It’s about time. Somebody had to shake up the ever-expanding True Wireless Earbuds market. Bluetooth earbuds saw a huge spurt in sales in 2020. Blame it on WFH and those endless online meetings as also a focus on fitness during a tough year. At a time when white and black earbuds have become ubiquitous, OnePlus breaks the clutter with one of the funkiest Bluetooth earbuds you can snag right now.
LA-based Steven Harrington has carved a niche for his signature stylised graffiti along with artistic caricature and designs. His design language is both playful and contemplative, encouraging a two-way conversation between the artist and user. OnePlus has collaborated with Harrington for this special edition. This partnership inspired the designer to create a new character dubbed ’Cool Cat’ and it’s certainly not short on oomph. The charging case and the box feature the same funky graffiti. The predictable whites and blacks make way for a two-tone purple and mint colour combo with a matching charging case.
The acoustics package is the same as the OnePlus Z buds that made a quiet debut alongside the OnePlus 8T, our favourite OnePlus smartphone in 2020. It’s the same seashell design; the buds sit quite interestingly – at an angle, inside the case. They manage decent sound isolation thanks to the silicon tips; there’s no ANC (Active Noise cancellation) though. These buds handle calls with relative ease; your callers can hear you even with external sounds in the background. Battery life is acceptable too – they clock around 4 to 5 hours, while the battery life with the case runs up to 20 hours. There’s a convenient quick charge that powers your buds for three hours of usage in just 10 minutes.
The buds are easy to set up – we paired them with an iPhone and an Android device. The other handy touch is the IPS 55 rating – sweat and water-resistant. These buds feature advanced 10mm dynamic drivers and Bass Boost technology. They’re also equipped with a dynamic 3D stereo powered by Dolby Atmos. Sound is good for the price tag – the bass is certainly not short on thump but the sound gets tinny when you pump up the volume. The OnePlus Buds Z Steven Harrington edition are a great addition to a category that has become quite predictable over the last year or so. It could just be a conversation starter during your next Microsoft Teams call.
The OnePlus Z Steven Harrington Edition are priced at Rs 3,699