Wireless neckbands ushered in the age of Bluetooth-powered headsets around the time the headphone jacks started disappearing from most flagship smartphones. Over the last couple of years, TWS headsets have enjoyed a good deal of popularity, largely due to the more affordable options getting a bump in audio quality. Wireless neckbands are a rare sight these days, so it is rather interesting to see OnePlus put out its latest ANC-driven Bullet Wireless Z2 headset at a price of Rs 2,299. If you don’t care much about noise cancellation, the regular version of this neckband costs Rs 1,999. After using it for a week, we can understand why OnePlus is still betting on its neckband series to do well. If you’re a neckband loyalist who is still not convinced with the soundstage presented by most entry-level TWS products, this may be the product for you. So, without further ado, here is our Oneplus Bullet Wireless Z2 ANC headset review.

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OnePlus Bullet Wireless Z2 ANC review: Design

Inside the Oneplus Bullet Wireless Z2 ANC retail box you get the neckband, two extra pairs of ear tips, a mini USB Type-C charging cable, a Red Cable Club card, and a quick start guide. The neckband is nestled in an expansive cutout on the pullout plastic tray. Pulling the lid of this tray reveals the accessories. The headset is available in two colours – Boomin Black and Grand Green.

If you’re familiar with the average neckband design then you know what to expect on the Bullet Wireless Z2 ANC. There isn’t much room for experimentation on the standard neckband design to begin with, and OnePlus has stuck to getting the basics right. What the Bullet Wireless Z2 gets right is the flexibility and the rubberized finish. You can pretty much bend the neckband in any direction and it does not present any brittleness whatsoever. The headset is comfortable to wear and does not cause any irritation to the skin.

The left band gets all the control keys along with the charging port. There are four buttons on this panel – an action button to put the headphones in pairing mode and toggle between the connections, the volume up and volume down keys, and the playback and ANC toggle button situated between the volume rocker. The left panel is buttonless but gets the OnePlus branding.

The earbuds get the standard in-ear design and offer a snug fit. There a two extra pairs of ear tips inside the retail box in case the default size does not work for you. There are two microphones on either earbuds for ANC and ENC. These earbuds can magnetically lock together. Once the earbuds are locked, the headset automatically shuts down.

The OnePlus Bullet Wireless Z2 ANC headset is rated IP55 for dust and water resistance. We wore the neckband during intense workouts and long hikes, and it was completely unaffected by sweat.

OnePlus Bullet Wireless Z2 ANC review: Performance

The OnePlus Bullet Wireless Z2 ANC headset uses 12.4mm dynamic drivers to deliver the audio output. It gets Bluetooth 5.2 connectivity and supports SBC and AAC audio codecs. Once paired to a device, the headset offers a functional range of 10 metres which is pretty standard for Bluetooth-powered audio devices.

The audio output produced by the headset is certainly bass-heavy, but it doesn’t have a muddling effect on other frequencies. We found the vocals to be lucid as ever, even though the midrange frequencies could have ‘popped’ better. When it comes to audio clarity and the comprehensive nature of the soundstage, the OnePlus Bullet Wireless Z2 ANC headset blows most of the TWS products in this price range out of the water.

We were also very pleased with the minimal distortion to the output on higher volumes. You can crank this headset up to 100% and still have an enjoyable time listening to your favourite tunes. We would have preferred if the audio tuning was more favourable to the mid frequencies, but if you’re a serious bass head, you will like these headphones. 

For those who like a more balanced sound, OnePlus’ HeyMelody app offers preset equalisers for the Bullet Wireless Z2 ANC headset. The ‘Balanced’ mode was still bass-heavy, but the Serenade mode was closer to the ideal tuning. If you’re an audiophile, you can set up your own custom equaliser from this app.

Apart from different sound profiles, the HeyMelody app also allows you to toggle between transparency and ANC modes. There’s also a handy Find My Earbuds option in the app that blasts ringing music through the headset for you to locate it. Other than that, the HeyMelody app also offers an Earbud fit test. Any firmware updates can be installed from this app as well.

Moving on, the ANC offered by this headset is pretty good and well worth the premium you pay over the regular variant. OnePlus claims that the Bullet Wireless Z2 ANC can nullify up to 45dB of surrounding noise. While we can’t confirm those numbers, the headset does a great job of cancelling the ambient noises in an indoor setting. The noise from the air conditioner, fan, and general humdrum were suppressed expertly, with only the higher frequencies seeping through. The playback control button between the volume can be long-pressed to toggle between the ANC and transparency modes. However, if you want to simply turn off the ANC mode without activating the transparency mode, you will need to use the HeyMelody app.

The calling experience provided by the OnePlus Bullet Wireless Z2 ANC headset was also a cut above every other TWS in this price bracket. Over cellular and VoIP calls, the headset does a tremendous job of relaying noise-free audio to the receiver. This is where the ENC kicks in and takes the duty of craftfully extracting the voice of the speaker from the background noise. Even in an outdoor environment, the calling experience was very pleasant, something we cannot say for most TWS products in this price range.

If you’re a seasoned TWS user, you will find a couple of features missing from this headset. Firstly, there is no low latency mode for gaming, and the headset unsurprisingly struggles to keep up with the pace of the gameplay on its default latency. Secondly, the neckband does not offer a multi-point connection feature, which means it cannot connect to multiple devices at once. However, you get the second best thing to a multi-point connection in the form of a dedicated action button that quickly connects the headset to the previously paired device.

Equipped with a 220mAh battery pack, the OnePlus Bullet Wireless Z2 ANC promises a playback of 28 hours with ANC turned off and 20 hours with noise cancellation in effect. After using the headset for a week, these were pretty much the numbers we got out of it. Our average day comprised of listening to music for a couple of hours and using ANC while travelling. We got almost 24 hours of playtime out of the headset. Quick charging the neckband for 10 minutes provides enough juice for it to last 20 hours (without ANC).

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Verdict

In our opinion, the OnePlus Bullet Wireless Z2 ANC headset is still a better product at Rs 2,299 than the entry-level TWS options available in this price range. The audio output, while bass-heavy, is very enjoyable to experience and does not distort upon cranking up the volume. The HeyMelody app offers all the essential features you expect from a headset companion app. We would have preferred a gaming mode and multi-point connection support on the headset, but their absence is not a dealbreaker at all.

OnePlus Bullet Wireless Z2 ANC: Pros

• Good audio output
• Excellent calling experience
• ANC performs well
• App support

OnePlus Bullet Wireless Z2 ANC: Cons

• No low latency mode for gaming
• Does not offer a multi-point connection

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