MALAYAN COLLEGES LAGUNA

English for Academic and Practical Purposes

Critique Paper

A Critique on

OnePlus Bullets Wireless

The OnePlus Bullets Wireless earphones, bagging different up-to-date features, have set the wireless
earphone game to high standards. Debuting alongside the company's latest phone, certainly had people
wanting to own the flagship device. Offering an exceptional audio experience, fully charged in just a
couple of minutes with its “dash charging” capability. Considering its price point – $69.00 – sure enough,
the wireless earphones have maintained its OnePlus pedigree (Savov, 2018).

Fig. 1. ​OnePlus Bullets Wireless

Summary of Findings

The OnePlus Bullets Wireless was assessed based on three standards: ergonomics, audio quality, and
battery life. The audio quality was detailed and expressive, but the bass was lacking and sound can be
abrasive when used in a quiet environment. Battery life could be a major drawback to customers,
although, its “dash charging” capability remains superior in its league. Ergonomically, OnePlus ensured
the user's comfort and ease of use, but had to settle for a simple design.

During the process, the earphones were used as a daily driver to test out how long it takes to charge the
earphones, and how long it would last on a daily basis. Audio quality was thoroughly tested and had
references from multiple sources to obtain a more accurate critique of the earphones’ sound quality. The
build quality was assessed by 10 respondents to check whether the Bullet's design and build would satisfy
their comfort and convenience.

Castaño. De Roma. Dipad

Page 1 of 5
MALAYAN COLLEGES LAGUNA
English for Academic and Practical Purposes
Critique Paper

Build quality

The build quality was evaluated by considering the earphones’ use of materials and users’ comfort. The
earphones aren't entirely wireless, it has a neckband and wires between them. It is made of aluminum
which OnePlus claims that it could withstand water damages from rain, sweat, and splashes, but not
prolonged contact with water. With those being said, Bullets could be used during workouts, and it is fit
enough to stay put onto your neck when performing horizontal movements (Katz, 2018).

The flat panel on the end of each earbud is magnetic which could perform certain actions. Drawing the
earbuds together automatically pauses your media, and separating them automatically begins the
playback. This feature works with specific phones but works best on OnePlus devices. Its durability has
upset some users because of instances where earbud panels dislodges itself making the pause and
playback feature useless.

With its design and build, the earphones remains on your neck but, over time, the neckbands tend to get
sticky on the nape. There were multiple instances where it felt like it would break and might accidentally
pull the cable. Nothing of that sort has happened yet, so the build quality of the cables themselves is
possibly better than what it feels like.

Audio quality

The audio quality was assessed based on its bass production, and performance on mids, lows, and highs.
Determining whether the product has good audio quality could depend on external factors and preferences
of users as well. Ergo, thoroughly evaluating every aspect of the factors for good audio quality would be
needed to have an accurate critique.

As for the earphone’s sound technicalities, they are one of the best sounding earphones for the money –
Sound production is detailed and has a very expressive sound, with impressive dynamics and keeps up its
pace to a track. Mids and highs are where these earphones truly exceed expectations (Banerjee, 2018).
Although, if you are a bass lover, then these earphones may not be the ones for you; as it leans towards a
more neutral and balanced sound profile. On the other hand, if you would want to have better bass and
improved isolation, then resorting to a third-party foam ear tips that suit you would do the trick, which is
vital if you are aiming for that balanced, decent sound. If not, then the audio would sound thin and tinny,
and bass would be underwhelming (“OnePlus Bullets Wireless review”, 2018).

The OnePlus Bullets sports Qualcomm aptX audio technology, and on aptX supported Android phones,
the Bullets performed a wider soundstage and crisp vocals, while maintaining good instrument separation
(Cerejo, 2018). In terms of audio quality, the OnePlus Bullets is superior – especially having in mind that
$69 price into consideration. Sonically, these earphones are a no match to the likes of the Sennheiser
Castaño. De Roma. Dipad
Page 2 of 5
MALAYAN COLLEGES LAGUNA
English for Academic and Practical Purposes
Critique Paper

Momentums; although, the Bullet's price is less than half of the Momentum's, and on that basis alone
serves a great deal to its users.

