There are so many wireless earbuds. No, for real. As someone who tests out earbuds on a very regular basis, I can tell you firsthand just how crowded the market is. That’s fine if you’re easy and just want a pair of AirPods, but for anyone who wants to dig deeper into what’s out there—whether for design or compatibility reasons—a crowded field makes research a nightmare. And that research headache doubles when two pairs of earbuds are similarly priced.
Luckily, as someone who has used entirely too many pairs of earbuds, I’m here to help you sort through a crowded field that includes two pairs that may already be on your radar: the $130 OnePlus Buds 4 and the $150 Nothing Ear. While both of these pairs are similarly priced, there are some key differences that you might want to keep in mind before you pull the trigger—and it’s not just the look, either. Here’s my breakdown of which pair takes the cake, from one wireless earbud nerd to another.
See OnPlus Buds 4 at OnePlus.com
OnePlus Buds 4 vs. Nothing Ear: Design
While this may be obvious, these two pairs of earbuds look very different. That’s not surprising since Nothing has built a lot of its company around differentiating itself with see-through design, but it’s worth noting nonetheless.
Just like my AirPods Max vs. Headphone 1 comparison, the battle between the OnePlus Buds 4 and Nothing Ear is a fight between minimalism and distinct aesthetics. Which one appeals to you is very subjective, but if you’re in the market for the latter, then the Nothing Ear will likely be your frontrunner here. Like Nothing’s previous wireless earbuds, the Nothing Ear incorporates a transparent design that showcases some internal components. It’s subtle but definitely sets the earbuds apart from a sea of AirPods and AirPods lookalikes. I personally love the emphasis on transparency, which evokes old Game Boys and those see-through LAN lines kids in the ’90s had in their bedrooms. With that said, style mileage (styleage?) may vary depending on your taste.
The OnePlus Buds 4, while I criticized them for looking boring, may appeal to the more minimalist-minded. They’re sleek and smooth and very unlikely to stand out when you’re wearing them, which is a benefit depending on what you’re looking for. If you want something flashier, Nothing Ear is the clear winner. If you want wireless earbuds that fade into the background, the OnePlus Buds 4 win. I personally give Nothing points here for trying something new that also feels stylish and not obtuse, so the Ear wins this round. Sorry, OnePlus, but you’ve got to give me something if you’re going to beat Nothing.
Winner: Nothing Ear
OnePlus Buds 4 vs. Nothing Ear: Sound
In wireless earbuds, like in life, looks only get you so far. Probably (hopefully) a big factor in your decision to buy one pair over another will be sound. This is where things get interesting. While there’s not a huge difference out of the box for these two pairs of earbuds, each company puts its own spin on the software side of things that makes a noticeable difference.
Sound-wise, the OnePlus Buds 4 deliver quality, especially when it comes to bass. Though some bassy wireless earbuds can sound over-simulated to a degree, I found that the OnePlus Buds 4 have a more natural-sounding low end. The secret sauce to the OnePlus Buds 4 is using its app-based ear tuning that adjusts frequencies to your specific hearing. After you take the ear test, that’s when these things really sing. I was able to hear mids and highs much better amid the bass and low end. It’s not that it was muddy with the out-of-the-box balanced tuning, but there’s no beating having each frequency tailored to your ears.
To its credit, Nothing has its own ear tuning through the Nothing X app, but I find the results (while better than the out-of-the-box sound) to be less drastically different than OnePlus. That being said, the Nothing Ear still have solid sound thanks to its ceramic drivers—a perk that is not present in the Ear A. Highs and mids get a boost after taking the Nothing X hearing test, but they don’t sound as augmented as using OnePlus’ version. Also, while low end is important to everyone who wears wireless earbuds, OnePlus definitely offers more on that front.
Still, I think with the better software calibration, my point goes to the OnePlus Buds 4. Software-assisted or not, more nuanced sound is hard to beat, and OnePlus brings more to the party in this case.
Winner: OnePlus Buds 4
OnePlus Buds 4 vs. Nothing Ear: Comfort
While there’s not as much comfort variation in wireless earbuds compared to headphones, it’s still worth noting how they fit, even if ear shapes and sizes vary wildly. In my experience, no news is good news on the comfort/fit front, and that’s exactly what’s happening with this showdown’s competition.
