Why I recommend these OnePlus earbuds over pricier models (including AirPods) – and they’re on sale

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OnePlus is holding a new sales event at its official website, with the company discounting many of its products — including the OnePlus Buds 4<!–>.

If you enter the code “BACK2COLLEGE” at checkout, you’ll receive a $30 discount on the OnePlus Buds 4, dropping its price from $130 to an even $100. This deal applies to both the Zen Green and Storm Gray color options. With your purchase, you’ll receive a charging case for the buds, a Type-C Charging Cable, and three pairs of eartips, ranging from small to large.

Also: I finally found a pair of earbuds that drown out my noisy commute (and they’re $99)

The OnePlus Buds 4 technically aren’t the company’s flagship earbuds (that honor still belongs to the OnePlus Buds Pro 3), but they do give high-end models a run for their money. ZDNET contributor Prakhar Khanna reviewed the earbuds in July, praising them for their “top-notch ANC (active noise cancellation) performance and… comfortable fit.”

According to Khanna, the ANC feature is “on par” with the OnePlus Buds Pro 3, “muffling street noise as well as the plane engine on a recent flight.” They also have a new “dual DAC (digital-to-analog converter) system” powering each speaker. As a result, these earbuds “are tuned to be bass-heavy”. Lower frequencies receive a significant boost, while the rest of the output is more balanced. High frequencies don’t pierce the ear, and “mids are pleasant”.

OnePlus also made several design changes. The earbuds are now more comfortable to wear and sport a flatter stem, “a design element taken from the Nords Buds lineup.” Thanks to these tweaks, the OnePlus Buds 4 fit well inside the ear and won’t fall off.

There are some drawbacks, however. The new design places the touch-sensitive area on the outside part of the stem, so the devices move a little while making swipe gestures. Khanna said he had to hold the OnePlus Buds 4–> in place just to swipe on them.

How I rated this deal

As per ZDNET’s rating system, I give the base deal a score of 3/5 — $30 off these earbuds is a nearly 25% discount. It’s a sizable price drop, and quite notable since the OnePlus Buds 4 were released just a couple of months ago. So far, it appears that this is the first time these earbuds have been on sale. At the moment, the devices are at their lowest price yet.

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