OnePlus Bullets Wireless 2

As with the Bullets Wireless, the second generation also scores with a high-quality metal housing, which is manufactured this time from stainless steel, an appealing processing quality, and comfortable seat characteristics. The reinforced neck cable offers stability and a good grip, which increases the possible level of activity that can be undertaken – especially on the move – without the earbud falling out. Despite the 32-gram weight, no unpleasant pressure problems occurred even during prolonged use. In fact, the in-ears are hardly noticeable when worn. There were also no annoying cable noises. The battery technology of the Bluetooth handsets proved to be pleasingly persistent and delivered a battery life of more than 14 hours. Spontaneous use is also possible thanks to the powerful quick-charge function, in which 80 per cent of the battery capacity is available after only ten minutes of charging. A complete charging process via the supplied USB-C to USB-A charging cable takes about 50 minutes.

Device control

The Bullets Wireless 2 support Bluetooth version 5.0 and offered a range of over ten metres with high stability in practical tests with various Android and iOS systems. Coupling takes place virtually automatically when the magnetic connection between the handsets is disconnected, switching the system on and putting it directly into pairing mode. As soon as the magnetic lock at the ends of the housing engages again, the handsets switch off and can be worn around the neck like a chain. At the same time, the mechanism helps save battery capacity. Alternatively, a power button on the neck cable is available for switching on and pairing.

When a wireless connection is established, the middle remote button controls the Play/Stop function of the paired device. It is used for title navigation by double-clicking to jump to the next track, or by pressing three times to go backwards. Calls can also be accepted and ended at the touch of a button. Speech intelligibility is extremely good when making calls, even against a busier backdrop as the microphone is equipped with cVc noise suppression. Separate plus and minus buttons are available for volume control.

According to the manufacturer, the Bullets Wireless 2 also have a quick coupling feature supported by the following OnePlus devices: 5, 5T, 6, 6T, 7, 7 Pro. It is also possible to connect to two devices at the same time and switch between them by double-clicking on the power button. In this respect, calls can be accepted on the mobile phone, for example, even though a movie or video clip is actually being watched on the tablet. A very useful feature in everyday use! However, only Google Assistant is supported.

Sound

The in-ears have two Knowles balanced armature drivers and one dynamic driver per side and are contemporarily tuned. The powerful bass foundation extends into the deep bass range and finds a counterpart in the present highs, while the mids appear a little more reserved. Nevertheless, these vocals, in particular, set a good scene on a generously dimensioned stage with spatial echoes. The overall sound is very clear, lively and appealingly defined so that, despite the emphasis in the basses, a broad musical spectrum is covered. For me personally, the upper frequencies have a bit too much bite and sharpness, especially at higher levels, which is especially noticeable in sibilants. Additionally, a slight background noise is also present. Otherwise, there is nothing to criticise from my point of view. On the contrary, the Bluetooth headphones not only convince with their sound power but also have a respectable sound quality to offer in view of their price.