OnePlus Nord Buds show up in live photos with unique, probably budget-conscious design

Ben Schoon | Apr 4 2022 - 9:05 am PT

OnePlus has had a handful of entries in the audio space, with some hits and some misses. Now, it appears the brand has another option coming in the “OnePlus Nord Buds” which just showed up at a regulatory office.

Live photos of the OnePlus Nord Buds made their way through the FCC this week, as spotted by MySmartPrice. The images have, from what we can tell, since been removed from the listing.

The design seen in the handful of images matches up virtually identically with previous CAD-based renders from @OnLeaks. The design of the buds themselves is certainly unique compared to the rest of OnePlus’ lineup. Where the OnePlus Buds, Buds Pro, and Buds Z series have all pretty much adopted designed similar to Apple’s AirPods, the Nord Buds appear to go in a different route with an eartip that extends out to a flat area. The case, too, ditches the curvy nature of other OnePlus earbuds in exchange for a flatter look.

In the FCC photos, we can see that the buds come with a red charging cable, in contrast to the black and gold color of the buds and their case. The listing also confirms the model number E505A.

There’s not much to be gathered about these earbuds based on their photos alone, but it seems very likely that they’ll end up a budget-focused product. After all, the Nord smartphone lineup is OnePlus’ reach into the budget-conscious market. A specific release date is unknown for this product, but passing through the FCC is certainly a strong hint that it isn’t too far away, and that the product will likely be available in the US.