The OnePlus Buds Pro 2 are my favorite gym buds

Finding the right pair of earphones to accompany you at the gym is critical. The right fit, the perfect amount of bass, and the ability to cut out background noise are essential for getting an optimum workout in. As a marathon runner and amateur fitness enthusiast, adrenaline-pumping metal, and pace-setting drums and bass music is my fuel. I always seek the best true wireless earphones to enhance my workout experience. Lately, the OnePlus Buds Pro 2 have been my gym buds. Here’s why.

The OnePlus Buds Pro 2 doesn’t stray too far from conventional true wireless earphones when it comes to design, but why change what works? Instead, OnePlus has focussed on everyday usability. The ergonomic fit guarantees that the earphones stay securely in my ear as I crunch miles on the treadmill. I switched to the included medium-sized interchangeable ear tips to ensure a more secure fit and cut out ambient noise.

Similarly, the pinch-to-control gestures come in clutch in the middle of workouts. Look, I sweat a fair bit during a workout, and gesture controls do not respond well to sweaty, grimy hands. With the OnePlus Buds Pro 2, I can easily pinch the stem to pause playback. Easy!

Another feature I’ve taken for granted is the IP55 dust and water resistance. Having dropped the earphones in a puddle during an over-enthusiastic monsoon training session, I can attest that the earphones can handle a splash just fine.

Of course, a great fit is meaningless if the earphones lack the chops to get me pumped up during a heavy lifting session. Thankfully, the OnePlus Buds Pro 2 excels at precisely that. The out-of-the-box sound signature is tuned to be bass-heavy without being overwhelming. It makes listening to my preferred drum and bass music enjoyable and helps keep the momentum going at the gym.

I’m also a big fan of the excellent noise cancelation. My gym’s choice of music is far from excellent, and I don’t care to hear other gymgoers grunting while lifting weights. The 48dB of noise cancelation is more than adequate to dull the ambient noise. Picking out the correct ear tip size further improved the noise cancelation. Of course, it won’t entirely cut out background noise, but with the volume cranked up to 50 %, I’m wrapped up in my own blanket of sound.

Looking to speak to someone at the gym, though? I’m better off taking off the OnePlus Buds Pro 2 because their transparency mode isn’t that good. The company’s algorithms aren’t perfect, and all too often, it would pipe in background music at an elevated level or make my gym buddy sound painfully loud. The hit-or-miss nature of the implementation means that I keep it turned off for the most part.

For all its pros, my favorite feature of the OnePlus Buds Pro 2 is the battery life and charging speed. The earphones are rated for six hours of battery life and I can usually go a couple of days without having to charge them up.

The company’s phenomenal fast-charging capabilities make a showing here as well. It takes a mere ten minutes of charge to eke out ten hours of battery life from the OnePlus Buds Pro 2 and its case. It’s come in handy more often than once when I forgot to put the earphones on charge and was rushing out to the gym. By the time I’ve driven ten minutes to the gym, the earphones have enough juice to go a couple of days.

Gym accidents happen, and I’ve already gone through a few pairs of earphones that got stepped on or, worse still, lodged between heavy weights at the gym. It helps that the OnePlus Buds Pro 2 isn’t the priciest pair of earphones on the market, and replacing them wouldn’t pinch your wallet too badly. In fact, you can save $80 off the list price this Black Friday to snag them for just $99. At the price, minor inconveniences like the less-than-stellar transparency mode and iffy spatial audio performance are much easier to stomach. If you’ve been looking for a new pair of earphones for the gym, I’d highly recommend giving the OnePlus Buds Pro 2 a shot.