Oppo Enco X: earbuds review

I’ve tried a lot of earbuds, and they usually have some major flaw that makes me wonder if they had normal users in mind when they were designed.

Oppo is marketing these on sound quality, which I thought was interesting for a pair of earbuds, since they often have poor sound due to their tiny size.

They were right and I was wrong.

Oppo Enco X
$349

The Enco Xs deliver among the best levels of sound quality I’ve experienced from a pair of earbuds. I compared them to the Apple AirPods Pro, using my standard playlist (below) – and found they gave me very similar overall sound quality. However, each set was better at different tracks – for example, the Enco X was a little harsh on Tom’s Diner but had wonderful bass tones on The Chain.

The noise-cancelling function worked well, though (as you’d expect) it’s not as good as with over-ear headphones. It did enough to kill the sounds of air conditioning and other background noise, but not enough to drown out voices.

One of the things I loved about the Enco Xs was the customisability of the touch controls. Almost every function can be assigned a distinct touch. While there is no “single tap” option, there are touch-and-hold controls, and you can slide your finger up and down the earbuds to control volume and track skipping.

The fit was a little off for me, and they didn’t stay in while I was jogging, though walking and weight training was fine. They do come with multiple silicone tips, so most people will be able to find a fit that’s right for them. I just have weird ears.

The case supports wireless charging and is small enough to comfortably carry around in a pocket. The pairing button sticks out of one side, which makes it easy to find when pairing to other devices.

I primarily used the Enco Xs with the Oppo Reno4 5G, which gave greater functionality – I could connect instantly (without needing to go through Bluetooth settings) and quickly configure the controls. You can get a similar experience on other Android phones, but you need the corresponding app on your phone. Apple users will be able to connect to the headphones over Bluetooth but will lose the ability to change the touch controls and use the noise-cancelling function.