Oppo’s Enco series of audio products needs no introduction. Be it neckband-style earphones or a new pair of TWS earbuds, the Enco series featured great products that packed features, solid build quality and most importantly, good sound.
The Enco X2 earbuds that Oppo launched earlier this year is the latest in the series, and also the most expensive. But does it hit all the checkboxes it should for Rs 10,999? Find out in our full review below.
Oppo Enco X2: What’s good?
Sound quality
Once you get the right size of eartips on the Enco X2 and wear them, the sound experience you get here is top-notch. A balance between the lows, mids and highs give you an experience that is great for all genres. Four EQ settings also lets you tailor your output according to your liking to an extent.
Instrument separation on tracks like ‘For those about to rock’ by AC/DC and ‘Do I wanna know’ by Arctic Monkeys was great and guitar riffs like the one on ‘For whom the bell tolls’ by Metallica were very pleasing to the ears on the Enco X2. On the other end of the spectrum, bass drops on songs like ‘Radioactive’ by Imagine Dragons and ‘From The D 2 The LBC’ by Eminem sounded punchy and clean, without any distortion.
The audio quality on the Oppo Enco X2 is excellent. (Image Source: Chetan Nayak/ The Indian Express)
Noise Cancellation
The Enco X2 also have some of the best noise cancellation I have heard in this segment. Ambient noises like my loud ceiling fans disappeared almost completely when using the earbuds. When you wear the Enco X2 and the ANC kicks in post connection a second later, the experience of your surroundings just suddenly going near-silent is almost magical.
You also get three modes – Noise cancellation, Off and Transparency for your use cases, allowing you some flexibility. The flexibility is also enhanced by various levels of noise cancellation like ‘Mild’, ‘Modeerate’ and ‘Smart’ that you can choose between, although I personally preferred the ‘Max’ almost exclusively.
Call quality and features
The Oppo Enco X2 also has surprisingly good quality and every friend and family member I have dialled up in the last week were not able to distinguish my phone’s microphone quality from that of these earbuds when indoors. Outdoors, sounds of traffic and other elements can leak in as in with most earphones, but the mics here are just good enough for you to have a comfortable conversation with someone.
The earbuds come with a lot of features that can be accessed via the HeyMelody app. (Image Source: Chetan Nayak/ The Indian Express)
Features like dual-device connectivity were really handy when switching between my computer and phone. The Automatic switch to the phone when you get a call, and back to the original device when you end it, is instantaneous and seamless.
The earbuds can also be customised from the Bluetooth settings directly if you’re on an Oppo device like the Reno 8 Pro. On other phones, you can use the HeyMelody app to customise gestures and other features.
Gestures
Gestures on the Enco X2 work by sliding on the stem of the earbuds and squeezing them. What I loved is that the slide gestures to control volume and playback are triggered by the side of the earbud stem and not the outer edge. This ensures that you don’t accidentally skip a track or end a call, which was one of my biggest issues on earbuds with touch/slide gestures.
Connectivity and battery life
The Enco X2 have great connectivity and I faced no issues with range or any drops throughout my time with the earbuds. They were also very quick to connect to all the devices I tried them with each time I Pulled them from the case.
The Oppo Enco X2 had absolutely no issues with connectivity across phones and laptops. (Image Source: Chetan Nayak/ The Indian Express)
Battery life on the Oppo Enco X2 was also pretty good. While I don’t think I managed the 40 hours of playback that Oppo claims, my total use time at 50-70 per cent volume and a lot of short calls lasted for about two days at a time. For those using these earbuds for just music, you will get more playtime, and even more if you don’t leave them in the ear when not in use like I did. Note that ANC set to max does have a significant impact on battery life, so keep that in mind when using these.
Oppo Enco X2: What’s not good?
Uninspiring design
The Oppo Enco X2 isn’t the most eye-catching pair of earbuds, but the design of the earbuds does have a premium look-and-feel to them. No, they’re not as fresh as the Nothing ear (1) when it comes to looks, but the white buds with their black accents and smooth curves aren’t bad either. They’re also really comfortable in the ears, even after long hours.
The LED indicator on the bottom, next to the USB Type-C port lets you know the charging status of the case no matter how you place the case down. (Image Source: Chetan Nayak/ The Indian Express)
The oval case, however, is a different story altogether. These could easily be mistaken for any budget earbuds that cost a fifth of the price. I really liked the pairing button on the side and the bottom facing LED indicator, but I felt that even though the looks don’t impact your audio experience in the least, a premium pair of earbuds like these could have used a little more visual flair on the case to set itself apart.
Verdict: Are these earbuds for you?
If you’re considering the Oppo Enco X2 at Rs 10,999 you will appreciate the crisp and balanced sound profile that the earbuds offer. However, its the feature-set you get here that are equally useful and impressive. Together, these make the Oppo Enco X2 a solid recommendation. These will now be my go-to earbuds until I must test another audio product.
