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Posted: 2018-05-21 04:01:29

Following the 2016 release of its well-received Bullets V2 wired earphones, OnePlus has returned to the audio market with a set of affordable Bluetooth earphones -- the Bullets Wireless -- announced alongside the new OnePlus 6 phone. They seem to take their design cues from Beats' popular BeatsX earphones, but they cost less ($69 or £69, shipping in June) and arguably sound slightly better. (We're still waiting for Australian pricing but that converts to about AU$90.)

Like the BeatsX, the Bullets Wireless have a fast-charge feature. These earphones charge via USB-C instead of Micro-USB, which allows for incredibly quick charging -- OnePlus says its fast-charge feature gives you 5 hours of continuous audio from just 10 minutes of being plugged in. (The BeatsX charges via Lightning and can give you 2 hours of audio from a 5-minute charge.)

The buds are made out of aluminum.

Sarah Tew/CNET

Total battery life is rated at 8 hours at moderate volume levels, which is fairly decent, and to preserve battery life, the earphones automatically switch off after 5 minutes of inactivity.

The other special feature OnePlus is touting relates to how the earbuds magnetically bind to each other. When they're magnetically clipped together, your music pauses; when they're separated, it resumes. However, the feature only fully works with the OnePlus 5, OnePlus 5T and OnePlus 6 phones, which is a shame.

When I tested the earphones with an iPhone X, my music did pause when I clipped the buds together, but didn't automatically resume when I separated the buds. That said, I was watching a video clip on the iPhone X through the phone's speakers, and when I separated the buds, the earphones paired with the phone and I heard sound through the buds.

OnePlus says a future update will allow users of the OnePlus 5, 5T and 6 phones to answer calls by uncoupling the earbuds.

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