Oppo has always taken a value-driven approach to genuine wireless earphones, deliberately offering and providing more than what you might anticipate from comparably priced alternatives. The recently released Oppo Enco X2 is a perfect illustration of how far Oppo is prepared to go in order to establish itself as the brand offering the most value for money. Yet discussing the value for money requires addressing the genuinely affordable market, and that’s where the new Oppo Enco Buds 2 fit.
Design and features of Oppo Enco Buds 2
While being marketed as the replacement for the original Enco Buds, the new headgear is very different, especially in terms of the design. The original’s stemless style is replaced with one that has a full-length stem and, naturally, smaller casings near the top. The earphones’ plastic construction and precise in-canal fit provide effective passive noise isolation. Also, the 4g weight of each earpiece contributes to the overall comfort.
In India, the Oppo Enco Buds 2 is only offered in the color black. The charging case has a similar matte black finish on the surface and a glossy light blue color inside, while the earpieces are totally black in color and have a matte finish. Even though the color scheme is odd, it looks okay.
The Oppo Enco Buds 2 have touch controls on the earpieces, which can be adjusted using the app or native Bluetooth settings on Android devices. The top of the stems are where the touch-sensitive section is located, and to distinguish it from the rest of the stems, it has a texture that is slightly flattened. Gestures can be programmed to control playing, volume, activate game mode, or call up your smartphone’s default voice assistant.
The Oppo Enco Buds 2’s charging case has undergone significant design changes as well, largely to match the appearance of the earphones themselves. With the USB Type-C charging port and indicator light at the bottom, it is now a little flatter and wider. It can fit easily in a handbag’s compartment or a pocket because of how compact it is.
The Oppo Enco Buds 2 have some basic features like app support, AI ambient noise cancellation on calls, and IPX4 water resistance for the earpieces, as well as capabilities like utilizing the earpieces to control the camera shutter on supported devices. Three pairs of silicone ear tips in various sizes are included in the sales package, but there is notably no charging cord, which is somewhat disappointing even at this price.
Apps for and details about the Oppo Enco Buds 2
The Oppo Enco Buds 2 work with the HeyMelody app, like many other Oppo and OnePlus audio products, to enable customization and a few more features and functionalities. You won’t even need the app if your smartphone is an Oppo or a OnePlus model; the same capability is included into the default Bluetooth settings menu and can be reached simply touching on the earbuds in the Bluetooth settings menu.
It’s important to note that the Oppo Enco Buds 2 only function with Android smartphones and that HeyMelody is only available for iOS. For this review, I paired the earphones with a OnePlus 9 Pro, which featured built-in app functionality for Bluetooth.
Once the devices were paired and connected, I had access to the app’s features, such as equalizer settings (original sound, bass boost, and clear vocals), gesture-based control customization, and the switch that lets you use the earpieces to trigger the camera shutter when snapping a picture. Also, you can see the earpieces’ and the case’s battery levels and upgrade the firmware. Everything has been presented clearly and has performed as I had hoped.
Battery life and performance of the Oppo Enco Buds 2
Thanks in large part to great headphones like the Enco X2, Oppo’s value-for-money approach to the true wireless earphones market deserves a lot more attention than it currently receives. Oppo expects to have a significant impact on the inexpensive market with the Enco Buds 2, and it does have a strong competitor that can compete with goods from other companies.
Over the past year, there have been considerable changes in this price range, and in addition to the enhancements in the functions offered, even the sound quality appears to have increased somewhat. Even in the mid-range and highs, the Oppo Enco Buds 2’s audio output is strong, powerful, and driven while still preserving a good degree of information and capabilities. Although it has an aggressive sound that is typical of genuine wireless headsets for under Rs. 2,000, it didn’t feel overpowering or tiresome.
Conundrum by Shur-i-Kan has a mid-tempo beat that seems energetic and attention-grabbing as soon as you start listening to it. Yet, the mellow, soulful melody was given plenty of opportunity to shine, and the deep, rumbling lows were neither oppressive or violent. For a large portion of my listening, the snug fit and respectable passive noise isolation contributed to producing good, clear sound.
The earphones sounded loud enough for ordinary indoor use even with the volume set to about 30%. It’s reasonable to state that this is a pretty loud pair of true wireless headphones because anything louder than 60 percent volume level made me feel uneasy to listen to it. While certain delicate, soothing tunes, like Truth by Kamasi Washington, sounded best at around the 50% volume level, aggressive electronic music were best listened to with the volume on the lower end.
The Enco Buds 2’s lows weren’t nearly as powerful and accurate as I’d heard on somewhat more costly headsets like the Oppo Enco Air 2 Pro, but this is to be expected given their pricing. Although the bottom end of the sound is kept under control by the sound tuning, it frequently sounded as though the headset was exerting considerable effort to restrain itself.
The Oppo Enco Buds 2’s strong volume capabilities make up for the absence of active noise suppression and make it a good headset for voice-based media like videos, movies, and TV shows. Both indoors and outside, the headset’s call quality was respectable.
Even for a low-cost headset, the Oppo Enco Buds 2’s battery life is excellent thanks to the earphones’ 40mAh batteries and the charging case’s 460mAh battery. With the volume set to about 30–40%, I was able to use the earphones for about six hours on a single charge. The charging case added three more full charges, giving me a total run duration of about 24 hours per charge cycle.
Verdict
I’ve discovered that simplicity and a focus on sound quality is vastly superior to earbuds that can do a lot of things but none of them very well. Companies are frequently tempted to double-down on features with affordable true wireless headphones. giving a primarily music-focused, pristine listening experience, paired with a respectable battery life and app support.
