OnePlus Z2 Wireless earbuds offer uncompromising ANC and audio on a budget

At first glance, you’d be forgiven for thinking these are the same as the previous model and visually they look almost identical, and of course, they also resemble Apple Air pods design, with the long thin stems.

They are available in your standard black or white and possess a glossy look and despite the long stems, they are still pretty small and discreet at 33mm x 22.4mm x 21.8mm.

Weighing only 4.5g and including 3 different ear tip sizes they were comfortable to wear for a decent amount of time, but I did have some issues trying to keep them in my ears, but this was resolved by changing to one of the larger silicon tips.

Instead of following the standard boxy charging case shape the Z buds 2 case sports a sleek capsule, clamshell design that’s small enough to slip in and out of your pocket at 73.15mm x 36.8mm x 29.1mm and it also has a shiny look that I have mixed feelings about because even though it’s pretty it’s a fingerprint and dust magnet.

The charging case has a minimal interface with its single LED light to indicate the level of change left in the buds. Held in place magnetically the buds are locked in place and won’t fall out unless you really shake them.

While they are plastic and lightweight, they seemed moderately resilient, that said I wouldn’t want to step on them.

Being IP55 rating means they are well protected against dust and dirt, as well as against low-pressure jets of water from all directions. So, it’s fine to have them in terrible UK weather or to not have to worry about wearing them at the gym.

Unlike most other buds, the case even offers IPX 4 Protection from water splashes, which is just more peace of mind.

They were incredibly easy to connect to, and I didn’t need to go through any particularly complex steps to pair with my phones and laptops.

The buds connect via Bluetooth 5.2 on supported devices, this is reliable and only rarely ever dropped out, they offer a very decent range of around 120 metres.

Using standard tap controls at the circular base of the buds was simple and responsive, with an audible click to indicate your tap.

Single tap to play or pause your audio, double-tap to skip forward and triple tap to skip one track backwards.

Holding down on one bud will cycle through turning on or off the noise cancellation enabling the pass-through audio which is handy if you need to hear your environment briefly without removing the buds.

Any content you watch, be it on YouTube, Netflix etc and gaming are nicely in sync due to the Z Buds 2 being offering low latency connection which while you’d assume is a must, isn’t always a standard on budget buds.

Switching devices from one to another simply with a long press. I found this handy when using them with my phone and with my laptop.

Taking one of the buds out will also auto-pause whatever you’re listening to which is a very handy feature.

The Hey Melody app is available on iOS and Google Play Stores. It allows you more detailed information and control of the buds, including customising the touch controls and battery charge levels.

Using 3 microphones on either bud to allow you to make and answer calls and utilising AI call noise reduction the Zen 2 did a decent job isolating my voice from ambient sounds and cutting out ambient noise and things like the wind with some minor audio quality dips.

The 11mm driver delivers audio that was much better than I expected. The audio was great with highs and mids crisp and clear, the bass wasn’t too punchy but still very good for its price range.

You can add an extra dimension to most of your films, music and especially mobile games with the Z Buds 2 inclusion of Dolby Atmos, giving you that for virtual 360-degree sound.

The active noise cancelling is spot on and did a superb job of immersing me in my music when I was out and about, and when I was at home, and while it couldn’t quite block the train or much louder sounds at this price it’s very impressive.

With the case, the battery life of the Z buds 2 offers around 27 hours with ANC or 38 without, which is impressive and really can easily get you through the day with no problems.

Charging the buds is done by placing them in the case and the case itself is charged via USB-C. No wireless charging is available, however, but this isn’t unexpected given its price.

Battery life on just the buds alone was around 5 hours with ANC on and 7 with it off.

The buds also support flash charging so in a pinch you can place them in the charger for ten minutes to get around 5 hours out of them. Inside the case, ten minutes will get you around 2 hours of use, which is remarkable and incredibly useful.

Verdict

The OnePlus Z buds 2 offer solid performance with good audio, cracking noise cancellation, brilliant battery life with flash charge and at such a great price, it’s hard not to recommend them.

My only criticisms are minor, the glossy design and the long stems emulating AirPods just isn’t my taste but won’t bother most people and the lack of equalizer settings was a shame.

Just because they a budget-friendly doesn’t mean you should lower your expectations; they offer a marked improvement on the previous model as well as a tempting alternative to the higher end OnePlus Buds Pro and perfectly balance price and practicality.

In the very saturated world of earbuds, the OnePlus Z buds 2 offer solid all-round performance and offer some decent high end features too, making them easily the best budget buds I’ve used to date.

The OnePlus Buds Z2 are available now on Amazon for £99