Both the OnePlus Buds 4 and the Nothing Ear come with varied ear tip sizes (small, medium, and large), so you should be able to get one that suits you. That isn’t special in the world of wireless earbuds, but more of a basic checklist. The eartips on both pairs are made of silicone, which again, is pretty standard. Ultimately, there’s not much to note with the fit and feel of either of the buds, which is probably a good thing. Given that, I’m going to have to call this one a draw.
Winner: Tie
See OnPlus Buds 4 at OnePlus.com
OnePlus Buds 4 vs. Nothing Ear: Battery Life and Features
In my experience testing out a lot of wireless earbuds, battery life seems to be stuck at a ceiling for most pairs that use active noise cancellation (ANC). That ceiling is around 6 hours when ANC is activated (I use the ANC numbers here because you’re probably going to have ANC on most of the time). Both the OnePlus Buds 4 and Nothing Ear arrive near that ceiling, but one pair has a slight edge, and the point here goes to OnePlus.
The Nothing Ear are rated for 5 hours of battery life with ANC outside the case, and the OnePlus Buds 4 are rated for 6 hours. I’ve been using the Nothing Ear since their release and can corroborate those numbers, though sometimes I’ll get slightly shorter battery life depending on volume (that’s just the way things go in wireless audio). While I haven’t used the OnePlus Buds 4 for quite as long, in my experience, they get that 6 hours of rated battery life, giving them a one-hour edge over the Nothing Ear.
These buds have a similar feature set: they both have adaptive ANC, personalized audio, a companion app for granular EQ tuning, spatial audio, and support all the same formats for hi-res streaming. The OnePlus Buds 4 do have a dedicated long-range mode if you plan on using your wireless earbuds further away from your device. I don’t suspect that will be a deciding factor for most people, but it’s still nice to have. As I mentioned previously, I think the personalized ear tuning on the OnePlus Buds 4 is slightly better than on the Nothing Ear, so that’s another point for OnePlus.
One difference to note here is in the on-earbud controls. While Nothing Ear uses pinch controls that require you to squeeze the earbuds to skip tracks, play/pause, and turn ANC on or off, the OnePlus Buds 4 opt for tap and swipe controls. I personally prefer the latter because they feel more gentle and refined, but that will come down to preference. With those differences noted, I’m going to have to go with OnePlus in this category for having slightly better battery life and a slightly larger feature set.
Winner: OnePlus Buds 4
OnePlus Buds 4 vs. Nothing Ear: ANC
One of the most interesting battlegrounds for any pair of wireless earbuds is noise cancellation. While ANC isn’t crucial for every pair (open earbuds, for example), wireless earbuds are built to cancel out noise particularly well because they create a tight seal around your ear canal. Given the ability to cancel noise naturally and artificially, it’s important to know which pair has the best ANC numbers.
And in this case—sorry, Nothing fans—OnePlus Buds 4 win again. The Nothing Ear is rated for 45 dB of noise cancellation and the OnePlus Buds 4 can cancel up to 55 dB. Having used both, I’m willing to say that number does make a perceptible difference. It’s not glaring by any means, but you get more ambient noise bleed while wearing the Nothing Ear compared to the OnePlus Buds 4. My subway rides just sound a little more like the subway when I’m wearing the Nothing Ear.
Both wireless earbuds offer adaptive ANC, and you can select levels of ANC manually in an app, so feature-wise they’re in a tie, but if you’re looking for the maximum amount of noise cancellation, there’s a clear winner in the OnePlus Buds 4.
Winner: OnePlus Buds 4
Bottom Line
While these two pairs of wireless earbuds are similar in a lot of ways, there are some small but key differences in their features, ANC, and design. Some of that will come down to preference—I like how the Nothing Ear looks, but you may not—and other aspects are more objective. If you’re looking for better ANC, more features, and a better personalized EQ, then OnePlus Buds 4 are your pick.
If you’re looking for wireless earbuds that stand out and still offer a fairly rich feature set—even if not everything is the best of the best—then Nothing Ear are a solid pick. I’m still going with the Nothing Ear here, even though they retail for $20 more at $150 versus $130 for the OnePlus Buds 4, just because I love the look, but not everyone is as vain as I am. If you’re more substance over style, do yourself a favor and pick up the OnePlus Buds 4, which are a great pair of wireless earbuds for the value, albeit pretty boring to look at.
