Zagg Z-buds

Cable Connectivity (5.26)

According to the Z-buds advertising, they sport a ‘Premium length, tangle-free cord.’ Since the Z-buds are 4 feet, 9 inches, we’re guessing ‘premium’ means ‘longer than average.’ If you like a longer cord on your in-ears, the Z-buds are the premium choice. If you want the average length so you don’t have extra slack in your pocket, then the Z-buds are a bit awkward.

Portability (8.31)

As mentioned above, the Z-buds have a slightly longer cord than average, making them a bit less portable than most in-ears. Of course, since they’re in-ears they’re still very portable.

The three beads on the Z-buds cable can also help manage the cord a bit by keeping the left and right channels together. This works in theory, but in practice the beads seem to slide around a bit. Sometimes they cause more trouble than they solve: they create loops, which promote tangling.

The Z-buds also come with a felt pouch, which is marginally helpful if you don’t have a pocket to shove the headphones into.

Maintenance (4.50)

Typically most in-ears will have removable sleeves for their ear buds. A select few include disposable wax nozzle guards. The Z-buds are the first we’ve reviewed that allow for a degree of disassembly. This is a great feature, since it lets you get at the trouble spots: the remote & mic and the volume control.

Other Features (7.50)

Battery

The Z-buds don’t require batteries to operate. Since batteries throw a lifespan into the equation, they’re annoying. We therefore award points to headphones that don’t use batteries.

Remote & Mic

The remote and mic will let you take phone calls, or issue simple commands to a media player. The control pendant is also located at a good height.

Volume Control

The volume control functions and we like it’s placement…in theory. The dial turns too easily, however, which led to our pockets dictating the volume of our playback more than we did. We wish the dial was a bit tougher to turn, or that it had some kind of lock implemented.