Tag: OnePlus Buds

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Mobile Syrup

OnePlus Buds Pro 2 Review: Great buds get better

Alongside the new OnePlus 11, OnePlus also released an update to its top-of-the-line wireless earbuds. The fresh OnePlus Buds Pro 2 feature a new dual speaker driver design that improves on the originals’ sound while keeping what was great about them intact.

I have no complaints after two weeks with the Buds Pro 2. They fit comfortably, sound great, and the always-helpful Zen Mode is just a tap away from helping me focus. As I said last year, this is an incredibly underrated feature, but one that’s so simple and handy in its design that I’m still surprised it hasn’t caught on with more earbud manufacturers.

Sure, this isn’t the point of earbuds, but as we spend more time working with buds, quickly putting on background noise without putting any thought into it is a simple pleasure in a world filled with choice.

Time to rock out

For regular music or video listening, OnePlus has boosted the noise cancellation capabilities in this iteration to block out up to 48dB, while the originals could only handle 40dB. This is a slight improvement on paper but very noticeable in practice. Last year I could clearly hear my fingers clacking on the keyboard with the OnePlus Buds Pro, but now, I’m basically enveloped in silence once ANC turns on, and music starts playing.

This is an even more welcome improvement on planes, trains and other noisy atmospheres like an office. You can turn it down if you wish as well. 

Combining this with the new dual speaker design, the buds sound awesome, and I have only good things to say about the audio reproduction. The stereo separation is welcome too since the buds offer a wider soundstage than most single speaker-equipped earbuds.

I did find myself pushing the volume up a bit higher than with other buds, but the volume was still too loud for me at their maximum level, so they should be more than enough for most people. With the noise cancellation, it’s extremely easy to get lost in the immersive nature of music, and I find myself rocking out with the OnePlus Buds Pro 2 almost immediately once the music starts pumping.

Other notable features

Another feature worth noting is the exceptional battery life. OnePlus rates the buds to last for 39 hours with the included charging case and ANC off. With noise-cancelling turned on, the buds and case combo should last for 25 hours. With ANC, the buds themselves last for six hours. With the feature turned off, they last nine hours.

In my testing, the OnePlus Buds Pro 2 live up to this claim, and I’ve had a hard time running them dry, so I have no complaints in the battery life department. They can also fast charge, giving you roughly three hours of listening off a 10-minute charge in a pinch. They can wirelessly charge as well.

The settings are built into your Bluetooth menu if you use these buds with a OnePlus phone. If not, you’ll need to download the HeyMelody app on iOS or Android.

Earbuds worth owning?

I’d love to give OnePlus Buds Pro 2 my overwhelming approval, but in true OnePlus fashion, the company has raised the price considerably year-over-year, making the new buds Pro 2 models about $70 more expensive than their predecessor. They are cheaper than AirPods Pro (2nd-Gen), but they’re directly in line with Google’s excellent Pixel Buds Pro.

Compared to the Pixel Buds, OnePlus does have Zen Mode, but the other enticing feature, Multipoint Bluetooth, is activated in both earbuds. When it boils down to it, I like the stemmed design of the OnePlus Buds, but others will more than likely find the smaller size of the Pixel Buds Pro more comfortable, which is a large part of what separates these two top-tier buds. Both will make you extremely happy, but finding what fits your ears is more complex.

You can Pre-order the OnePlus Buds Pro 2 for $279 from the OnePlus website, and they release on February 16th.

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Mobile Syrup

OnePlus adds multi-device connection spec to OnePlus Buds Pro

In a surprising move, OnePlus has rolled out an update for the OnePlus Buds Pro earbuds that make it easier to switch between two devices.

Similar multi-point connection tech is part of what makes Apple’s AirPods so desirable. OnePlus says that OnePlus phone users can update the OnePlus Buds Pro through the Bluetooth settings, but other users will need to download the ‘Hey Melody’ app to get access.

When I when to apply the update on my OnePlus 9 Pro, I was able to update the buds at the bottom of the earbud’s settings page. Once installed, I needed to navigate back to the OnePlus Buds settings page and turn on ‘Dual Connection.’

You can’t manually select your secondary device from this menu, but it automatically picked up my iPhone that had been previously paired with the OnePlus Buds Pro in the past.

From there, I was able to get the earbuds to switch seamlessly between the OnePlus 9 Pro and iPhone. I will note that the earbuds will only switch when one device is paused. If you’re listening to music on a OnePlus device, simply playing content on another device won’t transfer it over. You need to pause the content on your current device first and then it moves over to your secondary device if it’s playing audio.

This worked a lot more seamlessly than I expected and added a lot of value to the already well-rounded OnePlus Buds Pro. It might not work as automatically as AirPods, but it’s still very convenient and offers the same productivity boost when working between a phone and a computer that I enjoy with Apple’s AirPods.

