Thinking of picking up a pair of OnePlus Buds Z? Made sure to check out our no-nonsense review before you buy!
Have you been looking for a more affordable alternative to Apple’s Airpod Pro but unable to find anything of suitable quality? OnePlus Buds Z may be just what you’re after. For the insanely low price of $50, you can own a pair of these impressive little pieces of technology, and you will not be sacrificing much in the way of quality.
Join us as we give you some quick-fire pros and cons (for those of you in a hurry) before going more in-depth and breaking the OnePlus Buds Z earphones down for those of you wanting more.
Pros:
- Impressive sound quality
- Comfortable
- Easy to use
- Very affordable and competitive price
Cons:
- Battery life could be better
- No iOS customization available
- Nothing revolutionary
Sound and Comfort
If you were to see the OnePlus Buds Z at a glance, you could be forgiven for mistaking them for a pair of Apple’s high-end Airpod Pros. The OnePlus Buds Z design has managed to appear close enough to its more expensive rival to fool a passerby, whilst remaining just different enough to avoid a major lawsuit.
The charging case is slightly larger than that of the previous model, the OnePlus Buds, and because of this, it does appear as less of a clone of Apple’s charging case. The drawback to the charging case being longer is that it fits more awkwardly in your pocket. Not a total deal-breaker, but worth mentioning nonetheless. The charging case performs as you would expect: it charges the Buds when it is closed, and when opened, it allows the Buds to connect with your other devices via Bluetooth. If your other device happens to be another OnePlus product, the Buds will pair faster than they would with a non-OnePlus product. Shutting the case with the Buds inside will automatically cut off the pairing, turn off the devices, and begin charging them.
The exterior of the OnePlus Buds is flat, and the interior (the part that goes inside your ear) is angled to a point to ensure a snug, comfortable fit and reduce the chances of them slipping out and getting lost.
When it comes to the sound quality of the OnePlus Buds Z, you may be surprised at how well they perform, considering the other options available to you on a budget. However, the OnePlus Buds Z do not have noise cancellation, but to be brutally honest, you’d be hard-pressed to find that in a pair of earphones that cost less than $100.
The OnePlus Buds Z are $30 cheaper than their previous release, which is impressive all by itself when you take the improvements into consideration. The OnePlus Buds Z provides deep, resonant sound quality that did not let us down once during testing. Disregarding the fact that they do not have noise-canceling, they still perform incredibly well in busy areas such as shopping centers, public transport, and in the office.
OnePlus Buds Z – Battery Life and More
Okay, so far the review has been all about singing praises for the OnePlus Buds Z, but now we get to the bits that aren’t quite so impressive, starting with the battery life. Although the OnePlus Buds Z are an improvement over their predecessor in almost every way, the battery life has actually been reduced in this latest offering. The OnePlus Buds promised up to seven hours of play time and thirty hours of charge in the case. The OnePlus Buds Z has just five hours of playtime and up to twenty hours of charge in the case. This may or may not be a deal-breaker for you, but if you’re anything like us, you’ll be charging your case every other day anyway.
If you were to compare the OnePlus Buds Z to Apple’s Airpods, you would find that the latter offers up to 24 hours including case charging. Another interesting comparison is Skullcandy’s Push Ultra earbuds, which provide up to 34 hours including case charging. Once again though, when you factor in the price of the OnePlus Buds Z, it’s easy to see that you’re still getting a great deal. At the end of the day, only you will know what the right device is for you when it comes to battery life. The OnePlus Buds Z may not be the most impressive in this department, but they more than make up for it in other areas.
If you double tap the outer part of the OnePlus Buds Z earbuds you are able to answer calls, skip tracks, or pause the music. All of this is of course great, but if you are an iPhone user like many people seem to be these days, you will want to take into account the fact that you will not be able to edit these controls to your preference. They are set in the way they come, and that is it. On the other hand, if you are an Android or a OnePlus user, you will be able to download an app that will allow you to customize the controls to your liking.
OnePlus Buds Z – The Verdict
If you’ve made it this far into the article then you likely already know what our verdict on the OnePlus Buds Z earphones is going to be, and the reasons should also be clear to you, too. The price alone is a massive selling point here, there really is nothing else on the market in this price range that delivers this level of performance, quality, and ease of use. If you were to pick up a pair of these tomorrow there is very little chance you would find yourself regretting it. In fact, with prices this low, you may even want to pick up two pairs!
The OnePlus Buds Z earphones perform well across the board and we would not hesitate to recommend them to anyone that is in the market for a new pair of earphones.
That’s our OnePlus Buds Z Review. If you have already got these earbuds in your hand, share with us how your experience with them has been so far in the comments section
