OnePlus Bullets Wireless Z2 Review: Good One at Under Rs 2,000

Although OnePlus’ most recent launch event was expectedly focused on the OnePlus 10 Pro, the company also launched a new product in its Bullets wireless audio range. Unlike the Buds lineup of truly wireless headsets, the Bullets models sport a more traditional design with earpieces that are connected via a band. This style might seem dated in the age of truly wireless earphones, but OnePlus’ latest wireless neckband headset hopes to win over buyers with its focus on getting the basics right.

Priced at under Rs. 1,999, the OnePlus Bullets Wireless Z2 isn’t very expensive but promises a decent set of features and capable functionality for the price. The successor to the OnePlus Bullets Wireless Z, the new Bullets Wireless Z2 appears to be quite similar, save for a couple of small differences.

Is this the best neckband wireless headset you can buy for less than Rs. 2,000 right now? Find out in this review

The Bullets Wireless Z2 is the latest pair of in-ear wireless earbuds from OnePlus. Unlike many of the company’s recent launches, the Bullets Wireless Z2 returns to the neckband design that the company started in 2018. The Bullets Wireless Z2 is an entry-level product and is currently only sold in India.

Also, Read 5 Best Smartwatches Under 2000 In India.

Box Content –

The neckband comes packed inside a hard carton box – inside the box, all the items are well distributed in a secure place.

• User manual.
• USB Type-C cable.
• A different set of ear tips.
• One Wireless Z2.

OnePlus Buds Z2 Review: Features and Things that Impressed Me!

It is the cool kid on the block. For a very affordable price, it can offer ANC with multiple setting adjustments with ‘Dolby Atmos support. It pairs with a OnePlus device like magic. It is really fast and quickly scans if there’s a OnePlus smartphone nearby. Re-pairing it with any other device isn’t hard either. All it takes is a couple of seconds, and it is paired and ready to go.

Then the earbud functions are easy to understand too. With just a single tap on the top of the earbud, you can play/pause music or pick up and disconnect calls. Further, with a double tap, you can move forward through the playlist to another song, while with three taps, you can restart the song.

Packing all of this into such an affordable TWS earphone, I must say, OnePlus has done a good job.

Design –

The Bullets Wireless Z2 design is largely identical to that of the Bullets Wireless Z Bass Edition. The neckband terminates in two chunky columns that have the cables jutting out their ends.

The left column houses the controls for volume and media playback. The middle button is a bit overworked here; you can press it once to play/pause your music or answer/end your calls. Press it twice to skip to the next song and thrice to go back to the previous one. Press and hold the button to initiate pairing.

The buttons have a nice clicky feel and work reliably. However, they are a bit too far apart, so you have to hunt around for them before you find the one you are looking for. Even if your thumb does land on a button, it’s difficult to tell which one it is without sliding it up and down to place it among the trio. It would have been better if all three buttons had fit within the width of the thumb.

The chunky design of the Bullets Wireless Z2 can be a bit irritating. It’s not particularly large but still feels like it takes up too much space around your neck. It’s also one of the heavier models I’ve used and I can always feel its presence around my neck.

The build quality and finish of the headset are very good. The rubber feels pliant and durable, and the plastics all have a quality feel. The rubber for the cables is also striated. The headset is also IP55 rated, so it can survive being splashed with water.

Comfort –

The Bullets Wireless Z2 is a comfortable headset. The ear tips are made out of soft rubber and have the oval design found on the OnePlus Buds Pro and Buds Z2. They fit the ears well and can stay there for hours without being uncomfortable.

As mentioned before, the only annoyance is the neckband hanging around your neck, which is just a tad thicker and heavier than it should have been.

Software –

The Bullets Wireless Z2 does not have dedicated companion software. On OnePlus phones, you do get a dedicated info screen for them but there’s nothing here to adjust. Also, even though you can see the firmware version here, there isn’t any way to update it

Bigger drivers on the OnePlus Bullets Wireless Z2

Much like the Bullets Wireless 2 and the Bullets Wireless Z before it, the OnePlus Bullets Bullets Z2 has a familiar and ‘safe’ design.  The flexible neckband, the familiar shape of the earpieces, and the short cables running from the ends of the neckband to the earpieces make this headset easily identifiable to those familiar with the brand.

