Just recently, I reviewed the OPPO Enco M31 which was undoubtedly a very good pair of neckband earphones. But is the Oneplus Bullets Wireless Z more practical? Let's find out.
DESIGN
The bullets wireless Z are one of the most beautifully designed earphones in not so signature Oneplus aesthetics. The earphones are solidly built but has a completely plastic construction with a sleek accents all over. There is a silicon neckband which is flexible enough so that the earphones can be carried in your pocket or in a pouch. These are silicon in-ear style earphone with a good but not great fit unlike the OPPO Enco M31. IN terms of comfort, the earphones are fairly lightweight at about 25 gms and are pretty comfortable for wearing for long sessions. The earbuds however protrude quite a bit out of the ears which may be problem for bike riders. These essentially do not match the comfort level of the OPPO Enco M31 and falling asleep with these earbuds on is still a distant dream. But, practically speaking, I liked the overall design cues of the bullets Wireless Z and the aesthetics that it had borrowed from its elder brother, the bullets wireless 2. The gadget however feels quite premium and is fairly comfortable for daily use
FUNCTIONS AND CONTROLS
This is the one area where the Bullets Wireless Z really shines. I mean the device is extremely functional. There are actually four buttons on the device instead of the conventional three buttons on the other headsets in the price range. . There are conventional volume up and down buttons which can also be used to switch to the next and previous tracks by just long pressing them. There is a multi-function button which can be used play/pause music, putting the device in pairing mode and for calling up the Google Assistant. The headset has another special button with the help of which you can quick switch between devices but just double-pressing the quick switch button and this feature is really handy if you use two devices on a regular basis. The device also supports Bluetooth 5.0 and it supports quick pair with Oneplus devices. There is an IP55 rating which means splash and dust resistance. Also, there is support for quick charge and Oneplus claims 10 minutes of their own Warp Charge 30T can power the devices for straight 10 hours. A full charge takes about 25 mins and is claimed to give a battery life of about 20 hours.
SOUND QUALITY
This is now an area where the Oneplus headset somewhat lags behind the competition. Don't get me wrong, the sound quality isn't of the bad sorts but is also isn't the at level of OPPO Enco M31 but then again, that is the headset to beat under Rs. 5000 as I said, so can't really complain here. The earphone is definitely better sounding than the Realme buds wireless, loudness comparable to the OPPO M31. The sound of the bullets wireless Z is essentially soothing and somewhat bass centric. The mids are good if not great, the bass definitely has that enhanced emphasis and EDMs and Bollywood music would be quite enjoyable on the same. The treble notes are somewhat of the okay-ish sort and they definitely lack the sparkle. Overall the sound-quality is pretty decent and you won't be hating the sound in any occasion unless you are an audiophile. An audiophile will definitely be disappointed and getting this particularly for audio won't be a great idea. There is however minimum distortion at high volume levels which is indeed a very good thing
BATTERY AND CALL QUALITY
This is one are where the Oneplus Bullets wireless Z really shines. The battery life is nothing short of exceptional on the bullets wireless Z for the price range. The specific capacity is nowhere mentioned but we can say that this is one of the best battery life for neckband styled earphones under RS. 2500. In our testing, we were struggling to empty out the Bullets wireless Z but finally managed to do it in about 18-19 hours. The battery life as I said is amazing. It also supports fast charging and in our testing, a 10 min of warp charge 30T gives about 8 hours of battery life. Now, if I talk about the call quality, the call quality is decent but I can't say that it's better than the OPPO Enco M31 or the Samsung Level U. The Samsung Level U is actually the gold standard when it comes to call quality in budget Bluetooth earphones. Rest assured, the call quality on the Bullets Wireless Z is quite good and you won't have any problems as of such.
GAMING AND LATENCY
Here the Oneplus earphones are somewhat better than the OPPO Enco M31 for normal android phones, but, if you have a Oneplus device, there are hardly any issues of latency whatsoever, once you switch onto the F-natic mode on Oneplus devices. The latency is extremely low in such cases and gaming becomes enjoyable unlike the OPPO Enco M31. Oneplus claims a latency of as low as 122 ms on Oneplus devices and I feel they are true to their claims. But, on other devices, the latency is definitely low compared to the bullets wireless Z but then again not as low as the Realme buds Q or the OPPO Enco W31. But yah, even on other android phones, gaming wont be a problem as of such .
VERDICT
Now who is the bullets wireless Z for exactly? For working professionals and definitely not for music lovers to be precise. For someone who has a Oneplus phone, you guys are gonna have a great time with the device. But, for others I would any day pick the OPPO Enco M31 over the Bullets wireless Z, the sole reason being sound quality. But if you are a gamer or a working professional who needs a headset for just work related stuff, you must go for the bullets wireless Z. Now after OPPO and Oneplus forayed into the market, I, frankly, don't see a reason why would anyone pick the Realme buds wireless unless you want to save 200 bucks. However, u can definitely choose the Oneplus Bullets Wireless for your daily needs but there are better options available in terms of sound quality.