OPPO Enco Buds 2 Pro review: You get what you pay for

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By pricing the Encore Buds 2 Pro at $99, OPPO is being very particular about its latest pair of earbuds. 

These are for people on a budget, likely paired with a cheap phone. They are not looking to compete with the AirPods Pro, or even the AirPods 3.

But the problem with budget products is that they tend to sacrifice performance to hit that price. 

While most products are a balance between price and performance, the Encore Buds 2 Pro feels like OPPO has sacrificed performance a bit too much to hit the price tag.

It’s not all bad news, though. The earbuds have a compact build and some solid battery life, and work quite well for calls.

But if you use your earbuds for listening to music, you would be much better served by saving and spending a little more on an older set of AirPods or Sony WF-C700 earbuds.

OPPO Enco Buds 2 Pro review: Design

It’s a little surprising how much scope there is for companies to create unique designs within the true wireless earphones space.

The OPPO Enco Buds 2 Pro obviously look similar to other earbuds, but the combination of the duotone white and grey colour scheme and the flat external arm make it unique enough to be interesting.

Shipped in a compact case that measures 68.9 × 36.6 × 28.2 mm and weighs 47 grams, the Encore Buds 2 Pro are lightweight to carry around in your pocket.

Pop them in your ears, and you can barely feel the weight, at just 4.3 grams each.

While they are light, they aren’t necessarily secure. I was in a constant state of expecting my right earbud in particular to go flying out. Not just during robust activity, either – I felt them wriggle loose whenever I started talking as well.

There are different sized ear tips in the box, as you’d expect. That helps a little, but I think it’s actually the cheaper materials that feel slippery. The plastic used here lacks a tactile grip, and threatens to slip from your fingers and your ears.

It’s a shame because from a specs' perspective, things look reasonable for a sub-$100 pair of earbuds. You get IP55 dust and sweat resistance, Bluetooth 5.3 support and audio is powered by 12.4 mm drivers. 

As you might expect, there are also plenty of features not present. You won’t see Spatial Audio, or Active Noise Cancellation anywhere.

But for the price, that’s okay. It makes sense that OPPO had to avoid premium features like that to hit the $99 price tag.

OPPO Enco Buds 2 Pro review: Performance

Unfortunately, despite the 12.4 mm driver in each earbud, audio quality underwhelms. 

OPPO claims a full 20Hz — 20,000 Hz frequency response range, but compared to other earbuds, it feels like you’re missing out at both the low and the high end.

Robust rock sounds tinny and washed out – listening to the Foo Fighters’ February Stars lacked any real oomph as the song builds from slow and quiet to loud and rocking.

Similarly, a live performance of Ants Marching by Dave Matthews Band completely lacks balance.

OPPO does offer some EQ settings when you pair the earbuds with an OPPO phone, or via a dedicated Android app called HeyMelody. It’s limited though: You get to choose between Balanced, Bass and Bold. 

The Bass mode does add a bit more depth to the low end, but nothing that removes the tinniness from the high end.

It’s also a pain to get into that setting to change your preference. While there may be an easier way to do it, when I was testing with the OPPO A18 the only way I could get to the settings was to fully open up Bluetooth settings, select the information icon next to the earbuds and then adjust the EQ from there.

Sure, you’re probably not going to be switching between those EQ settings all the time, but I feel the controls should be closer to the surface.

Battery life

While audio quality is lacking, OPPO has done a fantastic job with battery life. You can get a full eight hours of playback from the tiny earbuds, with over 30 hours all up when you factor in the additional charge in the carry case.

It’s actually remarkable at how long these tiny earbuds last. While there’s no SUPERVOOC fast charging, or even wireless charging on board, it doesn’t take that long to replace the battery in the case on a standard USB-C connection either.

That said, while battery life is great – truly great – it doesn’t make up for the audio quality.

OPPO Enco Buds 2 Pro review: Verdict

At the end of the day, any buying decision around the Enco Buds 2 Pro comes down to this: Should you pay $99 for a pretty average pair of earbuds, or spend a bit more for something much better?

Despite offering fantastic battery life, the Encore Buds 2 Pro earbuds have poor audio quality and feel cheap. It’s unlikely that you will come away from your purchase overly happy about the performance you get.

Because even though these earbuds are only $99, that’s still almost 100 bucks you could spend on something else. 

When you can buy a pair of wireless earbuds from a long-standing audio company like Sony for $149, then the sacrifices you need to make for the Enco 2 Pro just don’t add up.

Buy the OPPO Enco Buds 2 Pro online

Oppo Enco Buds 2 Pro

The OPPO Enco Buds 2 Pro may be cheap, but that comes at the expense of audio quality. When you're shopping for earphones, is that sacrifice even worth considering?

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