Wireless earbuds are a dime and a dozen in the Indian market, where consumers have been more than happy to switch out from older, wired earphones.

In a competitive market like ours, it’s only the best that manage to really stand out, and the OPPO Enco X2 definitely carves out its corner.

Design Details

With each earbud weighing less than 5 grams, no wonder that I plug these in and tend to forget that I have these on. The earbuds are a fairly snug fit and come nestled in a cute pebble-shaped case, not too different from their predecessor.

The pairing button is flush with the right side of the case this time around and can take a second to locate for a first-time user.

Keep the button pressed to fire up pairing and a white blinking indicator inside the case tells you that you’re on track. The earbuds overall look clean and minimal.

Audio Quality

You can pair two devices simultaneously to the Enco X2 and this feature worked better than I expected. I had paired it with my primary smartphone and my laptop.

While I was listening to music or watching videos, the Enco X2 would switch seamlessly to alert me to the call, and switch back smoothly to resume media once I was done. It really felt no different than if I were using just one device.

Regardless of whatever content I heard through the Enco X2—some good ol’ rap by T-Pain, some glam rock by Maneskin or even just catching up on the season finale of Ms Marvel—the audio quality left no room for complaint. The companion app also helps you amp up the bass, treble or vocals you want with four available presets. 

Noise Cancellation

The buds house three microphones along the stems to act on noise cancellation—a job that the Enco X2 seems to do exceptionally well.

When I was on a long call, cooking up a storm in the kitchen, the listener on the other side shared she couldn’t hear a thing apart from my voice—not the water running or the vessels clanking. The background ambience seemed “amazingly silent”.

However, while commuting during rush hour with lots of honking around, my voice didn’t seem to carry too well to the listener on voice calls, compared to the clarity indoors. 

Algorithms at work

OPPO says they’ve specifically built in an anti-wind noise duct design and a smart anti-wind noise algorithm, which might make this a good choice if you work outdoors or take calls while commuting.

Sometimes the listener on the other side of the call could hear some momentary “warbling” of my voice when I walked around a noisy room, which I assume is the algorithm kicking in to emphasise my voice and cut out changing ambient noise.

One thing that was unusual to experience was the OPPO Enco X2’s lack of executing voice commands or voice messages well. Each time I tried using voice commands on my phone/laptop, with the earbuds plugged in, it seemed like those were being picked up (if at all) by the device and not the earbuds. 

Battery

The Enco X2 can go on for up to 40 hours of playtime, according to the company.

The charging case comes with a 566 mAh battery that you can charge through USB-C, and also charge wirelessly. Each nifty earbud packs in a 57 mAh battery.

My usage was fairly mixed but on average I was on voice calls for about 30 minutes, watching video content for 1-2 hours each day, and the earbuds went on for almost 3-4 days with Noise Control set to Mild.

The HeyMelody companion app is what helps you navigate the Enco X2 settings.

You can choose the level of Noise Cancellation—Smart, Max, Moderate, and Mild - I personally prefer Mild on most days. You can also just go for Transparency mode that lets you catch any important noise or voices in the background. There’s also a “customisable” noise cancellation option where the algorithm adjusts based on your auditory canal structure and earbud fit for different users. 

Verdict 

If you’re looking for a relatively affordable but very effective pair of ANC earbuds either for optimising conversations or even for a good general listening experience, the OPPO Enco X2 is definitely one of the most effective options available in the market right now.  

Price: 10,999

Pros: Good audio quality and ANC, decent battery life

Cons: Gesture controls designed too close for comfort

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