The OnePlus Bullets Wireless Z are entry-level Bluetooth earphones, built upon OnePlus’s philosophy of offering a unique product experience at a competitive price. Launched alongside the OnePlus 8 series in April, the new wireless neckband earbuds retain some of the key features of the more premium Bullets Wireless 2 while also bringing improvements of its own. Priced at just ₹1,999 or $49.95, the Bullets Wireless Z are among the most value-for-money Bluetooth wireless earbuds available on the market right now—at least on paper. But do they live up to its spec sheet? We find out in this review.
OnePlus Bullets Wireless Z: Specifications
| Specification | Bullets Wireless Z |
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| Battery & Charging |
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| In The Box |
Sound & Call QualityThe similarity between the Bullets Wireless 2 and Bullets Wireless Z stops at visuals, though. There’s a stark difference between the two earphones when it comes to audio quality and driver setup—not surprising when we take into account the price gap. The Bullets Wireless 2 featured two Knowles-balanced armature drivers that handled vocals and treble and a 10mm dynamic driver that took care of the bass. The Bullets Wireless Z doesn’t enjoy the same luxury due to its tighter price envelope and only features a single 9.2mm dynamic driver. Not only do the Bullets Wireless Z have an inferior driver setup, but they also leave out the high-quality Bluetooth codecs such as aptX HD and LDAC. You only get AAC and SBC codecs, a definite step down from the Bullets Wireless 2 which boasts aptX HD support. All of the abovementioned codecs offer higher bitrate throughput and lower latency compared to AAC and SBC. For what it’s worth, OnePlus says the earphones do support the Low Latency mode on OnePlus devices through the phones’ Fnatic gaming mode.  Noise IsolationThe Bullets Wireless Z offers very good passive noise isolation. Just putting the earphones in will effectively block out a fair amount of outside noise, including the rumbles of engines and the humming of a ceiling fan. Once you start playing music, it’s difficult to make out of what’s going on around you. To achieve the perfect isolation, it’s vitally important that you experiment with the different ear tips and choose the ones that give you a perfect seal. For me, the smallest ear tips provide the best fit and seal. Try out each size one-by-one and decide for yourself which one works for you.  Battery Performance & Charging SpeedThe battery performance is the strongest aspect of the Bullets Wireless Z. The company claims up to 20 hours of non-stop music playback on a single charge, a marked improvement over the Bullets Wireless 2’s 14-hour claim. In my experience, the Bullets Wireless Z’s battery life does live up to this claim. During my three weeks of heavy usage, which included hours of music listening, watching YouTube videos, and taking calls, I only had to fully charge the earphones three times.  |