Regardless of what Oppo has been doing in the smartphone category, the company has been launching value for money audio products, including the Oppo Enco Buds, Oppo Enco Air 2, Oppo Enco W11, etc., in India. The latest in the company’s lineup is the Oppo Enco Air 2 Pro, which features 12.4mm drivers, active noise cancellation, up to 28 hours of battery life, Bluetooth 5.2, and much more.
Oppo Enco Air 2 Pro
3499.00
What Is Good?
- ANC works well
- Stylish looking case
- Good sound quality
- IP54 rated
- Fair battery life without ANC
- Good app support
What Is Bad?
- Scratch prone case
- Average mics
- Switching between devices could have been smoother
We have been using it for two weeks now, and it has turned out to be another value for money product from the house of Oppo, with its ANC being one of the best in the price range. But it also cuts corners in some departments. What are they? Find out in our review of the Oppo Enco Air 2 Pro.
Oppo Enco Air 2 Pro: Design, Fit and Build Quality
Oppo has kept the design language of the Enco Air 2 Pro the same as its other premium TWS earbuds. The Oppo Enco Air 2 Pro comes in a pebble-shaped case that is made of glossy plastic. The upper lid of the case has a translucent cap that looks attractive and feels good in the hand. The lid makes a clicking sound whenever you close the case. It is fun opening and closing the case with the tip of your finger. However, the case is wide and will take extra space in your pocket.
You get to see a Type-C charging port and a small LED light at the front on the bottom. The Oppo logo is stamped on the hinge of the case. The Oppo Enco Air 2 Pro comes in two colour variants – white and grey. We have the former, which looks attractive. However, I would recommend you to go for the grey variant. Why? Unfortunately, the case is prone to scratches, and within two weeks of my usage, the white case is full of them. Also, the white colour seems to be fading, and it won’t be a surprise if it turns pale in a few weeks.
Opening the case reveals two earbuds attached strongly with the magnets. The earbuds have a stem-like design with an in-ear fit and silicone ear-tips, making them comfortable to wear for a long time. Oppo has provided different sizes of ear tips to make the fit more comfortable for everyone.
We used the Enco Air 2 Pros for a couple of weeks, throwing various content at them, including games, movies, and music, and never once felt uncomfortable wearing these.
These earbuds come with in-ear detection, which means that the song will stop automatically once you remove the earbuds and play again once you put them on again. The feature is responsive and works fine, but sometimes the song doesn’t resume when I put them on. The earbuds are IP54-rated, so rest assured that they’ll be protected from dust and water splashes. This means you can use these during your workouts. I also walked out with them in the rain, and they worked just fine.
Oppo Enco Air 2 Pro: Connectivity and App Support
With Bluetooth 5.2 support, the Oppo Enco Air 2 Pros provide good connectivity in a specified range. Pairing it with the phone for the first time was a smooth and easy process. It also supports Fast Pair, and if you are using any Oppo, Realme, or OnePlus smartphone, a pop-up will appear on the screen with the earbuds’ image and their battery level.
The Oppo Enco Air 2 Pro allows you to switch between devices by holding either of the earbuds. But first, you will need to set this feature in touch controls. The feature seems to be half baked as it worked occasionally but not most of the time.
In ColorOS devices, you can customise the features without downloading any third-party applications.
Otherwise, you will have to download the Hey Melody app available on Google Play Store and Apple App Store. Once connected, you can customise many options available within the app. Below the battery level, it will ask you if you want to keep the Noise Cancellation mode or Transparency. You can choose between three audio presets – bass boost, clear vocals or original sound. However, we feel that a custom 6-band or even 3-band equaliser should have been added. We have kept it on original sound during our usage as it produces the most balanced sound.
The earbuds can also be used to click pictures, all you have to do is double-tap either of the earbuds, and a three-second timer will begin. Unfortunately, this feature is limited to the ColorOS devices only.
The Oppo Enco Air 2 Pro supports touch controls which can be customised via the HeyMelody app or Earbuds function in Color OS devices. The app lets you customise both earbuds to function individually. The available options include previous, next, switch between devices, volume up, volume down, voice assistant, activate the game mode, noise-cancelling mode, and transparent mode. The touch controls are responsive and work well.
Oppo Enco Air 2 Pro: Sound, ANC, and Mic Quality
The Oppo Enco Air 2 Pro earbuds pack 12.4mm drivers with more space inside them to provide rich sound and deep bass. The Enco Air 2 Pros have a balanced sound profile where the emphasis is more on delivering clear vocals, but at the same time, the bass isn’t all that was lacking.
Listening to Levels by Sidhu Moose Wala felt energetic, as the distinction between vocals and each of the instruments was very apparent. More importantly, we observed that the earbuds did not lose bass quality when the beat dropped.
Until I Found You by Stephen Sanchez sounded soothing on these, and we liked the separation between high and mid frequencies during the entire track.
It also comes with a bass boosted mode that focuses more on the lows. This is for the bass heads, and we preferred the original sound.
The 80% volume level is what we found to be the sweet spot where the sound was at its loudest with crackling or distortion.
A key highlight of the Oppo Enco Air 2 Pro is the active noise cancellation (ANC) mode and the accompanying transparency mode. The ANC works decently, but when it comes to this price range, it is among one of the best. While commuting in the metro, we turned the ANC on, and they were able to cut the ambient passengers’ noise, as well as the rumble of the metro, but we could still hear the announcements. On the other hand, the transparency mode works well, and we can hear the surrounding sound properly.
The mic quality turned out to be the most disappointing part of the Oppo Enco Air 2 Pro. The receiver could hardly recognise our words on the call outdoors. So, we would suggest you use these buds only in a silent setting.
The Oppo Enco Air 2 Pro has a low latency gaming mode of 94ms, helpful while playing games or watching movies.
Oppo Enco Air 2 Pro: Battery Life
The Oppo Enco Air 2 Pro provides a playback time of seven hours with ANC off. During our usage, it lasted approximately six hours which is not accurate but near the claim. The case provides additional charging cycles, which takes the total battery life to around 18 hours. Again, it is acceptable, but nowhere near the company’s claim of 24 hours.
With ANC turned on, the battery life takes a hit, and during our usage, it lasted a total of 3.5 hours.
The 440mAh battery of the case takes around two hours to charge and also supports fast charging fully, so you get two hours of playback with 10 minutes of charging time which works fine.
Oppo Enco Air 2 Pro: Verdict
The Oppo Enco Air 2 Pro TWS earbuds are one of the best available options for Rs 3,500, and we would highly recommend you to buy them. It dominates the segment with clear sound quality, decent active noise cancellation, fair battery life, and attractive design. However, there is room for improvement in the mic department, and switching between devices could have been smoother. Also, the fact that the case is scratch-prone makes us worry about how it will look in the long run.
The bass lovers might have to look for other options; otherwise, you won’t go wrong with the Oppo Enco Air 2 Pro. It was Rs. 500 cheaper than the Realme Buds Air 3, which makes it the best choice among each other.
