OPPO Enco X2 review: Worthy successor to the Enco X
It has been well over a year and a half since OPPO launched its Enco X TWS earbuds in India. It was a category defining product that raised the performance bar in the sub-Rs. 10,000 segment. While a couple of rival products managed to compete hard, neither could truly surpass it till date. Understandably, when the company announced its successor recently, there was a wave of excitement. What would OPPO's new flagship bring to the table this time? Anticipation is a good thing, but it brings with it pressure of expectations. The Enco X still remains a product worth buying. Can its successor do enough to make a compelling case for itself, and at the same time not miss out on anything good that its predecessor offered? Earlier this year we saw how OPPO underwhelmed with the follow-up act of the Enco M31, and that was a relatively easier task. The OPPO Enco X2 has a mountain to climb to be noticed. Let's see if it succeeds.
Apple-inspired design, but polished looks and comfortable to wear
The design inspiration from the Apple AirPods Pro is hard to ignore with the glossy white body and black vents. You get distinct left and right markings on the black spots that eventually get hidden when you put the buds in your ears. No issues with the build quality despite the buds being quite light at 4.7 grams each. The in-ear fit is even better than its predecessor's, and causes no discomfort even after wearing the buds for hours. The fit is quite snug, and the buds never threatened to pop out even during jogs. And the OPPO Enco X2 is IP54-rated dust and sweat resistant, so feel free to take them along to the gym. Right sized silicone tips offer good noise isolation. You get two more pairs (small and large) to choose from in addition to the pre-installed medium-sized tips. The charging case is compact, a touch on the slimmer side and hence pocketable. Despite the white glossy finish, it doesn't feel too plasticky, and because of the extra weight, it actually feels a bit like ceramic. There is a distinct Dynaudio logo at the back and a more subtle OPPO branding on the lid. A USB-C charging port is located at the bottom, and next to it is a tiny LED that comes on during charging. Another LED inside the case indicates the charging status of the buds.
The most comprehensive list of features you can ask for
The OPPO Enco X2 is packed with features, and the list is probably longer than most in this price range. The earbuds have a coaxial dual-driver setup that consists of a 6mm planar diaphragm driver and an 11mm dynamic driver to handle the three major frequency ranges better. You also get three microphones on each bud for active noise cancellation (ANC), wind noise suppression and calling. Wear detection sensors pause the audio automatically when you remove a bud from the ear, and it resumes when you put it back. These earbuds are Bluetooth 5.2 compliant, and the codecs support is quite broad. SBC and AAC are a given, but they also support the newer LHDC 4.0 codec as well as Sony's LDAC which was missing in its predecessor. LDAC support was probably added at a later stage, and OPPO is yet to update the X2 product page. These earbuds are Hi-Res Wireless certified too. You get a combination of touch and pressure sensitive controls here. Instead of just tapping, one needs to gently squeeze the stems once, twice or thrice to execute the assigned function. You have touch enabled zones too that are located along the side of the stems. Just a tap doesn't do anything, but sliding your finger along the edge lets you increase or decrease the volume or jump to the previous or next track. We liked the overall implementation of controls as it eliminates unwanted actions due to accidental touch. But the position of the slide zones could have been better, ideally at the back of the stems, like in case of the Enco X. With the current location, there is always a chance of you shifting or dislodging the buds from the ear when running your finger along the edges. The list of features doesn't end here, and you get to customize the sound and controls from the companion app.
Good active noise cancellation, but we expected better
Pairing these earphones is as easy as opening the case, finding them in the list of Bluetooth devices on the phone or tablet and connecting them. The wireless range is good over 10 meters with a clear line of sight. If you do not own an OPPO, OnePlus or Realme phone, you need to download the HeyMelody app to configure the sound and controls. For those three brands, all the HeyMelody features are integrated into the Bluetooth settings. For controls, you can assign functions like play/pause, next/previous track, volume control and more to single, double, triple pinch or slide gestures. ANC mode toggles are assigned to 'pinch and hold' gesture. OPPO Enco X2 lets you choose between four ANC modes to reduce the ambient sounds up to 45db. You can choose one out of Mild, Moderate, Max and Smart in addition to ANC off and Transparency mode to toggle between. Smart ANC automatically switches to one of the other three ANC modes depending on the quantum of ambient noise. Mild mode is meant to be used at less noisy places like home, while the other two modes are better suited for outdoors and crowded places like an airport. But if you ask me, there was no perceptible difference between the Moderate and Max ANC capabilities. So assuming that the Max mode consumes max battery, it is best to choose Moderate. There are some custom options to play around with too. The ANC here does a good job, but it is nothing different from what we have already seen on TWS buds in this segment like the OnePlus Buds Pro or even the OPPO Enco X. It is not as good as that of Sony WF-1000XM4, which costs twice as much. While there is nothing wrong about the ANC here, we were simply expecting better, given that the X2 does better than its predecessor in every other department.
