Today I decided to look at the KZ Z3 True Wireless Bluetooth Headphones, a budget-friendly option available for around $40 on platforms like AliExpress, but also on Amazon. After losing my trusty Edifier X3 TWS buds, I ventured into the world of budget wireless earphones once more, hoping to find a solid replacement. Did the KZ Z3 earbuds deliver? Here is what I found out.
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KZ Z3 TWS Earbuds – The Specs
| Device: | KZ Z3 TWS Earbuds |
|---|---|
| Photo: |  |
| Price & availability: | Amazon | Aliexpress |
| Bluetooth Version: | 5.2 |
| Drivers: | 10mm dual magnetic dynamic driver + 30019 high frequency balanced armature driver |
| Effective Range: | ~15m without obstacles. |
| Low Latency Mode: | Yes (~40ms latency when engaged) |
| Noise Cancellation: | No |
| Weight: | Both Headphones: ~12g / Charging Bin: ~36g / Together: ~48g |
| Charging Case Capacity: | 300mA (around 2-3 charges of both buds). |
| Charging connector: | USB Type-C |
| Tested Battery Life: | ~4 hours – with both headphones on full volume, up to 6 hours with lower volume settings. |
| Input/Output: | 5V-1A (charging case) / 5V/0.1A (headset) |
| Materials/Quality: | Hard matte plastic for the charging case, tight hinge, glossy plastic for the earbud finish. |
| Extra features: | Capacitive touch shortcuts on both buds, supports single-headphone mode, LED charging indicators on both headphones and the charging case, has an in-built average quality microphone for audio calls, performance mode for mobile gaming. |
Unboxing – Design and Build Quality
Upon receiving the KZ Z3 earbuds, I was immediately impressed by the packaging which is almost always the case for me with products from Knowledge Zenith. Inside, the package includes:
- The earbuds themselves.
- A charging case.
- Two sets of replacement ear tips (different sizes).
- A short USB-C charging cable.
- An instruction manual.
The earbuds themselves immediately struck me as significantly larger than the Edifier X3’s I previously owned, but despite their size, they proved to be quite comfortable for my ears. They don’t stick out too much, although the white logo and glossy outer surface can be pretty noticeable in certain conditions. Still, this didn’t really bother me much.
The charging case is solidly built with a secure hinge that clicks shut with a satisfying snap, and won’t open easily by accident when you carry it in your pocket or in a bag. Still, like most TWS earbud cases, it is really prone to scratches, and after a few weeks of use I had learned that firsthand. If you’re someone who cares about keeping things pristine, you might want to invest in a protective bag to carry it around.
The headphones automatically enter the pairing mode when taken out of the case, and I didn’t have any trouble quickly pairing them with the Samsung and Xiaomi devices I had at disposal in the studio, or with a Windows PC.
- Solid build quality & overall design.
- Pretty satisfying audio quality after manual EQ tweaks.
- Single headphone mode supported.
- Tested battery life for up to around 4h on full volume.
- Capacitive touch shortcuts work for both earbuds.
- The audio quality could be overall much better out of the box.
- The earbuds are pretty big, and not all people like that.
- There are some better options out there (for instance the KZ ZSN PRO’s).
Practical Use – My 2 Weeks of Testing
So, after using these for over 2 weeks now, and as I’m listening to some tunes even as I’m writing this very review, I’m more than ready to sum it all up for you. Here is how it is.
Sound Quality
The most important part: sound quality. While everyone’s preferences differ, I found the audio from the KZ Z3 earbuds to be decent but not exactly mind-blowing—especially when compared to the KZ ZSN Pro models from the very same brand, which I have used for over a few years now.
The highs are well-pronounced, but without some EQ tweaking, they can be a bit harsh. I had to tone them down quite a bit for a more balanced listening experience.
The mids, unfortunately, tend to overpower other frequencies and for me, in the default configuration they are way too present in the sound spectrum. This again, is something I had to adjust in my phone’s EQ settings to get an enjoyable sound profile out of these earbuds.
The bass is present, but don’t expect anything groundbreaking. It’s adequate for casual listening, and won’t disappoint those of you who are fans of some more hardcore electronic music genres, but in my opinion it lacks the depth and punch I’ve come to expect from my older KZ ZSN Pro’s which at one point, were half the price of these buds.
