OnePlus Bullets Wireless Z Review

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The Bullets Wireless Z are the third pair of wireless earphones from OnePlus. A replacement to the excellent Bullets Wireless 2 from last year, the Bullets Wireless Z are meant to be a more affordable option, while matching the design and features of its predecessor.

The Bullets Wireless Z are the cheapest wireless set from OnePlus so far, with the US pricing being half what the Bullets Wireless 2 cost. In India, the Bullets Wireless Z costs a third of the Bullets Wireless 2 and half of the original Bullets Wireless. In fact, the INR1,999 price is the lowest anywhere in the world and makes the Bullets Wireless Z a particularly enticing purchase.


And it's not just price reductions either as the Bullets Wireless Z also improves upon a few things compared to the models that came before them. They have the longest battery life, proper water-resistance, and a low-latency mode designed to work specifically with OnePlus phones.

We will be getting into all of the features and also all of the compromises that come with such drastic price reductions, so if you're interested in getting a pair of these, make sure you read on before you click purchase.

Design

For the third time in a row, OnePlus has decided to stick with the neckband design despite the ever-growing popularity of truly wireless earbuds. Not that I am complaining - this style has its advantages, such as not having to worry about losing one of the earbuds, physical volume and playback controls, longer battery life, and not having to fumble with the case when you are done using them. The truly wireless earbuds may look cool but the neckband style is certainly more practical.


In the case of the Bullets Wireless Z, the design is nearly identical to that of the Bullets Wireless 2. They are so similar that since both our Bullets Wireless Z and Bullets Wireless 2 review units were black, we had to leave the label on our Bullets Wireless Z to differentiate them.

The only major difference between the Bullets Wireless Z and the Bullets Wireless 2 is that the latter uses metal construction for the earbuds while the former is entirely made out of plastic. This becomes obvious once you hold them but from just looking at them it's hard to tell them apart.

The only other differences we noticed were the lack of the red rings at the back of the earbuds on the Bullets Wireless Z and that they were a couple of grams lighter than the Bullets Wireless 2.


Of course, if you have the Mint, Blue, or Oat version of the Bullets Wireless Z then they would be far easier to differentiate.

The nearly identical design isn't a problem as the Bullets Wireless 2 were one of the better-built earphones, with a comfortable rubberized body that wasn't too thick or heavy around your neck. The remote control on the left cable was also easy to reach and operate. The earbuds also snap together magnetically when you're not using them and doing so deactivates them.

However, the design had some flaws, such as the soggy buttons on the remote and the tiny LED light that makes it annoying to check whether the earphones are charging or in pairing mode. The Bullets Wireless Z inherits these flaws as a result of its similar design.


New to the Bullets Wireless Z are sweat and water-resistance. The original Bullets Wireless claimed to be splash resistant but had no official certification and the Bullets Wireless 2 didn't claim any ingress protection. The Bullets Wireless Z, meanwhile, have IP55 certificate so you can use them for workouts and around water.

The packaging has changed slightly for the Bullets Wireless Z. The box is wider now but oddly has fewer things inside. You get the earphones and a short charging cable but OnePlus no longer bundles the silicone carry case. Can't say this is a big loss, as the carry case was always oddly cramped despite being an official accessory and occasionally resulted in the earphones inside being split apart from their magnetic lock, which caused them to power on and was

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