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OnePlus brings flagship Buds Pro 2 to the US with support for head-tracked spatial audio

OnePlus brings flagship Buds Pro 2 to the US with support for head-tracked spatial audio

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Alongside the new OnePlus 11, the Oppo subbrand’s new flagship true wireless earbuds are getting an international launch.

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OnePlus Buds Pro 2 in black and green.
The earbuds are available in a choice of black or green.
Image: OnePlus

A little over a month after launching in China, OnePlus is bringing its flagship Buds Pro 2 true wireless earbuds to international markets alongside the OnePlus 11. The new earbuds cost $179 (£179 / €179) and will go on open sale on February 16th. 

One of the more interesting features of these earbuds is support for head-tracked spatial audio when used with the OnePlus 11. That means the earbuds can track the movement of your head in an attempt to make it sound like audio (either stereo or surround) is coming from a fixed point in space. Similar features have previously been available for Apple’s AirPods and Samsung’s Galaxy Buds Pro and are also coming to Google’s Pixel Buds Pro.

OnePlus follows Apple and Samsung in supporting spatial audio

In terms of sound quality, OnePlus is emphasizing the dual-driver design, which combines 6mm and 11mm drivers for “deeper, fuller, more textured dynamic bass and crisp, well-balanced highs.” As well as the default sound profile, there are three additional profiles to choose from to get the sound signature you’re after. That’s an improvement over the original OnePlus Buds Pro, which offered no EQ adjustments when we reviewed them in 2021.

Battery life has also seen a slight improvement over the original Buds Pro. Total battery life including the case now goes up to 39 hours with ANC turned off (up from 31 hours last time) or 25 hours with the ANC on (up from 23 hours). From the earbuds alone, you’re looking at up to six hours of playback with ANC on. That’s less than the eight hours you’ll get from Sony’s WF-1000XM4 with ANC on but in line with what the second-gen AirPods Pros offer with ANC. The Buds Pro 2 also include a transparency mode for when you want to hear the world around you.

Other features include noise cancellation of up to 48dB (with three different intensity levels to choose from), the ability to connect to two devices simultaneously, and an ear scanning feature that’s designed to create a tailored listening profile for your ears. There are three mics built into each earbud for calls and noise canceling, an IP55 rating for dust and water resistance (so don’t sweat getting a little sweat on them), and the earbuds are available in a choice of black or green.