – they have a circular nub at the bottom instead.

With this filing having been submitted, it likely won’t be too long before we find out more about the Nord Buds 2; however, and design aside, if the price and audio quality don’t see any improvements over what’s come before, you can expect us to keep recommending the originals – especially if they get a price drop when the new buds launch.