Battery life

The battery life was evaluated based on how long it lasts when used on a daily basis; results may vary
depending on usage conditions. A USB Type C port is placed under the left side of the neckband which
supports “dash charging” – popularized by OnePlus, which have been one of the top company that
performed impressive charging speed, if not, the greatest.

OnePlus claims that a 10-minute quick charge could give the Bullets enough juice to last the earphones up
to 5 hours of playback; a full charge gives 8 hours of battery life for listening time, and 10.5 hours for
calls, which is close enough compared to the actual usage of the earphones (Guison, 2018). On a full
charge, the earbuds have a 225-hour of standby time. Although battery life seems to have users
dissatisfied, it's dash charging takes the spotlight.

The Bullets was tested by charging the earbuds from different sources of electricity. When connected to a
USB port of a MacBook Air, the bullets wireless managed to charge up to 80 percent from zero (at least
that's level Android Oreo detected) in just 10 minutes. When connected to a power adapter (Qualcomm
Quick Charge 3.0 compatible), the earphones managed to fully charge in under 30 minutes, which is
quite impressive.

Conclusion and Recommendation

OnePlus Bullets Wireless is an amazing device overall, with its impressive Build quality, audio, and
battery life. OnePlus did not just integrate Bluetooth connectivity to its existing earphones and hike the
price, it offered high-end audio experience and convenience. OnePlus made sure you don't just get what
you pay for, but secured users innovative features on a drastically cut down price. Still, the earphones
have its weaknesses, but sonically, these earphones are good enough to tackle top tier earphones in the
market which costs twice more than the Bullets.

Although there are still aspects where the device could still improve on. The earphones weren't
particularly good looking and were called out for its “derivative design” due to its uncanny resemblance
with the BeatsX. Experimenting with other design would help future updates be more visually appealing.
Audio, of course, is one of the purchasing standards for consumers, having all boxes ticked is the goal of
every company, and the Bullets happen to miss one. The Bullets definitely lacked bass which should be
improved in future updates so the Bullets could be used all-around; especially audiophiles which noticed
low bass production from the earphones.

Castaño. De Roma. Dipad

Page 3 of 5
MALAYAN COLLEGES LAGUNA
English for Academic and Practical Purposes
Critique Paper

A Critique by:

____________________________
Castaño, Kent Melvin T.

____________________________
De Roma, Joshua Ludwig S.

____________________________
Dipad, Angel Jane J.

Castaño. De Roma. Dipad

Page 4 of 5
MALAYAN COLLEGES LAGUNA
English for Academic and Practical Purposes
Critique Paper

List of References

​ etrieved from
Savov, V. (2018, May 21). ​OnePlus Bullets Wireless review: exceeding expectations. R
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.theverge.com/platform/amp/2018/5/21/17375546/oneplus-bullets-w
ireless-review-bluetooth-earphones

OnePlus Bullets Wireless review (2018, July 20). Retrieved from

https://www.whathifi.com/oneplus/bullets-wireless/review

Banerjee, P. (2018, June 25). ​OnePlus Bullets Wireless review​. Retrieved from
https://www.techradar.com/reviews/oneplus-bullets-wireless-india

Katz, L. (2018, September). ​OnePlus Bullets Wireless review: A BeatsX doppelganger. ​Retrieved from
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.soundguys.com/oneplus-bullets-wireless-review-19841/amp/

Cerejo, R. (2018, June 14). ​OnePlus Bullets Wireless Review.​ Retrieved from
https://www.google.com/amp/s/gadgets.ndtv.com/audio/reviews/oneplus-bullets-wireless-review-186703
6%3famp=1&akamai-rum=off

Castaño. De Roma. Dipad

Page 5 of 5