Tech
Huge leak shows off OnePlus Buds Z2
With active noise cancellation and almost double the battery life, and a price under $100, the OnePlus Buds Z2 might be the stocking stuffer to get this holiday season.
Not even a few months after releasing the surprisingly great OnePlus Buds Pro, which we were impressed by, there are rumors of an even less expensive pair of OnePlus earbuds, tentatively dubbed the OnePlus Buds Z2.
Round 2
According to leaks, the OnePlus Buds Z2 are a follow-up to the Buds Z that launched in November of last year. At $50, the Buds Z are an affordable budget option, with features like 20-hour battery life, fast charging, IP55 rating, and 10mm drivers with “Bass Boost”.
$50
The price of the original OnePlus Buds Z.
Old news
The OnePlus Buds Z’s time is almost up. OnePlus is allegedly announcing the new Buds Z2 in October. The leak comes by way of leaker Max Jambor (@MaxJmb), who posted a cryptic image listing specs for the wireless earbuds. If those specs are to be believed, we could have a sub-$100 pair of buds that will be hard to beat.
ANC on
Like the recently released OnePlus Buds Pro, the leaks claim the Buds Z2 will have noise cancellation. The Buds Pro have excellent noise cancellation, according to our senior reviews editor Ray Wong. Given the Buds Z2 will likely be similarly priced to the Buds Z, you probably shouldn’t expect the same level of ANC.
The Buds Z2 are said to up the battery from 20 hours to 38 hours total; 7 hours on a single charge. Expect less per charge with ANC turned on. Leaks suggest a 10-minute charge will juice up the Buds Z2 for 5 hours of listening time.
No leak on the pricing for the Buds Z2 yet. With ANC and improved battery life, OnePlus could push the price up closer to $100, which would still be $50 less than Buds Pro. A $100 price tag would put the Buds Z2 in direct competition with the Nothing Ear (1) that also have ANC.
Coming soon
If rumors are on the money, OnePlus may announce the Buds Z2 next month. According to GSM Arena, it was speculated in August that OnePlus was working on a “Lite” version of the Buds Pro earbuds, which were alleged to share an October release date with the OnePlus 9RT. Whether the “Lite” earbuds refer to the Buds Z2 is unclear, but it would be a hell of a coincidence if that’s not the case.