OnePlus Buds Z2 have Fast Pair, available today for $99 if you sign up for OnePlus’ loyalty program

Ben Schoon | Dec 16 2021 - 6:53 am PT

The OnePlus Buds series has delivered a few pairs of solid truly wireless earbuds, and today the company is launching the OnePlus Buds Z2 with a mid-range price and the return of Google Fast Pair.

The OnePlus Buds Z2 are a middle ground between the OnePlus Buds Pro and the much cheaper OnePlus Buds Z. The $99 price tag puts it in direct competition with the Pixel Buds A-Series, and these certainly put up a good fight. The AirPods-esque design is stuffed into a familiar oval case with OnePlus’ signature “CD” style on the buds.

Under the hood, the Z2 uses the same drivers as the OnePlus Buds Pro, and supports active noise cancellation complete with a transparency mode. Battery life is rated at 38 hours in total, with “Flash Charge” for five hours of listening in 10 minutes. The Buds have an IP55 water-resistance rating while the case hit IPX4. OnePlus has also built in a gaming mode that promises latency of around 94ms, but that requires a OnePlus smartphone.

OnePlus Buds Z2 deliver noise cancellation of up to 40dB, allowing users to listen to their
favorite playlists without interruption from loud, ambient noise. The Buds Z2 also boast the
same 11mm dynamic drivers as flagship hearable OnePlus Buds Pro, providing users with rich
bass, razor-sharp treble, and Dolby Atmos support.
The OnePlus Buds Z2 deliver up to 38 hours of listening time on a single charge with the
included charging case. The truly wireless earbuds also support Flash Charge that provides 5
hours of listening time in just 10 minutes.

The overall package OnePlus is offering here looks solid – and in our brief testing, they sound alright! –but perhaps our favorite addition is the return of Google Fast Pair. OnePlus supported this excellent feature on previous earbuds, but ruthlessly stripped it from the OnePlus Buds Pro last year for its own fast pairing method that only worked on OnePlus phones (or by opening an app on other phones).

With the OnePlus Buds Z2, Fast Pair support is back, but you’ll still need the “HeyMelody” app to take advantage of additional features.

The OnePlus Buds Z2 are technically available in the United States today, but with two catches. Firstly, you need to sign up for the “Red Cable Club,” a free loyalty membership that OnePlus is launching today. Around 1,000 pairs will be sold today under that requirement, with stock opening to everyone on December 18.

You can order Buds Z2 now from OnePlus’ website.