Oppo Enco Buds Review: An Enco-nomical TWS for the Budget Conscious

When they were first introduced, truly wireless earbuds used to cost a bomb, but with growing popularity, these tiny audio buds have found their way to even the most affordable of price segments. Many brands coming out with TWS at a starting price that is not too difficult to shell out – you can actually get TWS for less than Rs 1,000 now. And Oppo has now joined this budget TWS segment.

The brand recently introduced the Oppo Enco Buds, and along with being completely and utterly wire-free, these buds also come with a highly affordable price tag of Rs. 1,999.

Relatively routine looks

The looks of the Oppo Enco Buds are nothing out of the ordinary. It is just a pill-shaped box with tiny round earbuds inside. The TWS only come in one color option that is white, and the combination of a glossy plastic build and the color white, which we suspect is not likely to age well.

The Oppo Enco Buds come in a pill-shaped, glossy plastic case. The top of the case has Oppo branding in light grey color while the flat base has some basic information. The case has one tiny LED light on the front, while the backside carries a USB Type C port for charging purposes.

Because the case is relatively compact, you can easily fit them in the pockets of even the skinniest of jeans. That said, because the case is slightly rounded, it might stick out. When you open the case, you see these tiny wireless earbuds inside, nestled quite cozily in their slots.

Both the slots and the buds come with “L” and “R” branding to save you from the confusion of which bud goes where. The earbuds stay put in their slots and get charged with the help of tiny magnetic connectors. The earbuds themselves are pretty tiny. They come with a slightly round shape with an in-ear design with silicone ear tips. You get different-sized ear tips in the box, allowing you to choose the ones that fit you the best. The buds fit very snugly. We did not find them loosening up or falling down even through movement-intensive workouts sessions.

The case is exceptionally prone to smudges and scratches, so much so that they have started looking pretty roughly used in our small-ish review period even though we have been quite careful with them. And honestly, with a build like that, you have to be careful.

The earbuds are affordably priced, and they feel that way at times – the plastic feels a little flimsy while the magnetic connectors inside are not very strong, which means the buds fly out of their slots every time you open the case a little recklessly. That said, the Oppo Enco Buds come with an IP54 rating which makes them dust and water-resistant, which is very welcome and a rarity at this price point.

Button-less pairing

The Oppo Enco Buds are a completely button-less device, which means there are no buttons on the case or the buds themselves, and that is a little surprising because most TWS come with at least one button for pairing purposes. But not the Oppo Enco Buds.

Pairing them with a device is actually a pretty seamless process. All you have to do is open the case and select the Oppo Enco Buds from your Bluetooth list in the Settings, and the buds will connect to your device. Furthermore, they will automatically connect to the paired device unless you unpair them.

The Enco Buds are equipped with Bluetooth 5.2 and have a range of about 10 meters. Not only are the buds quick to connect to a device but they also offer a strong connection. We did not face any abrupt disconnection issues with the buds.

Touch controls with a slightly complex touch

The Oppo Enco Buds are also one of the few TWS to offer touch controls in this price segment. Having said that, getting used to the controls on the buds can take a while simply because they are so extensive.

Single tapping the left earbud will play or pause music, while double-tapping will answer or disconnect calls. If you are not on call, double-tapping on the left earbud will allow you to change tracks while a triple tap will wake up your virtual assistant or turn on game mode.

The buds also allow you to customize volume with touch control which is quite a feature in this price band. You have to touch and hold the right earbud to increase volumes and have to do the same on the left one to decrease it. You can also customize these controls by installing the HeyMelody app available on iOS and Android platforms for free.

While these controls are impressive, the troubles of touch panels on tiny buds are pretty well known. Aiming for one command and accidentally getting to another is a frequently occurring phenomenon on most TWS, and the Enco Buds are no exception.

Surprisingly balanced sound, and in-your-ears loud

The Oppo Enco Buds come with 8mm drivers, same as the Enco W11 that Oppo had launched earlier. The buds come with support for with support for the AAC codec and Oppo claims the Enco Buds are slightly more bass forward. We found that the output was more on the flat than the bass heavy side. This might disappoint bass fanatics but we felt it was the closest to balanced sound we have heard on affordable TWS.

Yes, the audio output does not have much body and the lows are not as celebrated as we had hoped for from a bass-oriented TWS but if it is bass-y music that you really seek you can change that and customise sound on your buds using HeyMelody app. There you have the option to customise audio output on the buds as per your taste. That said, increasing bass on the earbuds resulted in the lows getting hazy and muddy. The earbuds also feature a game mode that reduces latency, but you will have to deal with a bit of latency anyway, as in most TWS.

The volume on the Enco Buds is pretty loud and on most days, 60-70 percent of the volume would feel loud enough unless you are in really crowded, loud areas. There is no ANC on the buds and neither did we expect to see it at this price point, but thanks to the in-ear design, the earbuds offer really good noise insulation which somewhat makes up for the absence of the feature.

While call connectivity and output on the earbuds seemed good, the microphone performance disappointed us. Oppo claims it uses a special algorithm that separates human voice from external noise but getting our word across to the receiver was often a struggle on the earbuds, especially in noisy conditions.

Good battery life

As per Oppo, the earbuds can last for up to six hours on a single charge which we found to be more or less true. We were able to get 5-5.5 hours worth output out of one single charge at 70 per cent volume. The earbuds also have a battery preserving feature which turns them off automatically if they are not connected to a phone for more than five minutes.

The case comes with a 400 mAH battery which can easily charge your buds 4-5 times before running out of juice. The case takes about 2 hours to charge completely which is a bit much but the earbuds have fast charging support which can get you an hour worth of battery life in merely 15 minutes plus Type-C port at this point is another bonus.

Definitely pocket-friendly!

Priced at Rs. 1,999, the Oppo Enco Buds are definitely one of the most pocket friendly TWS with a well-rounded performance. Yes, they do face competition from budget friendly options from Relame, Redmi and Noise, but they score on performance and features.

The Oppo Enco Buds come loaded with features and functions that are normally not seen at this price point, and that makes them a perfect option for those who want to venture into the world of TWS without shelling out a bomb.

Buy Oppo Enco Buds