ONEPLUS BUDS Z REVIEW | BEST TRULY WIRELESS EARPHONES UNDER 3000 | THE TECHNOBYTE |

ONEPLUS BUDS Z REVIEW | BEST TRULY WIRELESS EARPHONES UNDER 3000 | THE TECHNOBYTE |

A couple of months back, Oneplus launched their OnePlus Buds Z, a lite version of their regular Buds. Click here to read my first impressions about the Oneplus Buds Z. OnePlus priced them very competitively. Almost all the major brands have removed the 3.5 mm headphone jack in their flagship smartphones. So we are forced to use bluetooth earphones.

Every major brand has their own version of truly wireless earphones. OnePlus entered this segment with their Oneplus Buds. The Oneplus Buds had both upsides and downsides. Two months later, the company came up with its second pair of truly wireless earphones.

They packed all the major features of the Buds in Buds Z and priced them very competitively. The price of the Buds Z is 3000 INR. This is the most competing price segment for truly wireless earphones. There are truly wireless earphones even in the below 1000 rupees segment. But their quality isn't good.

At the 3000 rupees price segment, I wanted to personally test a pair of truly wireless earphones. So I started searching and found Buds Z very compelling. I have used it for 2 weeks.

In this review, I'll go through every aspect of the Buds Z. If you are new here, do subscribe to our blog to read more awesome content. Follow us on Instagram to get our daily updates.

1.Build:

The charging case is similar to the Galaxy Buds plus. In the front, it has a LED indicator. The case is made of plastic but feels sturdy. On the back, it has a type-c charging port and a pairing button.

On the inside, Buds are placed horizontally unlike most other TWS earphones. The Buds are also made up of plastic and have silicon tips at the end. I prefer silicon tips to regular ends as it offers more comfort when used for a long time.

Do comment on which type you prefer & why you prefer it. The advantage of plastic is that it is weightless. At 4.35 grams the Buds feel as light as a feather and they fit perfectly in the ear. There are also multiple ear tips present in the box in various sizes. 

2.Audio quality:

In terms of audio quality, Oneplus Buds Z sports 10 mm drivers. The main highlight is, Buds Z has bass boost technology. Many people felt that the bass was missing in the previously released bullets wireless Z. Oneplus Buds Z supports AAC codec. If you don't have any idea about codecs, SBC codec offers basic audio quality whereas AAC offers high-quality audio.

In my experience, Oneplus Buds Z sounded really well. The music did not muffle even in max volume. The bass was punchy but not overpowering. The voice notes were very clear.  I used these earphones to listen to podcasts for hours. The voices were clear and did not muffle. 

Since there are silicon ear tips, they offer passive noise cancellation, which is an added advantage. Overall the sound experience was enjoyable 

3.Battery:

This is the main reason why people frown from buying TWS earphones. The battery life of truly wireless earphones is low when compared to the neckband type of earphones. Oneplus promises up to five hours of playback time on a single charge and up to 20 hours when combined with the case on the Oneplus Buds Z. The case packs a 450 mah battery and each earbud has a 40 mah battery.

In my usage, I got around 4 hours on a single usage and around 17 hours when combined with the case. These are really good numbers for TWS earphones. Buds Z also supports fast charging but does not support wireless charging. A 10-minute charge could get you three hours of playback time. Oneplus also included a red type-C cable in the box for charging. The other box contents are: 

• A Red cable club card.
• Various sized ear tips.
• User manual.
• Warranty information.

4. Is Oneplus Buds Z suitable for workout?

 

Of course, I use these when I jog in the morning and they stay secured in the ear. It also has an IP55 rating for dust and water resistance, which should ensure no damage even when you sweat or get wet in the rain.

5.Call quality:

During this pandemic we attend a lot of calls, online classes, etc.., The call quality was good. The voices were clearly heard on both ends. It also has dual microphones and environmental noise cancellation.

6.Controls:

Buds Z offers touch controls. There is a disc-shaped touch area at the back of each earbud. I personally liked the disc shape as it is easy to identify. For now, only double-tap is present in both the earbuds while other manufacturers offer up to three taps. The Buds also have an in-ear detection sensor. So when you take out one of the Buds from your ear, the music stops and resumes when you put it back on. I found this feature very handy.

7.Connectivity:

The Buds pair seamlessly via bluetooth. Oneplus users can customize the touch controls from the bluetooth settings. For non-Oneplus users, Oneplus has created an app called hey melody. Users can use this app to customize touch controls and also receive firmware updates. 

The connection is stable and latency is very low which means you can play FPS games like PUBG and Call Of Duty without any delay in the audio. I play Shadow fight arena with these earphones and the sound experience was immersive. Do ping me in our Instagram handle, if you wanna play a shadow fight match with me.

8.Advantages: 

• The build quality is solid.
• Immersive sound experience.
• Good battery life.

9.Disadvantages:

• Touch controls could have been better.
• Dolby Atmos support is only for Oneplus users.

10.Conclusion:

Oneplus Buds Z offers a good all-around experience for 3,000. They are quite improved from their first-generation Buds and Oneplus offers good aftersales service. For three thousand rupees, these are definitely worth it. 

Do comment your thoughts about the Buds Z in the comments and do let me know if there are any other truly wireless earphones better than these. Subscribe if you're new here to receive more awesome content. Thank you for reading. Catch you up on the next blog. Bye.