OnePlus Buds OUTGUN Apple AirPods in this key area

OnePlus Buds offer double the charge in less time, and don't need a special charger or cables unlike the AirPods

OnePlus Buds
(Image credit: OnePlus)
Shabana Arif
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OnePlus' upcoming truly wireless earbuds - the OnePlus Buds - will be making their debut next week at the OnePlus Nord AR launch event on July 21. We've only had the briefest of glimpses at the headphones so far, but OnePlus has done a great job of drumming up interest in the run-up to the launch.

Now, in an exclusive interview, OnePlus Buds' Project Manager, Jay Liu, has dropped a handful of details about the earbuds, and it sounds like Apple's AirPods are going to have some stiff competition.

Talking to TechRadar, Liu explained that the earbuds will support OnePlus' Warp Charge which can juice up the Buds from zero to 10 hours playback time in an impressive 10 minutes. Apple's Airpods, on the other hand, take 15 minutes of charging to amass just five hours of playback time. 

What's more, you don't need a special proprietary cable or charger to fast charge - as long you have a 10W charger (minimum) lying around, you're good to go!  Liu explained that in spite of its zippy charging speeds, the OnePlus Buds will cap charging at 5v 1.5A; this is to prevent damage to the case's 430mA Lithium Ion battery. 

The OnePlus Buds' case offers over 20 hours of battery life, and coupled with the earbuds' charge of "over seven hours of continuous use" as stated on the OnePlus blog (via TechRadar), that makes for a whopping 30+ hours of use before you have to think about juicing them up again. Meanwhile Apple's AirPods can manage around 24 hours total.  

The cost is set to be lower than the Airpods too - something OnePlus is making achievable by not frittering money away in areas that aren't absolutely necessary. Liu revealed that the OnePlus Buds won't support wireless charging straight out of the box, saying, "That would add to the cost of the earbuds." 

While he didn't offer a price, from the interview, TechRadar speculates that the OnePlus Buds will most likely be around the $99/£99 mark. With just a few days left before their official launch, we'll find out soon enough!  

Source: TechRadar

Shabana Arif
Shabana Arif

Shabana worked at T3.com as News Editor covering tech and gaming, and has been writing about video games for almost a decade (and playing them since forever). She's had bylines at major gaming sites during her freelance career before settling down here at T3, and has podcasts, streaming, and video content under her belt to boot. Outside of work, she also plays video games and should really think about expanding her hobbies. If you have any tech or gaming tips, shoot over an email or DM her on social media.

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