OnePlus Buds are official – here's when you'll be able to see them
Coming July 21
The OnePlus Buds, long rumored and teased by the up-and-coming electronics brand, are finally being unveiled this coming July 21.
OnePlus made the announcement shortly after a teasing image of their past wireless earbuds models, leaving many to speculate that a true wireless iteration was shortly on its way – something we now know as fact.
UPDATE: OnePlus CEO Pete Lau has revealed a number of design details about the OnePlus Buds, including a 30-hour battery life, and why it's in-ear design should be comfortable for everyone. For more on the original announcement, though, read on below.
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In a press release, OnePlus stated that the OnePlus Buds would be "eliminating all wires for a truly freeing sound experience". It comes three years after the company's first Bluetooth earphone model offering, the OnePlus Bullets Wireless.
Given both the growth of the true wireless market and OnePlus' own fondness of incorporating Bluetooth into its products – even the OnePlus TV, currently exclusive to India and China – it's no surprise to see the company take their earbuds to the next level, cutting the cord entirely. There's still no pricing or imagery confirmed, though we've seen some leaked artist sketches circulate on Twitter.
What's even more interesting, though, is the timing of the unveiling.
Now you know the name. See our first truly wireless earphones July 21. #OnePlusBudsJuly 13, 2020
Launching with the OnePlus Nord
We've heard much in the previous weeks about the OnePlus Nord, a new affordably-priced smartphone from OnePlus that will also be formally unveiled on July 21, through an AR smartphone launch you can watch on your current handset (before you replace it with the Nord, of course). You can download the OnePlus Nord AR app for iOS or Android, and watch the launch at 10am EST / 7am PST / 3pm BST.
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OnePlus has a history of bundling together their Bullets audio products with their flagship phones, and it looks like the Nord will be no different. Given the tempered pricing and mid-range specs we expect from the Nord, though, it sounds like the OnePlus Buds may be a decent bit cheaper and lower-specified than a true Apple AirPods rival.
The chummy name and casual marketing around the Buds certainly angles them as an everyday earphone rather than an inaccessibly premium model, but we'll have to wait until July 21 to see how 'buddy' the pricing really is.
We're buds, right?July 13, 2020
Henry is a freelance technology journalist, and former News & Features Editor for TechRadar, where he specialized in home entertainment gadgets such as TVs, projectors, soundbars, and smart speakers. Other bylines include Edge, T3, iMore, GamesRadar, NBC News, Healthline, and The Times.