If you’re interested in the OnePlus Buds, you can read my full review here.

Source: OnePlus

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Mobile Syrup

OnePlus’ Buds Z2 are now available for $149

OnePlus has released an updated pair of earbuds in its ‘Z’ line called the OnePlus Buds Z2 that promise more battery life and active noise cancellation.

I’ve been testing the earbuds for the past few days and will have a full review in the coming weeks. But for now, I’ll say that they sound good, the noise cancellation seems average, and they feel very similar to the OnePlus Buds Z from last year. So far, I have no major complaints, but I’ve yet to compare them to the previous model and key competitors. That said, for the low price of $150, the value the Z2s offer is difficult to beat.

There’s a decent amount to get excited about on the spec sheet, including standard OnePlus fast charging. This time the company says that a 10-minute charge (on a certified charger) offers five hours of listening time. However, that’s not even the most impressive battery stat because with the case, you can use the buds for 38 hours, according to the company. This is incredibly long and might make these the perfect earbuds for people that are away from power for a long time.

They’re also been equipped with Bluetooth 5.2 and can use Google Fast Pair, so the initial connection to most Android phones is fairly seamless. If you’re a OnePlus user, you also get a few additional perks, including the ability to customize the touch controls and noise cancellation levels without downloading the third-party HeyMelody app.

Image credit: OnePlus

OnePlus also promises better call quality and reduced audio latency down to 94ms. The Z2s are also certified to support Dolby Atmos, but with Apple Music, the effect isn’t as noticeable as Apple’s AirPods with head tracking. It’s still nice, though, and I’ll have more TV show and movie impressions in the full review.

OnePlus says that its noise cancellation can block sounds up to 40dB and in my testing, I can’t hear my fingers on my Macbook keyboard or other ambient sounds. The Buds Z2 are decent at lowering the volume on human voices too, but as with most earbuds, the noise cancellation isn’t groundbreaking.

Other specs include IP55 water/dust-proofing to help the earbuds withstand rain. The case also offers an IPX4 rating, allowing it to handle minimal splashing as well.

So far, OnePlus’ new Z2s sound pretty good, right? Well, there’s a catch — at least for now. Alongside the new earbuds, OnePlus has brought its Red Cable Club to North America. Anyone can sign up for free, but you need to join to buy the earbuds since OnePlus has decided to make them Red Cable Club exclusive.

Everyone starts as a Red Cable Club Explorer, but you can rank up to Elite status by performing a few annoying tasks like subscribing to OnePlus’ newsletters and registering your account. The main way to gain points is to buy OnePlus products. It appears that $1 equals one point. You need over 3,500 points to hit elite status, which only nets you $40 off purchases over $300. Overall, this is a pretty paltry rewards program, but since I assume most OnePlus phone users probably already have a OnePlus account, this isn’t that significant of an issue.

If you want to pick up a pair of the Buds Z2, OnePlus is selling them for $149 to Red Cable Club members only. The company also says that there is a limited quantity of 1,000. If these earbuds sell out, I expect OnePlus to drop more. The company appears to be adopting a similar strategy to ‘Nothing’s’ by releasing with significant hype and exclusivity behind them.

Categories
Mobile Syrup

OnePlus’ Buds Z2 are now available for $149

OnePlus has released an updated pair of earbuds in its ‘Z’ line called the OnePlus Buds Z2 that promise more battery life and active noise cancellation.

I’ve been testing the earbuds for the past few days and will have a full review in the coming weeks. But for now, I’ll say that they sound good, the noise cancellation seems average, and they feel very similar to the OnePlus Buds Z from last year. So far, I have no major complaints, but I’ve yet to compare them to the previous model and key competitors. That said, for the low price of $150, the value the Z2s offer is difficult to beat.

There’s a decent amount to get excited about on the spec sheet, including standard OnePlus fast charging. This time the company says that a 10-minute charge (on a certified charger) offers five hours of listening time. However, that’s not even the most impressive battery stat because with the case, you can use the buds for 38 hours, according to the company. This is incredibly long and might make these the perfect earbuds for people that are away from power for a long time.

They’re also been equipped with Bluetooth 5.2 and can use Google Fast Pair, so the initial connection to most Android phones is fairly seamless. If you’re a OnePlus user, you also get a few additional perks, including the ability to customize the touch controls and noise cancellation levels without downloading the third-party HeyMelody app.

Image credit: OnePlus

OnePlus also promises better call quality and reduced audio latency down to 94ms. The Z2s are also certified to support Dolby Atmos, but with Apple Music, the effect isn’t as noticeable as Apple’s AirPods with head tracking. It’s still nice, though, and I’ll have more TV show and movie impressions in the full review.

