OnePlus announced the successors to last year's budget Buds Z. Althought the Buds Z2 look exactly like the original version, they offer a significant upgrade with the most notable being the active noise cancellation.
Yep, this year's budget TWS buds from
OnePlus have ANC on board and promise longer battery life. The company promises
5 hours of non-stop playback with ANC on or 7 hours without ANC. That's how
much the built-in 40 mAh battery in each bud lasts. The charging case, on the
other hand, packs a 520 mAh cell, charges over USB-C and provides enough juice
to the buds for 5-hour-long playback in just 10 minutes.
A Transparency Mode is also available,
which cuts off the ANC for a moment when you need to be aware of your
surroundings. Sound quality-wise, there should be a pretty small difference
between the Buds Z2 and the Buds Pro as the company says the same 11mm dynamic
drivers found in the Buds Pro are available here as well.
Now the tricky part is that just like the
rest of the OnePlus Buds, these ones offer better integration with OnePlus-made
phones. However, if you are using a different brand or an iPhone, you can dig
into the settings using the HeyMelody app. The asking price for a pair of Buds
Z2 is US$ 99 in the US and € 99 in Europe with the only available color option
being Pearl White. Obsidian Black are also on their way but should be available
sometime next year. Availability starts today.
