Headphones — OnePlus Buds 4

OnePlus released the Buds 4 in-ear model on 8 July 2025 at EUR 119. It combines a coaxial dual-driver layout, a dual DAC system and adaptive noise cancelling rated at up to 55 dB, with support for the high-resolution LHDC 5.0 codec over Bluetooth 5.4.

Key specs that matter

Each earbud houses an 11 mm woofer for bass and midrange and a 6 mm tweeter for the upper frequencies, arranged coaxially in one housing. A separate DAC drives each of the two drivers. With the charging case, total runtime reaches up to 45 hours in AAC mode with ANC off at 50% volume, or up to 24 hours with ANC on. Each bud alone gives up to 11 hours in AAC and 9 hours in LHDC without ANC, falling to about 6 and 5.5 hours with ANC active. The earbud batteries are 62 mAh each and the case holds 530 mAh. Codecs are SBC, AAC and LHDC 5.0 at up to 24-bit and 192 kHz. The IP55 rating covers dust and water resistance for the earbuds only, not the case. The woofer uses a 30-layer ceramic-metal diaphragm and the tweeter a flat diaphragm.

Engineering and use context

Noise cancelling has been upgraded over the Buds 3, with real-time adaptive ANC that adjusts to the surroundings, plus low, moderate and high fixed levels and a transparency mode. OnePlus also cites improved vocal noise cancellation in the 50 to 3,000 Hz band, which targets voices around the listener. Charging is by USB-C cable only, with no wireless charging. Multi-device pairing lets the earbuds stay linked to more than one source. A game mode reduces latency to 47 ms. The Sound Master EQ offers six-band customisation, and the Golden Sound feature runs a hearing test to build a personal profile. 3D audio is supported, and the alert volume can be adjusted. The ANC works across a 5,500 Hz bandwidth and adjusts 800 times per second. Three microphones per side - feed-forward, talk and feed-back - work with an AI Clear Call algorithm. A 10-minute charge gives 11 hours of playback. Steady Connect extends Bluetooth range, and Google Fast Pair, AI Translation on OxygenOS 15.0.1 or later, swipe volume control and Find My Earbuds are included. Colours are Zen Green and Storm Gray.

Pairing

LHDC 5.0 requires a phone that supports the codec, such as many Android models, while other devices will connect using AAC or SBC. Low latency mode helps in mobile games, and multi-device pairing helps when switching between a phone and a laptop.

Alternatives

The OnePlus Buds Pro 3 is the higher tier true wireless model in the range, launched with dual DACs, adaptive ANC and Dynaudio tuning.