The Recent launches of Oneplus, the Bullets Wireless Z2 return to the neckband design that the company started with in 2018. The Bullets Wireless Z2 is an entry-level product and is currently only sold in India.
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.
Table of Contents
Design
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
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.
Audio Quality
The Bullets Wireless Z2 have relatively large 12.4mm drivers. They connect over Bluetooth 5.0 and support SBC and AAC codecs.
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.
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 were unobjectionable and offered some space and directionality to the sound that made the overall presentation pleasant to listen to.
Microphone
There is audible compression when speaking even in quiet environments but voices still sound relatively clears 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.
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 volume on the iPhone would also occasionally result in pauses in sound.
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.
Conclusion
The OnePlus Bullets Wireless Z2 are priced at INR 1999, which is only about $26. For that price, you are getting a good product overall, with 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.