In short, if you’re primarily using these for podcasts or background music listening, they’ll get the job done. For music enthusiasts however, the sound is passable but could use some EQ adjustment for better balance. At least that’s how I see (hear) it.
For good measure, here are some pairing sounds and other sounds these earbuds make, if you’re obsessively collecting these like me:
Battery Life
The product sales page does claim six hours of battery life, but after doing my standard full-volume test I was able to reach around four hours of continuous use. This is pretty solid for the price, though a bit below the manufacturer’s claims. I suppose the 6 hours were reached when testing the headphones at lower volume settings.
Charging the earbuds inside the case takes about an hour, and the case provides roughly two to three additional charges. The hidden LED charging indicator inside the case is a minor inconvenience—you’ll need to open the little box to check its charging status. The red LED signifies 0-30% battery level, the yellow one 30-70%, and green, 70-100%.
Low Latency (Performance) Mode
Let me keep this short. Tapping one of the earbuds three times makes them switch from the “standard” mode to the “performance” or low-latency mode which you’re supposed to use for mobile gaming. Repeating the touch gesture again, makes the headphones switch back to the default mode.
In practice, as you can see in the practical latency tests done in my full video review of these buds, it does audibly lower the latency in my experience nearly halving it, but even then there still is some audio delay which might throw you off when playing more dynamic games, as expected from almost any budget TWS headphones. Still, it’s a feature that is nice to have, and it does work as expected.
The battery use in performance mode also seems to be a little bit higher, so keep that in mind.
Single Headphone Mode
One neat feature of the KZ Z3 earbuds is single-headphone mode, which allows you to use just one earbud while the other one charges inside of the case. This worked flawlessly during all my tests, with no issues of audio cutting off or sync problems when quickly swapping between the right and the left earbud, and knowing how it is with some other cheap TWS headphones, I think the KZ Z3’s deserve a point here.
Call Quality and Touch Shortcut Controls
The call quality was average at best, with the single microphone built into the left earbud tending to distort louder sounds and not doing a great job in louder environments. It’s serviceable for short calls but nothing to write home about. Pretty much a standard in TWS headphones in this price range.
Here is what the microphone sounds like with both the earbuds in my ears, inside of a quiet room:
The touch controls are reliable, although I did find them less sensitive than I’d like. You can skip tracks by tapping either the left (previous track), or the right (next track) earbud, activate your smartphone voice assistant with a long press, and answer and reject calls.
Occasionally though, on average once every dozen taps the commands didn’t register, which I blame on the capacitive surface not covering the whole outer surface on each bud. Still, this happens with most earbuds like these, so it’s nothing alarming in my book.
Final Verdict: Is It Worth Your $40?
For $40, the KZ Z3 True Wireless Bluetooth Headphones offer a decent value. The sound quality is alright after some EQ tweaks, and the general user experience is nearly flawless, however still, for this price I would expect something more.
They have some features that are nice to see, like low-latency mode, dual-earphone touch shortcuts and overall a sturdy build, and while the sound quality isn’t exactly making me want to never use any other TWS earbuds again, it’s acceptable for the price—especially if you’re willing to tweak the EQ on your mobile device to get the sound you need out of them, which for me was rather easy.
For me, they are more than worth keeping around, and I will surely continue to use them on-the-go and when I’m out and about. Considering that in the past I had tested many cheap TWS models that were oftentimes so bad I didn’t even bother doing a short write-up on them, this is a pretty nice surprise.
With that said, if you’re looking for something better, I still recommend the somewhat older and surprisingly cheaper KZ ZSN Pro headphones from the same manufacturer. They’ve outlasted numerous other budget models I’ve tried, and they continue to deliver exceptional audio quality after 2 years of use.
My Alternative: The KZ ZSN PRO Headphones
While the KZ ZSN PRO’s do lack the convenience of the TWS format, they are modular: you can use the very same headphones you buy in wired mode with different accessories, utilizing the simple 2-pin connection on each of the buds. These accessories include: regular wires with a jack audio plug and wireless Bluetooth adapters in many form factors.
- Modular build: 2-pin connection on each earbud.
- Can be used in wired and wireless mode with right accessories.
- Very satisfying sound quality.
- Great battery life.
- They are not available in the real true wireless form factor.
- Not everyone will like their over-the-ear design.
This also means that if your cable breaks, the battery in the wireless adapter gives out, or anything goes wrong, you can simply buy the broken part separately, and use them with your buds without any trouble. Be sure to check them out!