Excellent audio quality that can rival several more expensive products
The ANC may not be in the same league as the Sony, but the sound quality of the OPPO Enco X2 is comparable. Though not better, just to run the Sony WF-1000XM4 close, that's not only twice as expensive but also the best under Rs. 20,000, is a huge achievement for a pair of TWS earbuds priced close to Rs. 10,000. The X2 isn't the loudest around, but noticeably louder than the Enco X. It is loud enough at 65-70% volume when indoors, and you may need to push it to 80% when outdoors or in noisy locales. I used the LDAC codec throughout the review process. The sound quality of the Enco X2 is top-notch and easily the best among all TWS earphones priced under Rs. 12,000. There is ample detail in sound, and all three major frequency ranges get good breathing space. The dual driver setup and Dynaudio's tuning worked well for the Enco X and it's even better on the X2. The overall sound signature is slightly on the warmer side without excessively favoring the low end frequencies. The bass is tight and has ample thump. More importantly, it does not overshadow the mids. The instrument sounds can be heard distinctly and there is excellent clarity in the vocals too. The highs are sharp with just the right amount of sparkle, without getting too bright. The soundstage is reasonably broad and provides a nice airy feel to the sound. Long story short, the OPPO Enco X2 sounds great across various genres of music, and raises the performance bar in the segment. The companion app provides you four sound profiles, three of which are tuned by Dynaudio. We liked the Enco X Classic and Dynaudio's Simple & Clear way more than the other two. The app also lets you create a custom listening profile called Golden Sound based on your ear canal structure and hearing capabilities; worth trying.
Good call quality, average battery life with ANC switched on
The OPPO Enco X2's call quality is quite good. The person on the line was clearly audible, and I was heard with a good clarity indoors and outdoors. The wind noise suppression circuitry here does a good job of keeping the ambient noise in check. The microphones on these buds are pretty good for voice recording, courtesy of bone conduction sensors that facilitate better voice pickup. They also support Dolby binaural recording for better stereo effect. Moving on to battery backup, there are two aspects to consider before arriving at the final figure - the codec used and duration for which ANC is used. With LHDC codes at 50% loudness, the company claims figures of 5 hours for the buds with Max ANC and 6.5 hours with ANC off, and 5.5 hours and 9.5 hours respectively with AAC codecs. The case holds sufficient power to charge the earbuds thrice more. On LDAC codec at 70% loudness, the buds lasted close to 4 hours and 15 minutes with Max ANC, and a shade under 6 hours with ANC off. Along with the case, you get anything between 17 to 23 hours depending on the use of ANC. With intermittent use of ANC, I would safely put the overall battery backup of the OPPO Enco X2 at a little over 20 hours. You can pull a bit more with AAC codecs but I wouldn't approve of that at the cost of sound quality. The overall battery backup is perfectly acceptable, but I would have liked at least 5 hours with ANC and LDAC combo. The buds charge fully in about an hour, and the case takes another 30 minutes. You do get fast charging here, and 10 minutes of charge gives you close to 2 hours of listening time with ANC off. Lastly, it also supports wireless charging with Qi-compatible chargers and using phones that support reverse wireless charging.
Easily the best TWS earphones under Rs. 12,000 in India
The OPPO Enco X2 TWS earphones can be purchased in India for Rs. 10,999 with a one year warranty. Despite being 10% more expensive than its predecessor, it is easily worth the premium as you get several enhancements in almost all departments right from design to codec support to sound quality. ANC might be the only exception, but even that isn't inferior. In terms of pure sound quality and functionality, I cannot think of any other TWS earbuds in this price bracket that would rival the X2 at this moment. In fact, if you want something better, you may have to push your budget all the way up to Rs. 20,000 to get the Sony WF-1000XM4. That just reiterates the value for money the OPPO Enco X2 offers. And it's not often that I would use the value for money phrase for earphones priced at Rs. 11,000. Sound is a subjective matter and it would be unfair to not suggest a few alternatives in this budget. Three options come to mind straight away, though not necessarily better than the Enco X2. The OnePlus Buds Pro and Soundcore Liberty Air 2 Pro are a couple of decent options under Rs. 10,000, and let's not forget the OPPO Enco X either. All three are due for a price cut, and if you can spot either of them selling under Rs. 8,000, that would be a good deal. But if you have a budget of Rs. 10,000, I would suggest you push it and go for the X2. You won't regret it.
