OnePlus Buds Z review: Balanced music, easy to use

Written by Nandagopal Rajan | New Delhi | November 28, 2020 11:36:35 am

(Photo credit: Nandagopal Rajan)

OnePlus has been pretty disciplined when it comes to launching its audio devices. With every big smartphone launch from the company there is usually a audio accessory too that is released. The latest is the OnePlus Buds Z coming along with the OnePlus 8T Pro.

The OnePlus Buds Z come in a compact little case inside which the buds are nestled. The case charges using a USB-C cable and has a button that helps with pairing. The pairing is much easier if you are using a OnePlus phone as the devices recognise proximity and ask the user if the two need to be connected.

Inside, the two earbuds are secure in their grooves. This, however, is like a shape test for toddlers as it does take time, every time, to figure out which one goes in which groove. Maybe I am getting old faster than I imagined.

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The OnePlus Buds Z ship in a compact little case. (Photo credit: Nandagopal Rajan)

The shape of the earbuds are not unique, but compared to the earlier buds from OnePlus these are more comfortable because of their silicone tips. I used the pair for well over a week and not once was fit an issue, whatever I was up to.

The buds have touch sensitive outer sides which can be used to control playback or to take calls. The music stops as soon as you take off one bud, but the same does not happen if you are on a phone or zoom calls. I found all this very natural and easy to use.

The OnePlus earphones have always had a very natural audio quality to them. And this is the reason why over the past many pandemic months I have been using the OnePlus Bullets Z as the earphone I use for the long hours of office calls. The OnePlus Buds Z takes this legacy ahead with a neutral profile that offers the right mix of mids and highs.

With 10 minutes of fast charging, the OnePlus Buds Z is said to deliver 3 hours of playtime.(Photo credit: Nandagopal Rajan)

I felt like being transported somewhere else when I played Boondan Boondan from Maati Baani, Nirali Kartik’s voice cutting through the music that was filling my ears softly. The bass on the Buds Z is just right and not the type that wraps everything and gradually overpowers everything. Here it is happy being in the background. But when it has a role to play in the new Malayalam song Snehithanevide, it does play its part.

Overall, the OnePlus Buds Z is in books a balanced set of earphones, that will please all types of users and not put off anyone. In the price band it plays in, the OnePlus Buds Z has to be massy like this and that is exactly what it does well.

At a price of Rs 2,999, the OnePlus Buds Z are one of the best options you can buy. Here is a wireless earphone that can rise to all your needs from calling to music and stay stylish all the while.