OnePlus Bullets Wireless Z3 Review: Brilliant battery, with some spatial audio magic

Neckbands might be slowly becoming tech history as TWS become the preferred mainstream Bluetooth personal audio device, but OnePlus continues to go strong in this segment with its Bullets Wireless neckbands. The latest addition to this series is the Bullets Wireless Z3, which are priced at Rs 1699, and try to keep budget TWS at bay.

Look and work like regular neckbands, but noticeable in red

The OnePlus Bullets Wireless Z3 look pretty much like your regular Bluetooth neckbands. They are made of plastic, with a slightly thicker portion that goes around your neck, a cylindrical-shaped control panel (and Type-C port) on the left side, and another for the battery on the right, both tapering into thinner wires on either side, which are topped by buds, with replaceable tips (you can choose from three sizes). The neckband comes with a matte finish, except for the buds, which are mostly glossy. The buds fit snugly, and at 26 grams, the neckband is comfortable enough to be worn for a long period of time.

They come with IP55 dust and water resistance, which makes them very good companions for runs and gym sessions. Unlike TWS, you do not need to keep the buds in your ear all the time or put them in a case, but can keep them dangling from your neck when not using them, and simply place the buds in your ears when you need to use them. The buds come with magnetic backs and get attached back to back when close to each other.

Using them is very simple. The cylindrical unit on the left side comes with volume up and down buttons, with a button in between. One can press this middle button to play or pause content, to take a call, or to end it. A double press rejects calls or takes you to the next track. A triple press takes you to the previous track, while simply pressing and holding the button invokes the virtual assistant (Gemini these days).

To pair with a device, just long-press the middle button to go into pairing mode, and choose the buds from the Bluetooth device list on your phone, tablet, or notebook. The buds also disconnect and get switched off when they are attached to each other, which is a bit of a mixed blessing – it is convenient, but we found our phone connecting to the buds when they got detached from each other when the neckband was lying in our bags. You can access additional features and functions from the Hey Melody app (available for both iOS and Android) and through the Bluetooth segment in the Settings of OnePlus phones, which do not need the app.

The OnePlus Bullets Wireless Z3 are available in two colors – black Mambo Midnight and reddish-orange Samba Sunset. Of these, the Samba Sunset are easily the most noticeable. Although there are different-sized ear tip options in the box, there is no charging cable.

Spatial sound supremacy, and with great battery

They may look like your regular Bluetooth neckbands, but the OnePlus Bullets Wireless Z3 definitely do not sound like them. They come with 12.4 mm dynamic bass drivers, which deliver very impressive volume levels, with the audio not distorting even at high volumes. The neckband’s audio signature is a little bass-heavy as the Bass Wave feature, which dynamically boosts bass, is turned on by default, and we would recommend not changing that, as it does not affect clarity. The Hey Melody app gives one access to four equalizer settings which have been designed in partnership with SoundMaster – Balanced (enabled by Default), Serenade, Bass, and Bold. Bold brings out a little treble, while Serenade makes vocals more prominent, and well, if the original levels of bass are not sufficient for you, you can hit bass to get bass of the rumble-y type. Turning off Bass Wave lowers the bass levels significantly across all modes, and we would recommend doing so if you are not a bass head.

However, what really makes the audio performance of the OnePlus Bullets Wireless Z3 special is their support for 3D spatial audio, which makes the listening experience far more immersive, with one getting the feeling of being enveloped in music. For some reason, this is not enabled by default, but we would recommend doing so, as this adds a whole new dimension to the audio performance of the buds. It also compensates to an extent for the relatively narrow soundstage of the buds. We would say that these are very good for listening to mainstream music, watching films, and even in the odd spot of gaming, although some latency does creep in (there is no gaming or latency-reducing mode). Clarity levels are generally good, although they get a little muddy if you move to the Bass mode on the equalizer while keeping Bass Wave on. There is no ANC or transparency mode, but the buds fit snugly and keep most external sound out. The absence of multi-point connectivity is a little disappointing, as switching between two devices involves hitting that middle button and connecting them again.

Call quality on the Bullets Wireless Z3 is generally decent as well. We were able to carry on conversations with good levels of clarity, although things got a little erratic in noisy or windy conditions, in spite of the buds coming with ENC and “advanced AI algorithms.” Where the buds, however, punch above their weight is in battery life (the absence of ANC helps). We got through close to a week of regular use on a single charge, as the battery often lasted comfortably above 30 hours. OnePlus also claims that the buds support fast charging, in which a mere ten minutes of charging will get you more than 25 hours of battery life. Unlike most TWS, you won’t have to worry about keeping these buds charged or worry about putting them back in their carrying case after use.

OnePlus Bullets Wireless Z3 Review Verdict: Worth buying, if you value audio quality and battery life

At Rs 1699, the OnePlus Bullets Wireless Z3 are perhaps the best option (there are not too many around, admittedly) for those who still want to stay with neckbands for their wireless audio. They deliver good quality audio, have exceptional battery life, are comfortable to wear, and do not fall to the ground even when they fall out of your ears. Their nearest challengers are the JBL 215 BT, which have a slightly more bass-heavy sound but have a relatively modest 16 hours of battery life. Another option are the Sony WI-C100, which also have a more bass-y sound but come with iffy call quality and again have ‘only’ 25 hours of battery life. In fact, the biggest headache for the Bullets Wireless Z3 could well be their own siblings, the Bullets Wireless Z2 ANC, which come with close to 25 hours of battery life and also offer rather basic ANC but are slightly more expensive at Rs 1899. All of which make the OnePlus Bullets Wireless Z3 perhaps the best option for those who want a Bluetooth neckband with spatial audio and very good battery life.

Buy OnePlus Bullets Wireless Z3*