Oppo Enco X2 evaluate: Punching above its weight

The Oppo Enco X wireless earbuds were one of the best in the segment. They were comfortable, had solid active noise cancellation (ANC) and transparency, and had very good sound quality. All of this combined for the Enco X to punch above its weight (around $150) to be compared with the heavyweights in the earbuds market, like the AirPods Pro or the Sony WF-1000XM3, which cost almost 50% more. The Oppo Enco X2 earbuds are no different. They pack all the bells and whistles, but everything can’t be top-notch, right? Or is it?

Design

The Oppo Enco X2 feature a stem design like the AirPods Pro. However, the design is a bit muted this time around, which I prefer over the flashy glow on the Enco X’s stem. You get semi-oval silicone tips. Oppo gives you a variety of ear tips because, of course, no two pairs of ears are the same. And what might fit for me might not fit for you.

Both the case and earbuds are made out of plastic and come in a glossy finish. But that isn’t to say they feel cheap. The charging case has a pebble-like form factor. It is slim enough to be carried around alongside the smartphone in your jeans pocket.

The case features two LED lights, one is located at the bottom, beside the USB-C port to indicate battery levels while charging. You’ll see the other LED indication when you open the case, which indicates the battery levels of the earbuds. It blinks white light when you press and hold the button on the right of the case to convey that the earbuds are now ready to be paired.

The earbuds too, are on the lighter side at 4.7 grams each, while the case weighs 56.4 grams. I didn’t have to fiddle with the case or the earbuds to pick them out of the case and put them in my ear. In day-to-day use they are light and easy to put into the ear canal. The Oppo Enco X2 earbuds are rated IP54 for dust and water resistance so they can be okay with sweat but not in the swimming pool.

Comfort, controls, and connections

The Oppo Enco X2 earbuds are some of the most comfortable set of earbuds I’ve tried lately. I also went for a walk or jogging sessions, and these didn’t fall out. You also get a fit test inside the free HeyMelody app. I usually go to bed at 11 pm and fall asleep by 3 am with continuous music playing in my ears. I had absolutely no problems with extended usage.

While I didn’t need to change the ear tips that came out of the box, you should probably try all of them before settling on one. As per the company, the ear tips also have an antibacterial design with earwax prevention so it can prevent earwax from coming in between your ear and the tiny speaker on the earbuds. And I can attest to it since my earbuds usually get earwax on the ear tips of earbuds. But I haven’t experienced the same on the Enco X2.

While the predecessor featured a touch control interface, the Oppo Enco X2 have pressure-sensitive controls like the Huawei FreeBuds Pro series. I’ve also been using the FreeBuds Pro 2 but the Enco X2’s controls are more intuitive and easy to use. They are located in the middle of the stem. It took me some time to get used to it but once I did, I found them better than touch controls.

While you can configure the controls for yourself via the app, my settings were: play/pause with a single squeeze, play next song with a double squeeze, play the previous song with a triple squeeze, and toggle between ANC and transparency with press and hold. You can also slide your fingers on the upper edge to increase or decrease the volume.

The Oppo Enco X2 support Bluetooth multipoint connectivity, which allows you to connect to two devices simultaneously and switch seamlessly between them. Not many mid-range earbuds have this feature. In fact, the Sony WF-1000XM4 don’t have it, so it’s nice to see Oppo include it on the Enco X2, which cost about 50% less than the flagship earbuds. They also feature Google Fast Pair, which makes pairing to Android devices a snap. I could connect to my MacBook Air or the iPhone 13 Pro Max – depending on what I was using.

I had no connection issues till 15 feet while I was doing the dishes with my phone in the bedroom. And, the earbuds connected to my iPhone 13 Pro Max at once as soon as I opened the case. No issues whatsoever.

Sound, noise cancellation, and call quality

The Oppo Enco X2 feature 11mm dynamic drivers and 6mm planar diaphragm drivers with support for LHDC, LDAC, SBC, and AAC codecs. LHDC and LDAC are both hi-res capable codecs, which means that if you’re listening to high-quality music like lossless audio, you should be able to hear a difference.  LHDC is automatically enabled with Oppo phones.  You can switch between different audio profiles in the HeyMelody app like ‘Dynaudio Real,’ ‘Dynaudio Crisp and Clear’ and more.

The Enco X2 sound can easily compete with the flagship earbuds like the AirPods Pro and Sony WF-1000XM4. The Enco X’s treble used to get too sharp at high volumes, but that isn’t the case with the Enco X2 anymore. They offer detailed mids, which aren’t overpowered by the bass. And if you are subscribed to a streaming music service like Apple Music, Tidal, or Amazon Music — each of which offer tracks in hi-res audio — the Enco X2 takes the experience to next level.

They sound unbelievably good at 24-bit with thumpy bass, and clear and loud vocals. The bass experience is enhanced in songs like Queen’s Another One Bites the Dust or anything rock for that matter. And the vocals sound clearer in acoustic songs with good instrument separation. Overall, the earbuds deliver a well-balanced sound signature with a great soundstage.

ANC performance for the $170 price tag is great. The app offers Mild, Moderate, Max, and Smart settings to block out ambient noise. I used the Enco X2 on flights and in cabs, and they were able to keep out the engine noise. The Max ANC mode did a good job at keeping out unwanted ambient noise. On the other hand, the transparency mode lets you hear the surroundings, which can be super useful when you are jogging or have to hold a conversation with someone.

The Oppo earbuds feature AI noise cancellation with bone conduction. It extrapolates your voice vibrations for better output. As a result, friends on the other end were able to hear me clearly even with ambient noise in the background. They are a dependable pair of earbuds for meetings and calls. The Enco X2 also have support for Dolby Audio binaural recording that uses two microphones to record sound. If you are a podcaster, you can create a 3D sound sensation for your listeners using these earbuds.

Battery life

The Oppo Enco X’s weakest part was their battery life. While the Enco X2 offer a better battery life than their predecessor, it isn’t something to boast about. The company says its product can offer 40 hours of total playtime and 9 hours of playtime on a single charge with AAC codec on and ANC turned off. But you are likely to keep ANC on, like me, and I found them to last me about five hours on a trot. You can expect 20 hours of total playtime with ANC turned on.

The Oppo Enco X2 offer fast charging support, which means that a 5-minute charge can top up 2 hours of playback time. They support Qi wireless charging support as well.

Our take

The Oppo Enco X2 are the best earbuds you can purchase for under $170 / 170 euros / 10,999 Indian rupees that you can buy today. They punch above their weight and compete with flagship earbuds from Apple and Sony, which cost at least 50% more.

Is there a better alternative?

At this price, the Oppo Enco X2 earbuds are very hard to beat for pure audio quality and handy features.

You can get even more features with the Sony and Apple offerings, but you’ll have to spend at least 50% more. The Oppo Enco X2 set the bar high with its sound quality and ANC performance for the price tag.

How long will they last?

The Oppo Enco X2 are well built and offer a high-quality design. You can expect them to last around two to three years (or more) with moderate use.

Should you buy the Oppo Enco X2?

The answer is a resounding yes. If you are in the market for a mid-range pair of earbuds, the Oppo Enco X2 should be your go-to choice. These are available for 135 euros in Europe and 10,999 Indian rupees in India. The US availability remains unknown. But the Enco X never made their way to the US, so the Enco X2 are likely to remain limited to European and Asian markets too.

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