True Wireless Bluetooth earbuds have become ubiquitous. We all know that. But not all earbuds are the same even if many of them look indistinguishable from their rivals. There are premium buds like the AirPods as well as affordable buds that might cost you as little as a meal for two at your neighbourhood pizzeria. A growing number of buds are trying to play somewhere between these two segments that are at either ends of the spectrum. OPPO’s Enco X2 is the newest pair of earbuds to land in this segment. OPPO believes that these buds are more than just buds for calls. Should serious audiophiles be interested?
A Step up
The Enco X2 are the third set of earbuds we’ve checked out from OPPO in under 12 months. The Enco Buds and the Air 2 Pro played in the sub Rs 5K segment, and delivered good value for their respective price tags. The X2 marks a big leap in terms of asking price and OPPO’s product pitch, especially the audio creds. It sticks to OPPO’s preferred pebble shaped case design and that’s not a bad thing. This one feels a lot more premium though. The case is glossy and a tad slippery. Just hold on to your buds when you pull them out of the case. You can’t miss the Dynaudio branding on the rear of the case that announces OPPO’s partnership with the iconic speaker brand to co-develop these buds.
A HiFi speaker in your pocket?
Most brands don’t hold back on the marketing spiel and OPPO is no exception. OPPO would like us to believe that the X2 is the equivalent of a HiFi speaker packed into a pair of TWS earbuds. It’s a clever line to leverage Dynaudio’s rich heritage in the speaker space. OPPO tells us that these buds come with an all-new ‘Sandwich’ quadruple-magnet structure that improves diaphragm performance. All we can say is that these buds walk the talk on the acoustics front. As always, we put these buds through a variety of music genres from Lounge to Heavy metal and they didn’t disappoint.
More controls with the App
I’d strongly suggest pairing these buds with OPPO’s Hey Melody App. I used an iPhone, the app is also available on the Google Play Store. It gives you more control with the levels of noise cancellation and also offers a choice of sound modes with Enco Master EQ. I enjoyed the ‘Dynaudio Real’ mode most. Noise cancellation is quite impressive at this price point. Gamers will also appreciate the low latency (94 ms) that enhances gaming on these buds
The perfect bridge
OPPO’s Enco X2 offer a great option for consumers looking for a wide sound stage and effective cancellation without a premium price tag. Call quality is good, thanks two noise-cancelling microphones with a high signal-to-noise ratio. Battery life is subjective and will depend on whether you use ANC. Based on our usage (with ANC on), we think you should manage about 20 hours (with the case). For most average users, this might involve charging your buds every 7–10 days. There are other useful touches like wireless charging and an IP54 certification for dust and water resistance. But more than these add-ons, it’s the acoustics that truly hit the spot.
The OPPO Enco X2 cost Rs 10,999 and come in black and white.
