OPPO Enco Free Review: TWS Wireless Earbuds

Today we will OPPO Enco Free review - 2020 Chinese brand wireless bluetooth headphones. The model turned out to be quite interesting: good sound, moisture protection and Bluetooth 5.0 support. But there were also some drawbacks.

Advantages and disadvantages

Features and equipment

Characteristics

Parameter	A type
Headphone type	Plug-in Wireless (TWS)
Dust and moisture protection standard	IPx4
Compound	Bluetooth 5.0
Acoustic design	Closed
Sensitivity	42 dBA
frequency range	16 - 20,000 Hz
Resistance	32 ohm
Diaphragm diameter	13.4 mm
Microphone	Built in
Noise Cancellation (ANC)	there is
Radius of action	10 m
Battery level indicator	there is
Battery capacity	410 mAh
Continuous working time	5 h
Battery charging time	2 h
Charging connector	USB-C
Weight	48.2 g
Colour	White, Black, Pink

OPPO Enco Free at a glance

There is currently a surge in the popularity of wireless earbuds (TWS) and in the case of OPPO Enco Free earbuds, these are AirPods from different brands. The model entered the market with the familiar AirPod design, but the similarities end there. OPPO Enco Free Wireless Earbuds have a few interesting details that make this gadget quite interesting.

Late last year, we saw a slew of Apple AirPods imitators - one-on-one copies. In the OPPO Enco Free review, let's see how the gadget competes in this market?

Oppo Enco Free headphones were presented along with the new Reno3 and Reno3 Pro smartphones. Today, the headset is almost the only TWS brand on the CIS market. Of course, there were O-Free, but they remained only in Chinese stores. The designers and constructors of OPPO Enco Free were inspired by the developments of Apple - the most popular series of TWS headphones became the prototype of many similar headsets. However, not every manufacturer is able to develop a decent headphone model. In the OPPO Enco Free review, I will check how close the brand is to the benchmark.

The cost

OPPO Enco Free Headphones have been officially unveiled by the company and sales began on December 31, 2019.

Their preliminary cost was $ 99, but in fact the price turned out to be $ 140 or 10,990 rubles - it is unclear what caused such an increase in the budget. For such a budget, it's better to take flagship headphones Samsung Galaxy Buds + or Powerbeats 4.

Video review

OPPO Enco Free design

This is where OPPO owes its credit.Yes, we know that the look of the earbuds was borrowed from AirPods, but OPPO Enco Free has made quite a few changes from the original design.

First, there is a variety of colors:

• Black (Black)
• White
• Pink

Secondly, this is a case.

It looks pretty typical of any other AirPods case, but the OPPO Enco Free has a few aesthetic variations of its own. The OPPO logo and battery indicator are on the front, with the connect button on the right. To be honest, nothing else can be inserted here.

There is also a USB-C port at the bottom for charging. It's nice to see the company move to USB-C.

Open the case and the battery LED on the lid will instantly light up. The earbuds themselves, as mentioned earlier, are taken from Apple AirPods. But once again, OPPO has brought its own ideas to life.

OPPO Enco Free earbuds are shorter and thicker. There is also a small silver stripe - it indicates where the touchpads are located.

These "ears" have replaceable silicone ear pads. OPPO Enco Free comes with 3 different sizes of these earbuds. It's both a mixture of AirPods-style headphones and in-ear headphones: they can't seal like in-ear headphones, but they have better noise isolation than the AirPod and its counterparts.

Management and functionality

In terms of their capabilities, OPPO Enco Free wireless headphones seemed to me very similar to Apple AirPods. They have a sensor to automatically play / pause when you take out the earbuds. The most unique thing about OPPO Enco Free, however, is the touchpad.

As you may have guessed, the silver bar on each "ear" is actually touch sensitive. The controls are quite simple:

Act	Function
Double tap on any earphone	Play / pause music
	Accept / reject a call
Swipe up / down on the left earbud	Volume up / down
Swipe up / down on the right earbud	Next / previous track

I was impressed with how OPPO has implemented controls here. But not everything is so good. The gadget does not respond well to double tap. Also, when I tried to use the touchpad, the earphone tilted and pressed against my face.

Ergonomics and connectivity OPPO Enco Free

To pair the headphones with a smartphone, just open the case. If the headphones are charged, they will automatically appear in the list of devices for connection. And in case you have an Oppo phone with ColorOS higher than 7, then the connection will also go through automatically.

Android devices also do not need a particularly complex connection, no additional programs are required. There is also a drawback: it is unclear whether the software of the OPPO Enco Free headphones can be updated as easily or updates are available only when working with smartphones of the Oppo brand.

If you use headphones for a long time, then over time you simply stop feeling them - each weighs only 4.6 grams. They do not fall out of the ear, but if necessary, you can use the ear pads that come with the kit. I immediately changed the attachments to size L, as the standard S did not suit me.

How do I replace the attachments? It is necessary to pick up the nozzles and disconnect from the guide element, installation will take a couple of seconds. This decision of the designers is understandable, but visually it does not look very nice when the nozzles protrude from the ears and become visible.

The Oppo Enco Free case has magnets that prevent the headphones from falling out, there were no squeaks with constant use - the case will definitely not open without your participation.

Sound quality

Believe it or not, OPPO used to have another OPPO Digital subsidiary that specialized in audio and video equipment, but it left the market last year. Therefore, I think that some of these technologies appeared in OPPO Enco Free wireless headphones, since they clearly tried to sound.

Of course, OPPO Enco Free is far from Sennheiser Momentum TW2, but the new model has a clearly expanded sound range.

In terms of bass, I wasn't expecting anything special during my review of OPPO Enco Free, but I note that a lot of work has been done to create quality bass.The vocals and mids on Enco Free sound amazing: I listened to Linkin Park's Twilight soundtrack and really loved it! The voice dropped a little to low frequencies, but you don't even pay attention to it. Treble sounds great too, I tested them on different tracks and genres.

Summing up the sound review, OPPO Enco Free headphones, I can safely say that the sound quality will definitely appeal to most listeners!

Microphone operation

When we talk about wireless earbuds (TWS), then immediately questions arise about its availability and quality. In wireless Bluetooth headphones like the Redmi AirDots or Ugreen True Wireless Earbuds, microphones work badly as the microphone is pointed away from your face.

The OPPO Enco Free has microphones at the end of the tail, pointing straight towards the side of the mouth. For the OPPO Enco Free review, I tested the microphone outdoors, talking with a friend for about 10 minutes - there were no problems or glitches during the call.

Battery life

I also liked the OPPO Enco Free opening hours. When fully charged, the wireless earbuds work for about 5 hours at 70% volume. This is not a bad result, more than most modern gadgets I've tested.

The charge of the case is enough for 4 more charges. Thus, during the review of OPPO Enco Free, the wireless headphones lasted about 24 hours. It is enough to charge the case once and you can forget about the battery for a week.

OPPO Enco Free review summary

There are many reasons to praise the manufacturer OPPO Enco Free. Sound quality, microphone, functionality (even if it fails sometimes), sleek design, and battery life. The headset is well balanced and able to work effectively for a long time.

OPPO is asking for Enco Free for Samsung Galaxy Buds + at $ 140. I don't think that's a reasonable price tag. As I said, it's better to buy Buds + or Powerbeats 4. But if you have a budget and you are a fan of a Chinese manufacturer, then be sure to take OPPO Enco Free. I give 100%, you will not regret it!