OnePlus says that its noise cancellation can block sounds up to 40dB and in my testing, I can’t hear my fingers on my Macbook keyboard or other ambient sounds. The Buds Z2 are decent at lowering the volume on human voices too, but as with most earbuds, the noise cancellation isn’t groundbreaking.

Other specs include IP55 water/dust-proofing to help the earbuds withstand rain. The case also offers an IPX4 rating, allowing it to handle minimal splashing as well.

So far, OnePlus’ new Z2s sound pretty good, right? Well, there’s a catch — at least for now. Alongside the new earbuds, OnePlus has brought its Red Cable Club to North America. Anyone can sign up for free, but you need to join to buy the earbuds since OnePlus has decided to make them Red Cable Club exclusive.

Everyone starts as a Red Cable Club Explorer, but you can rank up to Elite status by performing a few annoying tasks like subscribing to OnePlus’ newsletters and registering your account. The main way to gain points is to buy OnePlus products. It appears that $1 equals one point. You need over 3,500 points to hit elite status, which only nets you $40 off purchases over $300. Overall, this is a pretty paltry rewards program, but since I assume most OnePlus phone users probably already have a OnePlus account, this isn’t that significant of an issue.

If you want to pick up a pair of the Buds Z2, OnePlus is selling them for $149 to Red Cable Club members only. The company also says that there is a limited quantity of 1,000. If these earbuds sell out, I expect OnePlus to drop more. The company appears to be adopting a similar strategy to ‘Nothing’s’ by releasing with significant hype and exclusivity behind them.

Categories
Mobile Syrup

OnePlus’ Buds Z2 are now available for $149

OnePlus has released an updated pair of earbuds in its ‘Z’ line called the OnePlus Buds Z2 that promise more battery life and active noise cancellation.

I’ve been testing the earbuds for the past few days and will have a full review in the coming weeks. But for now, I’ll say that they sound good, the noise cancellation seems average, and they feel very similar to the OnePlus Buds Z from last year. So far, I have no major complaints, but I’ve yet to compare them to the previous model and key competitors. That said, for the low price of $150, the value the Z2s offer is difficult to beat.

There’s a decent amount to get excited about on the spec sheet, including standard OnePlus fast charging. This time the company says that a 10-minute charge (on a certified charger) offers five hours of listening time. However, that’s not even the most impressive battery stat because with the case, you can use the buds for 38 hours, according to the company. This is incredibly long and might make these the perfect earbuds for people that are away from power for a long time.

They’re also been equipped with Bluetooth 5.2 and can use Google Fast Pair, so the initial connection to most Android phones is fairly seamless. If you’re a OnePlus user, you also get a few additional perks, including the ability to customize the touch controls and noise cancellation levels without downloading the third-party HeyMelody app.

Image credit: OnePlus

OnePlus also promises better call quality and reduced audio latency down to 94ms. The Z2s are also certified to support Dolby Atmos, but with Apple Music, the effect isn’t as noticeable as Apple’s AirPods with head tracking. It’s still nice, though, and I’ll have more TV show and movie impressions in the full review.

OnePlus says that its noise cancellation can block sounds up to 40dB and in my testing, I can’t hear my fingers on my Macbook keyboard or other ambient sounds. The Buds Z2 are decent at lowering the volume on human voices too, but as with most earbuds, the noise cancellation isn’t groundbreaking.

Other specs include IP55 water/dust-proofing to help the earbuds withstand rain. The case also offers an IPX4 rating, allowing it to handle minimal splashing as well.

So far, OnePlus’ new Z2s sound pretty good, right? Well, there’s a catch — at least for now. Alongside the new earbuds, OnePlus has brought its Red Cable Club to North America. Anyone can sign up for free, but you need to join to buy the earbuds since OnePlus has decided to make them Red Cable Club exclusive.

Everyone starts as a Red Cable Club Explorer, but you can rank up to Elite status by performing a few annoying tasks like subscribing to OnePlus’ newsletters and registering your account. The main way to gain points is to buy OnePlus products. It appears that $1 equals one point. You need over 3,500 points to hit elite status, which only nets you $40 off purchases over $300. Overall, this is a pretty paltry rewards program, but since I assume most OnePlus phone users probably already have a OnePlus account, this isn’t that significant of an issue.

If you want to pick up a pair of the Buds Z2, OnePlus is selling them for $149 to Red Cable Club members only. The company also says that there is a limited quantity of 1,000. If these earbuds sell out, I expect OnePlus to drop more. The company appears to be adopting a similar strategy to ‘Nothing’s’ by releasing with significant hype and exclusivity behind them.