In addition to introducing its newest Reno8 Series, OPPO Indonesia also presents two new TWS earphone series for consumers. Of the two options available, the presence of the OPPO Enco Buds 2 was enough to surprise me. Because the price is much cheaper than the previous generation.
After trying several previous Enco series, OPPO can indeed present quality wireless earphones, but tends to only the middle class and flagship series. So when the OPPO Enco Buds 2 arrived, I was a little worried, “wow, what’s the cut?” The good news is, it’s even better than the old one.
The OPPO Enco Buds 2 are simple TWS earphones, lacking many special features. But the essential features like microphone, audio quality, and battery life are quite perfect in its class. Here’s the full review.
Design
Dimensionally, each earbud is a bit bulky when you look at it when it’s installed. Although actually quite light, only 4 grams. Fortunately, the OPPO Enco Buds 2 feels comfortable to use all day long, and doesn’t come off easily even when used while on the move—of course you have to choose the right eartip size first, because it also has a big impact on audio quality.
The OPPO Enco Buds 2’s earbuds also have IPX4 certification, so they are safe for sports or accidental exposure to water. Both the charging case and earbuds are glossy white, so it’s quite effective at hiding fingerprints even if they’re shiny. Which can be considered a little lacking, maybe a design that already looks generic.
But when using it, I quite understand why the OPPO Enco Buds 2 carries a design with a stem like this, because it can produce excellent audio quality and long battery life (I discuss further below). At least, the charging case is designed to be quite cute and slim, so it’s easy to carry in a trouser pocket. Without any buttons, there is only a USB-C port plus an indicator light at the bottom.
Feature
Because the price is affordable, I’m not surprised that the features offered by OPPO Enco Buds 2 are quite simple. Yes, it is still very reasonable that this device does not support active noise cancellation. So to drown out the sound from outside, only passively through the design of the earbuds that are adjusted—which happens to fit in the ear and the sound from outside is not too noisy.
Using the Bluetooth 5.2 standard, the connection quality of the OPPO Enco Buds 2 is stable and excellent. When connected to a smartphone that supports it, it can activate a gaming mode that can reduce latency to 94ms. It’s not as “small” as the first generation at 80ms, but for casual games it’s more than adequate.
When you look at the earbud design, there are two small holes that are placed differently; one is more visible from the outside, the other is closer to the rubber eartip. This means that there are two microphones which are then assisted by AI Deep Noise Cancellation technology, so that the user’s voice can be heard clearly without recording the crowd around him. When used for telephone calls, it is quite okay in its price class.
When I’m at a bus or MRT station, I don’t need to speak extra loudly so that the receiver can hear clearly. Regarding features, OPPO Enco Buds 2 still doesn’t have a sensor to be able to stop or start songs automatically when entering or leaving the ear. Not a problem for me, considering that I also turned this feature off in Nothing Ear 1.
Operation
Not many vendors have released TWS earphones with many gesture shortcut options. For some reason, they seem less confident if the earbuds can accept various kinds of finger touch-based shortcuts. But not on the OPPO Enco Buds 2—again surprised me with the low price tag.
There are many gesture control options that can be customized. Common ones like double tap & triple tap? Of course there is. But what is rare is one tap to play/pause, and this option is present in OPPO Enco Buds 2. Touch and hold is also available, by default it is active to adjust the volume.
Even when accessing the camera, OPPO Enco Buds 2 can also function as a shutter button by tapping it twice. However, this feature is only available for OPPO smartphones that are already running the ColorOS 11.3 version and above. Meanwhile, to enter pairing mode, you need to touch and hold both earbuds together. Similar to the Samsung Galaxy Buds, and in my opinion quite practical.
Audio Quality
On the official product page, OPPO seems quite proud of the audio quality that can be provided through the OPPO Enco Buds 2. Each earbud is indeed given a dynamic driver with a fairly large diameter, reaching 10mm and using titanium material. In order to maximize the bass boom, there is an extra technique applied by OPPO.
Namely, designing the sound space inside the earbuds combined with a magnetic circuit, is expected to provide deeper and stronger bass. Yes, I mentioned this technical part, because the sound output of the OPPO Enco Buds 2 is really high quality with abundant bass. Very suitable for those of you who like to listen to pop songs or the like.
Don’t worry, the vocals still don’t sink, while the treble level is sufficient. Through the HeyMelody application, which is available for both Android & iOS, you can change the equalizer preset from standard to “Bass Boost” and “Clear Vocals”, according to your taste and type of audio content being listened to.
If you are looking for USD $20 TWS earphones with excellent audio quality, OPPO Enco Buds 2 can be one of the best choices right now. It’s quite surprising considering that this device comes from a fairly mainstream vendor—generally known to be more expensive.
Battery
Because it has a larger physical design than the first generation, in theory, OPPO can embed a bigger battery because there is more space in the OPPO Enco Buds 2 earbuds. Each earbud is supported by a 40 mAh battery, which is claimed to be used for up to 7 hours of listening to music. -stop. In reality, it is not far from that value.
While the charging case itself has a 460 mAh battery that can provide a total power of up to 28 hours. The duration of use of the OPPO Enco Buds 2 is arguably above average, both for cheap TWS earphones to the flagship class. The absence of the ANC feature and the transparent mode also “helps” this sector.
Already using the USB-C port, charging the OPPO Enco Buds 2 takes a long time, which is up to 3 hours. But don’t worry, because a 10-minute charge can already be used to play music for 60 minutes. At least a 1-2 hour charge will be safe for use in the next few days. It doesn’t always have to be full.
Conclusion
I can see that in the future, OPPO Enco Buds 2 will become one of the most popular cheap TWS earphones. The price is affordable, the sound quality and microphone are okay, the battery is also durable. Not to mention that it can be bought anywhere, considering that the OPPO retail store network is very wide in Indonesia.
Granted, there aren’t any extra features like ANC yet, and the design is a bit generic. But not everyone is looking for even knowing this feature. Some people may also feel that the generic design is a plus, because it is similar to other, more expensive series. Whatever the reason, the OPPO Enco Buds 2 are well worth buying.
OPPO Enco Buds 2 Specifications
Speaker: 10mm titanized dynamic driver per earbud
Mic: Dual mics per earbud
Colour: Moonlight
Weight: 4 grams (per earbud), 30 grams (case)
Charging port: USB-C
Battery: 40 mAh (per earbud), 460 mAh (charging case)
Charge Time: 90 minutes (earbuds), 200 minutes (charging case)
Music playback: 7 hours
Total playback: 28 hours
Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.2, supports SBC & AAC codecs
Endurance: IPX4 splash resistant
Features: Gaming Mode, AI Deep Noise Cancellation
Official price: USD $27
