Is the Nothing Ear 3 worth the upgrade from the OnePlus Buds Pro 4?
Verdict
Downgrade
The Nothing Ear 3 actually scores 6.0 points below the OnePlus Buds Pro 4, so on aggregate review consensus this is a step backwards. It loses ground on value (9.0 to 8.0) and sound (8.5 to 8.0). On paper: driver size 11 mm to 12 mm and microphones 3 to 6. Worth checking: battery life goes 13 h to 10 h and weight goes 4.73 g to 10.4 g. One caution: this steps down a line tier (Buds Pro 4 to Ear 3), and base models usually trade away tier features - check the codec and ANC rows above before trusting the score gap alone. And it costs $31 more for a lower score, which is hard to justify on the data alone. Only worth it if a specific feature above matters more to you than overall quality does.
What actually changes
Sub-scores both products have, on the same 0-10 scale. Bars extend right for a gain, left for a loss.
- Sound8.58.0
- Noise cancelling8.07.5
- Battery8.58.0
- Calls7.57.0
- Value9.08.0
Spec differences
Only where the two genuinely differ - everything they share is omitted.
| Spec | Buds Pro 4 | Ear 3 | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|
| Battery life | 13 h | 10 h | |
| Codecs | SBC, AAC, LHDC 5.0 | SBC, AAC, LDAC | |
| Weight | 4.73 g | 10.4 g | |
| Water resistance | IP55 | IP54 | |
| Battery life (ANC on) | 7 h | 5.5 h | |
| Battery incl. case | 54 h | 38 h | |
| Driver size | 11 mm | 12 mm | |
| Microphones | 3 | 6 | |
| Case weight | 50.62 g | 71.4 g | |
| ANC type | adaptive | hybrid | |
| Quick charge | 10 min = 11 hours playback | 5 min = 10 h | |
| Driver | dual drivers; 11mm woofer + 6mm tweeter | dynamic | |
| Frequency response | 10 Hz - 40 kHz | 20 Hz - 40 kHz |
About this verdict
Direction matters here: this page answers "Buds Pro 4 to Ear 3". The other direction is a separate question with a different answer. Scores blend published review verdicts across true wireless and shift as new reviews land, so a marginal call today may not be one next quarter.