OPPO Enco X review: Great for some, just good for others

By Anula Wiwatowska

Last updated 20 August 2021

OPPO Enco X Review: The Verdict

For the most part, the new OPPO Enco X earbuds are a welcome upgrade, and especially so if you’re already using an OPPO phone. Unfortunately, if you’re not part of the ecosystem you’ll lose out on customisation and some functionality that is only available through an OPPO handset. $349 is a steep price to pay if you can’t access every feature of these earbuds, but the audio quality and battery life on the buds can almost make up for it depending on your priorities.

What we love

Excellent audio quality
Decent battery life on the buds
Tiered noise-cancelling options

What could be improved

A lot of functionality lost if you're not using an OPPO device
Case battery life isn't great

75/100

$349

Imagine going to the gym, the office, or hopping on a train and not seeing the vast majority of people with some form of headphones or earbuds shielding them from the world. I, for one, would be shook. Headphones or earbuds are an intrinsic part of the human experience now. We use them to listen to music, podcasts, books, connect with loved ones, and brainstorm ideas during remote work. Headphones allow us to impart joy into the monotonous parts of life.

The OPPO Enco X earbuds are the top of the line buds from the manufacturer’s latest series. If you’re looking to buy a new set, you’ll want to find a pair that sparks joy, a pair that doesn’t take away from the joyous moments within the daily tedium. For the most part, the Enco X buds are a welcome addition to the handful of things that still get those endorphins flowing, but there are a few sore spots.

An earful

I’m no audiophile. I’ve almost certainly destroyed my hearing by blasting music into my earholes for years on end, but even I can account for the clarity and quality of sound through the Enco X buds.

You can expect clear audio with no distortion and excellent instrument separation. The audio comes through in great detail and there is generally a good balance between levels. The bass is a bit danker than that of comparable earbuds such as AirPods Pro, which is much to my liking. I find AirPods to be tinier, concentrating on the higher frequencies within the audio, which isn’t any better or worse - it’s simply not my preference.

At $349 you’d expect excellent sound quality, and the Enco X buds are on par with Samsung and Apple’s comparative products. If you’re looking out for an alternative brand to the main two then OPPO is one to keep an eye on.

While I didn’t get that euphoric high that the AirPod Max headphones have offered up, listening to tunes with the Enco X buds more than fills that serotonin void in the prosaic day-to-day.

Time to listen

If I were to disclose how much time I spend every day with my earbuds in, otolaryngologists would yell at me. Luckily, I wouldn’t hear them, because of the earbuds. Needless to say, battery life plays a big role in how much enjoyment you can get from a set of headphones.

Where OPPO’s Enco W51s from last year lasted about three to three and a half hours in ear, the Enco X buds have around four and a half to five hours. This brings them up to be on par with AirPods Pro and of course the charging case adds around another 20 hours onto that. While the bud battery itself is more than enough to occupy your earholes while you work, workout and work around the house, the case battery doesn’t hold up quite so well.

With other wireless headphones, I have found myself charging the case once a week, but the Enco X buds case needs a charge every 18 hours or so. It feels like every time I pop the buds in, the pairing graphic meets me with the flashing red, drained battery icon nestled underneath the Enco case. Charging the case only takes half an hour, but no one enjoys battery anxiety.

Pass the (a)UX

Where wired headphones were always a simple user experience, the shift to Bluetooth and wireless has come with more pain points. I’ve got to admit that I can become nostalgic for the headphone jack every time I pair a new Bluetooth device. Tech is at its best when it just works.

With the Enco X buds and an OPPO handset, the pairing has a simple Apple-like quality to it. Open the case, and pop the buds in your ears (both which also have striking similarities to the AirPods Pro), and you’ll be connected and ready to listen instantaneously. Happy days!

At least in theory that is how it works, and I would say 90% of the time it goes off without a hitch. Sometimes though, like when the battery case is running low, or if you’ve paired with another device you’ll need to restart the buds and pair them back to the phone. Considering how quickly the case battery dies, this comes about more often than I’d like.

By default, the buds are set up with some basic functions. Double tap skips to the next song, slide up and down to control volume, and touch and hold to turn noise cancellation on and off. You can also add and change functionality, but only if you have an OPPO handset. Using other Android devices you’ll be stuck with the default setting with no way to change them. As an avid OPPO user myself, I’m cheering, but if you’re not part of the club yet you’ll lose out on some finer details that elevate these buds.

Assuming you’re using an OPPO you can toggle your noise cancellation between four different levels; no noise cancellation, transparency (external noise can still be heard), noise cancellation (mild reduction to external noise), and max noise cancellation (almost completely block out external noise). Personally, I prefer to drown out everyone, and everything with my buds, but for people who prefer to still be able to acknowledge the world around them, these levels mean that you actually have that choice.

If you’re an OPPO user then getting OPPO buds is a no brainer. It’s like any manufacturer’s ecosystem these days, everything is designed to work better together. If, on the other hand, you have any other phone you’ll lose a big chunk of functionality and the user experience isn’t going to live up to the price tag.

OPPO Enco X - Final Thoughts

Finding a good pair of earbuds doesn’t have to be arduous. You need three main things; a simple user experience, good battery life, and great audio quality. While the OPPO Enco X earbuds tick these boxes on the surface, there are still underlying issues to the battery and user experience, especially for non-OPPO users.

If you have, or are considering an OPPO device then you should consider the Enco X buds over other brands. You’ll get all of the best. On the other hand, if you’re rocking an iPhone, or a Samsung device it is harder to recommend simply because of how much the user experience is affected. In saying that, if you’re happy with the default settings, and just want a great audio adventure to inject some happiness into the tedium then the Enco X buds should be on your radar.