Is the OnePlus Buds 3 worth the upgrade from the Realme Buds Air8 Pro?
Verdict
Downgrade
The OnePlus Buds 3 actually scores 10.7 points below the Realme Buds Air8 Pro, so on aggregate review consensus this is a step backwards. It loses ground on noise cancelling (8.4 to 6.0) and value (9.2 to 8.0). On paper: case weight 53 g to 40.8 g. Worth checking: battery life goes 12 h to 10 h and bluetooth goes 6.1 to 5.3. One caution: this steps down a line tier (Buds Air8 Pro to Buds 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 $24 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.
- Sound8.48.0
- Noise cancelling8.46.0
- Battery7.27.0
- Calls8.58.0
- Value9.28.0
Spec differences
Only where the two genuinely differ - everything they share is omitted.
| Spec | Buds Air8 Pro | Buds 3 | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|
| Battery life | 12 h | 10 h | |
| Bluetooth | 6.1 | 5.3 | |
| Battery incl. case | 50 h | 44 h | |
| Latency | 45 ms | 94 ms | |
| Case weight | 53 g | 40.8 g | |
| Wear detection | Yes | No | |
| ANC type | adaptive | hybrid | |
| Quick charge | 10 min → 11 h | 10 min → 7 h | |
| Frequency response | 20 Hz - 20 kHz | 15 Hz - 40 kHz |
About this verdict
Direction matters here: this page answers "Buds Air8 Pro to Buds 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.