OnePlus is known for creating excellent quality products. One of its new products, the OnePlus Bullets Wireless Z has been launched a few days back alongside the OnePlus 8 series and is now selling online. OnePlus has been manufacturing its own earphones for over two years now. It launched its first OnePlus Bullets Wireless back in 2018 followed by the OnePlus Bullets Wireless 2 in 2019. The OnePlus Bullets Wireless 2 was a nice upgrade from the Wireless Bullets. The sound quality was improved and the quick-charging function particularly was liked by a lot of people. Now the OnePlus Bullets Z have arrived in the market and they are priced way lower than the previous OnePlus Bullets Wireless 2 earphones at just Rs 1,999, giving a tough competition to the likes of Realme Buds Wireless and Oppo Enco M31 which are retailing around the same price range. Here's our full review of the newly launched OnePlus Bullets Wireless Z.
OnePlus Bullets Wireless Z Review: Design and Comfort
If you like or love the neckband on your Bluetooth earphones, you will love the feel of OnePlus Bullets Wireless Z. They have a neckband which is quite useful and they don't fall into the truly wireless earphones category. When you are not listening to music, you can wear them around your neck and let them hang there while you do other activities. You don’t need to worry about keeping them inside a case or in the bag whatsoever. But if you are someone who wants a truly wireless earphone, then, unfortunately, the OnePlus Bullets Wireless Z is not for you.
The design of the Bullets Wireless Z is very close to that of the OnePlus Bullets Wireless 2. But while the Bullets Wireless 2 came with all the metal bits, the Bullets Wireless Z have replaced them with all the plastic in the body of the earphones. Given its pricing which is under Rs 2,000, we would say it is not that big of a compromise. It will be quite difficult for you to mark out huge differences between the design of the OnePlus Bullets Wireless Z and Bullets Wireless 2. I have been using the Bullets Wireless 2 for nearly a year now and noticed there's not a major difference when it comes to design.
The rubber band is made to fit perfectly at the back of your neck and feel comfortable to you. In the end, there are two plastic stalks present. The right side of the earphone has a power button that also acts as a button for pairing and switching between the multiple devices that you have paired your earphones with. The USB-C charging port for fast charging of your earphones is located here as well.
OnePlus has done an amazing job in making the earphones very comfortable as they fit in the ear-tips very easily and do not feel like a nudge in the ears at all. It will offer a seamless audio experience to you. Yet another feature that you will love of the earphones is that it has magnetic caps. Whenever you snap the earphones together, it will automatically switch-off, which comes in extremely handy.
OnePlus Bullets Wireless Z Review: Sound Quality
OnePlus never compromises on the quality of its products. Be it for its smartphones, TVs, or earphones, you will never see a compromise being made on the quality of the product for making it cheaper. It is the same with OnePlus Bullets Wireless Z, you will get absolutely top-notch quality with these earphones.
The OnePlus Bullets Wireless Z may feel like a higher-end version of the OnePlus Bullet Wireless 2 to you. But in reality, the OnePlus Bullets Wireless Z comes with a single 9.2mm driver whereas the Bullets Wireless 2 comes with dual 9.2mm drivers. So this directly impacts the sound that you get in both the earphones. That said, a single 9.2mm driver optimised with the Bullets Wireless Z still delivers an impressive performance.
Overall, we would say that OnePlus Bullets Wireless Z has a very unexciting or does not have a very crazy sound experience, which means it will feel warm to your ears. So basically, you will be able to wear the earphones and stream songs or audios for longer durations as your ears won’t tire as fast.
Vocals of the songs will come very clear to you, but at the same time, the lack of treble in the sound system will not give you the best guitar sound experience to you. The soundstage of the earphones isn’t exactly as good as the Bullets Wireless 2. When you play songs too loud, some of them may feel like they are playing right next to your ears. This is where Bullets Wireless 2 take the lead and offer a much expansive soundstage experience making the listening experience much better for you.
That said, under Rs 2,000, OnePlus Bullets Wireless Z offer a great sound quality. The panning audio will be fluid with the earphones. The Bullets Wireless Z comes with codecs — SBC and AAC. For streaming music and watching movies, it should feel pretty good. For the unaware, the Bullets Wireless 2 had support for aptX HD, but the Bullets Wireless Z lacks the same.
The microphone quality is quite nice as well. They are very clear to others when using apps such as Google Meet or Zoom for video calls.
OnePlus Bullets Wireless Z Review: Connectivity and Battery Life
Battery life is one of the most important aspects in determining whether an electronic product is good or not. Coming to the battery life of OnePlus Bullets Wireless Z, the earphones come with a promise of delivering over 20 hours of functioning in a single complete charge. You can potentially run it for two days before charging it again. Along with that, it also has a USB-C charging port which will facilitate fast charging of the earphone.
They support the Warp Charge. With a quick 10 minute charge, the OnePlus Bullets Wireless Z will give you a battery life worth 10 hours. This feature comes in handy when you are in a rush and you might need your earphones for a full day. A complete charge can be done under a minute only.
The Bullets Wireless Z has support for Bluetooth v5.0 and there were no connectivity issues during the entire three weeks of my usage. One feature which I loved the most is quick switching between two devices. Pressing the pairing button twice will disconnect the earphones from the current device and they will immediately pair to another device. This feature works flawlessly.
OnePlus Bullets Wireless Z Review: Verdict
The price of the OnePlus Bullets Wireless Z is Rs 1,999 which is under Rs 2,000. At this price segment, it is surely going to give a tough competition to other Bluetooth earphones. You can purchase these earphones if you can settle for the rubber band. It is not bad at all, it is very comfortable around your neck and you don’t have to worry about losing an earbud. It is not an upgrade over OnePlus Bullets Wireless 2, but it is still something which you can consider purchasing if you are looking for Bluetooth earphones under Rs 2,000.
