You probably know that my last experience with Bobo VR was not exactly a success. The polarized Bobo VR Z3 virtual reality headset that I tested recently turned out to be one of the worst headsets I have ever used. Will the new Z4 VR headset surprise us today? Let us find out …
BOBOVR Z4 is a new model of virtual reality headset made of high-quality plastic. As for the design, I must admit that this headset looks simply delightful. The black and white elements together with the silver mounts on the headphones show that the developers put more effort into the design of this headset compared to previous models. The headset weighs 419 g and is attached to over-ear headphones, and is also equipped with a wireless button.
The Z4 has 3 adjustable elastic straps arranged crosswise relative to each other and joined together by a soft, leather-like material that is absolutely comfortable while using the headset. On the top of the head there is a strap with a plastic disc on which the brand name is written. The back of this disc, which sits against the head, is lined with soft material. I am not entirely sure whether this solution has some practical use or its function is purely decorative. However, I noticed that the main strap can only be adjusted when the headphones are not worn, because the fasteners are inside the headset. Personally, I find this unacceptable, since because of it, it is difficult to adjust the straps to the natural curves of your head without putting the headset on. There are Velcro fasteners on the disc, but, unfortunately, I had to turn the headset upside down so that the hard parts of the headset would not hurt my forehead during use. What pleased me was that it literally took me a few seconds to adjust everything and be ready to dive into another reality.
The BOBOVR Z4 headset is lined with soft materials, which guarantees comfort during use, despite the fact that the weight of the Z4 headphones is quite high. One of the drawbacks of the headset is the narrow nose bridge, which causes discomfort, but fortunately, a thick layer of soft padding in this spot slightly reduces the strong pressure on the nose. One of the main features of the headset is the flawlessly working built-in wireless button. The button is placed in the lower part of the headset and, after pressing, activates the movement of a rubber part that secures the phone. The wireless button in the headphones also works without any quarrels.
Mounting the smartphone
The process of mounting a smartphone in the BOBO VR Z4 is truly amazing. A semi-transparent cover with an opening lock at approximately 40° is attached to the headset. To open it, you need to press the button on top of the headphones. The smartphone is securely fixed thanks to a large number of clamps located along the entire width of the smartphone. This solution allows you not to calibrate the phone every time you want to use the headset. The inner part of the headphones is covered with a layer of micro-rubber, which, when in contact with your phone’s display, prevents scratches from occurring. Also, many small holes are made in the inner padding of the headset, which ensures air penetration, so the parts of the face that touch the elements of the headset will not sweat. So, in my opinion, everything equipped for mounting the phone is done simply amazingly.
Headphones
What makes the BOBOVR Z4 virtual reality headset really different from previous models is the built-in over-ear headphones. To turn on the headphones, you need to use a cable that is placed right beside the special slot for the smartphone. Keep in mind that the cable is very short (6 cm), which is quite convenient for phones whose headphone jack is located at the top, but for phones with the jack at the bottom the cable is too short. If your phone has the jack at the bottom, you will need to buy a special extension cord.
The headphones on the headset are very flexible, and the pads on the inner part of the headphones are made of a soft spongy material, which together ensures comfortable wearing. Surprisingly, the Z4 headphones deliver very good sound quality: all the highs and lows are clearly distinguishable. At the moment that is all I can tell, since I have never come across similar built-in headphones, however I must admit that I really enjoyed the high sound quality.
On the Z4 headset the volume is very conveniently adjusted via a multifunctional button (VOL +/-). Personally, I really like this solution.
Optical characteristics
The BOBOVR Z4 headset has two large convex lenses with a diameter of 40 mm. The high quality of the lenses is determined mainly by optical sharpness. The image gets slightly blurred at the periphery, but I am quite satisfied with this.
The lens can be easily adjusted using a button placed on top of the device. There is also a possibility of accommodation, that is, adjusting the distance between the lens and the screen of your smartphone thanks to a row of buttons installed on the side of the headset.
The construction of the headset is such that it fits very tightly against the eyes, so it is practically impossible to use regular prescription or any other glasses together with the virtual reality headset.
The distance between the lenses and the eyes is quite large, but the lens also has a large diameter. And the distance between the lens and the smartphone is small, which significantly increases the field of view. The field of view is simply breathtaking and thanks to this the feeling of immersion in virtual reality is very similar to reality. But if the distance between the lens and the eyes were smaller, the image would be even higher quality.
Providing a full field of view is possible even when using phones with a screen diagonal of 5.2”, which is very impressive.
Let us sum up
The BOBOVR Z4 virtual reality headset is made of high-quality plastic. It stands out with a unique design and a well-thought-out smartphone mounting system. One of the main features of this headset is that it has a built-in wireless button and over-ear headphones with a very convenient volume switch. Taking into account all the negative points, the BOBO VR headset is very comfortable to use, despite its rather large weight and narrow nose bridge. The Z4 lenses provide a very wide field of view, which on the whole suggests that, when creating the previous virtual reality headset model, the manufacturer (to put it mildly) absolutely did not bother improving the optical characteristics. This time the designers made every effort to create the best product of its kind. I can honestly admit that the Z4 headphones are my favorite headphones at the moment. If you are still looking for a worthy and high-quality virtual reality headset, then I really recommend buying the BOBOVR Z4 headset.