That said, there are some visible differences with the OnePlus Bullets Wireless Z2, such as the lack of an in-line remote and microphone. The buttons for volume, playback, voice assistant activation, and pairing are now placed on the left module of the neckband. The ear tips have also gotten slightly smaller. I found the fit and usage experience to be largely the same with the Z2 as with its predecessor, including the comfort and noise isolation levels, which I thought were very good. The earphones are IP55 rated for dust and water resistance.

The underside of the left module has the USB Type-C port for charging, while the right is bare save for a OnePlus logo. As with its predecessor, the OnePlus Bullets Wireless Z2 can be powered on or off by simply separating two earpieces, which are held together with magnets. This could lead to the headphones accidentally turning on unintended, particularly when stored in a backpack or purse, as the earpieces could separate with a bit of jostling.

A big advantage of the large drivers shows in the volume levels, with the OnePlus Bullets Wireless Z2 sounding impressively loud even at the 50 percent volume mark. This naturally meant that I rarely needed to go up to even the 80 percent level, which would be the bearable threshold on most wireless headphones.

Performance –

Audio Quality –

The Bullets Wireless Z2 has relatively large 12.4mm drivers. They connect over Bluetooth 5.0 and support SBC and AAC codecs.

The tonality of the sound is similar to OnePlus’ recent products, with neutral–leaning mids and treble and over-the-top bass.

The bass response on the Bullets Wireless Z2 is garish. It has an exaggerated upper and mid-bass response, which can be overbearing. The bass is tolerable when listening at lower volumes but becomes genuinely fatiguing at higher volumes, not to mention obnoxious and overpowering over the rest of the frequency response.

It’s not that this doesn’t work for some tracks or genres. Indeed, some music can sound significantly more exciting when you throw this much bass at it. But sometimes you just want to lie down and listen to some relaxing tunes or a podcast, which can be difficult to do when the speakers are constantly in party mode.

This is a shame because the mid-range is quite good. Vocals have a smooth and mellow timbre that’s very pleasing to listen to. Instruments have a similarly pleasant tonality to them, with everything from the piano to the guitar coming through quite well.

To top it off, the treble performance is great as well. It shares some of the mellowness of the mid-range so there’s no unwanted harshness or sibilance at the cost of some air and brilliance. However, it still comes across as detailed and articulate without being dark or muddy.

In terms of technical performance, Bullets Wireless Z2 has a moderate level of resolution and detail in the sound. This usually comes down to the choice of drivers used rather than the codec, although a higher bit rate codec couldn’t have hurt. Imaging and sound staging was unobjectionable and offered some space and directionality to the sound which made the overall presentation pleasant to listen to.

The Bullets Wireless Z2 gets sufficiently loud, with the maximum volume being uncomfortable to listen to on all but the quietest of recordings.

Microphone –

The microphone performance on the Bullets Wireless Z2 is good. There is audible compression when speaking even in quiet environments but voices still sound relatively clear with good tonality. In noisier environments, the AI scene-model algorithm does a good job of reducing ambient sounds and prioritizing the voice, which sounds fairly similar to speaking in quiet environments.

Latency –

OnePlus claims a latency of a minimum of 94ms when paired with select OnePlus phones, although it fails to mention which exact OnePlus phones, how the headset achieves this lower latency, and what the latency is with other devices.

During my testing, the latency performance was good for watching videos as the delay was barely noticeable when paired with an iPhone. Latency on Android was notably higher when using AAC and the audio also took longer to sync when unpausing or skipping but was fine when using SBC.

The latency in applications was poor. Games and music apps demonstrated notable delay, with apps like piano players having almost half a second of latency after a key was pressed. As usual, I would recommend wired audio if latency is important to you or if you want to use the microphone while gaming.

Connectivity –

The Bullets Wireless Z2 had minor connectivity issues during my testing. When testing with Apple Music on an iPhone XR, there would be moments where it would sound like the player would skip or rush past certain segments of the track, especially at the beginning. Adjusting the volume on the iPhone would also occasionally result in pauses in sound.

With a OnePlus 10 Pro, the phone would frequently lose sync between audio and video while watching YouTube videos, and it would take several seconds before the two synced again.

