The true wireless market has taken off like a rocket in recent times. Everyone wants in on the action and it means budget buds pour in on an everyday basis. Very few ever stand out from the crowd, but the Oppo Enco X doesn’t have that problem. Instead, this set of earbuds has features you rarely see working so well at this price point. On top of that, they sound great.

The Enco X earbuds come in quite elegant packaging that more than hints at premium-ness. The case that hold the buds is pebble-shaped, slim, and compact. For a moment, you can’t tell where the case opens from but it turns out simple enough as it flips open from top. The case comes in black or white with the white looking the nicer of the two. It has a metallic band around it that makes it look distinctive and stylish. You’ll notice two little logos: Oppo’s and Dynaudio which is the Swedish company that partners to create this product. The case has a nice prominent button for pairing and the status light just where it should be. In the box you also have extra ear-tops.

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The earbuds are also very compact and light. The design is roughly in the stem style that was popularised by the AirPods, but very much smaller. This makes them balance better and fit rather well, though, of course, the fit is always so different for everyone. I found because of their small size, these buds were easy to wear for long and specially if you want to lie down and listen to something because it doesn’t protrude from the ears that much.

Pairing happens automatically if you’re using an Oppo phone but it isn’t that difficult even with other Android phones. There isn’t a dedicated app, but a third party one called HeyMelody does part of the job, showing options for testing fit, updating firmware and setting the commands for on-bud controls. The buds have a sensitive stem and surface and can be swiped to control volume, tapped to control play/pause and track navigation and the stem can be long pressed to change the noise cancellation mode. The Google assistant can also be triggered off if you choose to set that instead of one of the other actions. But there’s no equaliser in the app. Also, the app isn’t even available for the iPhone. I would expect that someone who can afford the iPhone would actually end up eventually buying one of Apple’s own audio products so it may not matter that much.

Well rounded sound

There’s two important things the Enco X do very well and that’s sound great, and cut out the outside noise.

I believe the Enco X is configured in a way that users in India will really like. The sound quality is many things at once. First, there’s sheer clarity because the sound is clean and loud well, clear. There’s a nice full-blooded bass that really impacts the profile. Each bud has an 11mm dynamic driver and a 6mm balanced membrane driver. It supports the SBC, AAC and LHDC codecs, provided, of course, the playback device also does. The treble part of the sound signature is quite prominent and on occasion a little sharp. Overall the sound is very pleasing and animated. The sound stage is also very nice for such a tiny pair of earbuds, open and surprisingly spacious. I also found the Enco X quite nice for cals and for listening to podcasts and the radio

With music sounding as good as it does, you would understandably want to be alone with it, which is where the noise cancellation kicks in. The ANC on this pair of earphones does a pretty good job of reducing consistent sound like fans and air conditioners and the general hum of outside life. If someone were to mumble nearby, you will probably miss it. But, of course, anything that makes for separate and discrete sound will not go unnoticed. A long-press on the stem gets you out of the noise cancellation mode and into the ambient mode and you can hear the dramatic difference between the two states.

Also read: India’s smartphone shipments declined 4% in 2020: Report

These earbuds use the Bluetooth 5.2 standard. I didn’t face any drops in connectivity. The battery for each charge lasts for about four hours before it needs to go back into the case. It charges wirelessly as well though there’s no fast charge and quick top-up feature. The battery could be better, compared with similar form factors. The earbuds are also IP54 splash resistant. All in all, at this price, very easy to recommend.

Price: ₹9,990 on Flipkart

Pros: Very good sound configuration, small and easy to handle, good active noise cancellation, good pricing

Cons: Needs its own app, battery could be better

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