From a wide array of earbuds, finding the right one for you is definitely no easy feat. You can keep on checking the specs or visit stores but you can never really know unless you buy it.
Most of the time, you can only judge it by its color and the way it looks. So when it comes to the OPPO Enco Air3, it definitely looks good but does its design go hand in hand with superb sound quality? Let’s find out.
Eye-catchy design, matchy fit
I must admit, I always liked black earbuds since they're so sleek and a bit unnoticeable when worn.But that somehow changed when I laid my eyes on this OPPO Enco Air3. The Misty Purple variant looks so unique that I don’t mind it getting noticed. Its muted color still looked sleek and its translucent waterdrop stem accent even added to that.
But if you’re someone who likes the basics, they also have this in the Glaze White variant.
OPPO has been using the translucent lid design since the first Enco Air earbuds. And they have further improved on this design for the Enco Air3.
This comes with a larger translucent top lid that makes it easier to open, remove and put back the earbuds with just one hand. Plus being translucent, for clumsy people like me, it’s easier to spot when one of the earbuds are missing because we can just see right through.
I’ve always preferred semi-in ear buds like the Apple AirPods 2nd Gen since I’m used to wearing earbuds all day while working. So I was really glad that the Enco Air3 came in that design.
Each earbud is lightweight at 3.7g so I barely noticed wearing it. I also didn't feel any discomfort or any itchiness that I usually experience with in-ear rubberized (silicone) earbuds.
Quick pairing
One thing that really worked to my advantage with the Enco Air3 was the ease of pairing it up. The moment I opened its case, the Enco Air3 was automatically detected by my nearest smartphone.
Interestingly, even with the Bluetooth on my phone was off, it still prompts whenever the buds are nearby.
Once it's paired, the Bluetooth 5.3 connection is stable enough that I've never felt disconnection issues. I've actually proved that when I accidentally left my phone in my room as I did something in the living room which was about a few meters away and that still kept their pairing strong.
Having Bluetooth 5.3 also enables this to reduce its latency from 80ms to 47ms, pretty much eliminating lags and delays.
I tested it out by watching a few episodes of The Glory and playing some games and I had a pretty smooth experience.
The Enco Air3 also has that convenient feature that lets you simultaneously connect your earbuds to 2 devices. A definite time saver as it gets rid of the hassle of switching between devices manually. I was able to try it when I was taking a break from work by watching Jimin’s Set Me Free Pt. 2 on my main phone but I was able to seamlessly switch to my work phone to answer an urgent call.
Convenient controls
By default, controls of the Enco Air3 are easy. Single tap to pause and play while a double tap on the left and right earbuds lets you move forward or backward in a playlist. And to adjust the volume, it's as simple as holding the left pair to lower it down and hold the right one to level it up.
This also doubles as a Bluetooth remote for taking photos by double tapping either of the earbuds.
But if you’re someone who’d prefer to tweak the controls, you can easily modify it to your liking via the HeyMelody app.
Pleasing sound quality
For the past weeks, I usually have the Enco Air3 on when I’m working non-stop or on a long trip to keep myself alert and pumped up. So it was pretty helpful that this comes with 13.44 mm large composite drivers, giving songs a bigger and richer sound.
I also like that its sound profile is on the bassy side which gives my BTS and KPop music the oomph it deserves.
But if you want to tweak the audio settings a bit, you can also do so by choosing among the EQ presets under the Enco Master on your HeyMelody app.
As for Netflix marathons and some weekend movie watching, the Enco Air3 has a nifty feature called OPPO Alive Audio. This turns everything that's playing back on your device to its version of virtual surround.
I'm not quite sure if this is true surround sound but it certainly adds a touch of dimension to the sound it produces which does add to the overall experience.
As someone who barely goes to the movie house these days, this feature was really a big treat.
Battery and charging
The OPPO Enco Air3 case packs a 300 mAh battery while the buds have a 27 mAh battery each. OPPO claims that this can last up to 25 hours of music playback.
During my test, I averaged around 6-8 hours of casual music listening, Youtube streaming and work meetings.
The case can charge the earbuds around three times so you can expect a total battery life of 18-24 hours which is actually already pretty convenient.
As for juicing up the Enco Air3, it only takes about an hour to charge it so you can easily do it while showering or preparing to go out.
Verdict
With its combination of features, the OPPO Enco Air3 is actually a pretty good choice for true wireless earbuds at its price.
It has a good design and comfortable fit, produces loud, rich sound and clear vocals.
It may not have an active noise cancellation feature but its very useful features such as the multi-point connectivity and fully customizable controls through its polished app adds up to its good functionality.
If these characteristics for earbuds tickle your fancy, and you don't prefer in-ear earbuds then I recommend checking this out.
The OPPO Enco Air3 retails for PhP 3,999 and is available in Misty Purple and Glaze White.