Whether you’re looking to upgrade the headphones supplied with a device like a phone, you weren’t supplied with a set, or you need to replace broken headphones – there is an almost endless amount of choices out there. While OnePlus is known for its excellent smartphones, we’ve been impressed by its audio products, too.
OnePlus Bullets V2 review: Price
If you’re looking for cheap headphones, then you won’t find many cheaper than the Bullets V2 that are worth buying. OnePlus only asks for £15.99 and they are yours, so it’s not too much of a surprise that they are often out of stock on the store. We were impressed by the Icons from OnePlus which cost £39.99 but the Bullets V2 will suit those trying to save every penny.
OnePlus Bullets V2 review: Design and build
They might be less than half the price of the Icons, but the Bullets V2 are certainly still good looking headphones. They are easily one of the nicest pairs we’ve seen under £20 and part of the experience is getting a nice box so nice one on that, OnePlus. It’s clear to see that thought has gone into the design with elements like the bevelled edges and the contrasting effect of a CD like groove on one section next to a matt finish created by ‘a dusting of #205 Zircon Sand’. It’s a nice touch that the colour options match the firm’s OnePlus 3 and 3T smartphones, if you like that kind of coordinated look. The black option is far closer to silver mind and is closer to the OnePlus 3 colour as opposed to the 3T.
As you’d expect from a pair of in-ear headphones, you get three sizes of buds so you should find something that fits your ears. They are also very lightweight in-ear headphones which helps them stay in your ears. You don’t, however, get a carry pouch like the Icons. The slightly flat cable helps to stop things getting tangled up and despite the cheap price you still get a three button in-line control. That means you can adjust volume and pause/play music and there’s also a mic for hands-free calls. A nice touch is that the main button has the same CD groove effect as the ear bud.
OnePlus Bullets V2 review: Sound quality
For these headphones, OnePlus has teamed up with experts at Lofo in Germany and fitted the Bullets V2 with ‘Aryphan Polyarylate’ diaphragm and aluminium coils wrapped in ‘high-end Japanese black copper’. All this supposedly combines to create a comfortable, well-rounded sound production and a consistent listening experience. We’re more interested in core specs so here you’re getting 9mm drivers, a typical size for in-ear headphones. They have a frequency range of 20-20,000Hz – matching the theoretical human hearing range -, an impedance of 24 Ohms and rated power output of 3mW.
Marketing spiel and potentially confusing specs aside, we’re really impressed by the sound quality of the Bullets V2. We’ll explain in detail but in short, they are the best pair we’ve reviewed under the £20 price mark. You might expect cheap headphones like these to sound tinny and weak but that far from the truth here. The Bullet V2 in-ears provide a solid sound quality which will certainly be a step up from the typical cans supplied with the likes of smartphones. We particularly like how spacious the sound is, an unusual quality for in-ears and especially cheap ones. OnePlus says it has invested time tuning the headphones compared to the original Bullets and this is apparent. The Bullets V2 are nicely balanced and what stands out most is a full, forward sounding mid-range. That’s not to say there’s no top-end though which is decent for cheap headphones but it pales in comparison to the bass which is notably rich and tight for what are small drivers. Lovers of bass-heavy music won’t be blown away but should be suitably satisfied. As we’ve found with most in-ear headphones, the sound quality can change dramatically as the ear bud moves in your canal. How much they move will depend on the individual fit but get the Bullets V2 in the right place and they’ll do the trick nicely. Tech Advisor’s Reviews Editor, Chris has been reviewing all kinds of tech for over 10 years and specialises in audio. He also covers a range of topics including home entertainment, phones, laptops, tablets and more.