Fit and comfort are two of the most important aspects consumers consider when buying a new pair of earbuds. Most earbuds at this price often struggle to offer a good fit and comfortable experience but the Bullets Wireless Z2 is different from them. The earbuds fit perfectly and don’t fall out even during workout sessions or while taking a long walk. The Bullets Wireless Z2 comes with three ear tips in total.

The Bluetooth range between the devices is somewhere around 30 feet, which is also usually the case with most earbuds at this price. So, if you are going from one room to another, it is better to take your phone along.

It’s hard to say who’s at fault here, as neither phone demonstrates these issues with other headsets nor does the Bullets Wireless Z2 have these issues with other devices.

Aside from that, there were no other problems with connectivity.

Battery –

The Bullets Wireless Z2 has exceptional battery life. During my battery drain test, the headset ran continuously for 28.5 hours, which is very close to the 30 hours claimed by OnePlus. After a ten-minute charge, the headset went on for 20.4 hours, which is just over the 20 hours claimed by the company. With normal use, the headset should last well over a week on a single charge.

Fast charging is present on the OnePlus Bullets Wireless Z2. A 10–minute charge is claimed to get the battery level to 70 percent, which should be enough for 20 hours of listening time. In my experience, the earphones took around 20 minutes to charge fully, making this among the fastest-charging wireless neckband-style earphones you can buy right now.

Should you buy the OnePlus Bullets Wireless Z2?

The OnePlus Bullets Wireless Z2 is surely one of the best wireless neckbands available in the market for Rs 2,000. So, if you are looking for decent earbuds for day-to-day usage, this one is worth spending on. However, if you already own the previous generation Bullets Wireless, there’s no need to upgrade. In case you are looking for a good wireless neckband with noise cancellation, there’s the Realme Buds Wireless 2 which also includes the LDAC Bluetooth codec at Rs 2,299.

Overall, the OnePlus Bullets Wireless Z2 offers better bass and fits very comfortably in the ear. Though there’s no noise cancellation, the larger drives ensure to eliminate the unwanted background noise in both indoor and outdoor situations. It also offers excellent battery backup, not as much as the company claims but still very decent for the price. The fast-charging support is the icing on the cake.

Pros OnePlus Bullets Wireless Z2 –

• Good audio quality.
• IP55 ratings for dust and water resistance.
• Long battery life with fast charging.

Cons OnePlus Bullets Wireless Z2 –

• No LDAC or aptX audio codec.
• No dedicated low-latency mode.
• No dual-device pairing.

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Also, Read Best Headphones Under 2000 in India.

Conclusion: Final Verdict –

The OnePlus Bullets Wireless Z2 is priced at INR 1999, which is only about $26. For that price, you are getting a good product overall, with the good build quality, comfort, and microphone performance. The battery life, in particular, is excellent.

Where the headset disappoints is in audio quality. OnePlus went from making balanced-sounding headsets to obnoxious bass cannons over the past few releases, and the Bullets Wireless Z2 is perhaps the worst offender. It’s like they figured out a while back that people like bass and haven’t stopped turning that knob since even though it’s starting to get silly. I would gladly recommend a Non–Bass Edition if they ever were to make one because I don’t have any major complaints about the sound otherwise.

But of course, if that’s your preference, then you will find plenty to like with the Bullets Wireless Z2.

PRICE-

At Rs 1,999, the OnePlus Bullets Wireless Z2 is an easy recommendation for anyone looking for a reliable neckband option in the market. It offers an excellent value-for-money proposition. The build quality, comfort, and battery performance are top-notch.

Coming to the audio performance, the OnePlus Bullets Wireless Z2 offers a balanced music experience. Though, we agree that the bass overkill spoils the fun slightly. With the neckband being slightly heavier this time, we experienced discomfort using the OnePlus Bullets Wireless Z2 for more than a couple of hours.

At this price, there are not many options that we can recommend. However, we are confident that you cannot go wrong with the OnePlus Bullets Wireless Z2 in all probability, at this price

The OnePlus Buds Z2 can be a very good and appealing option for people looking for a strong performer in the budget segment. If you have a knack for listening to music with high bass, the OnePlus Buds Z2 can be your perfect buddy.

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