If you’re looking for a truly wireless earbuds with active noise cancellation (ANC), you’re really spoiled for choice in today’s market. This makes it quite tough for any given earbuds with ANC to stand out, but the Oppo Enco X2 has an attractive feature set for its asking price.

Thanks to its premium build quality, “squeeze” controls, ANC, and audio quality, the Enco X2 is a reasonably compelling pair of wireless earbuds. Retailing at RM799, it’s priced quite well too, though it now has to contend with higher priced alternatives that saw their prices drop quite a bit.

And this puts the Enco X2 in a a rather unfavourable position. In a vaccum, it’s certainly a good product, but given the competition, it may not be the best choice for some folks – keep reading this review to find out why.

What It Is

The Oppo Enco X2, as mentioned, is a pair of truly wireless earbuds with ANC. It also has a Super Dynamic Balance Enhanced Engine (SuperDBEE) acoustic system co-developed with Dynaudio, which promises “outstanding sound performance.”

As for battery life, a single charge of the Enco X2 offers up to 9.5 hours of battery life, which can be extended to 40 hours with the charging case. Of course, this is with ANC switched off; activating the feature returns up to 5.5 hours of use instead (22 hours with the charging case).

Another interesting feature of the Enco X2 is the input method. Instead of touch controls, I just have to squeeze the stalk of the earbuds for music playback or activating the ANC. I can even slide up and down on the stalk to control the volume. I really like this input method, which I’ll get to in the next section.

The Good Stuff

One of my biggest qualms with wireless earbuds is the touch control. When I want to adjust the fit of the earbuds, for example, it will almost always register my touch as an input. Well, thanks to the squeeze controls of the Enco X2, this is not an issue at all with these earbuds.

I’m also surprised just how intuitive the squeeze controls are. Yes, it’s a little tricky in the beginning, but once I found the right area on the Enco X2 to…well, squeeze, it works like a charm.

The ANC of the Enco X2 is also very commendable. It doesn’t have the “deafening” effect, and it can effectively silence the outside world. Granted, the Sony WF-1000XM4 has a slight edge over the Enco X2 in this regard, but there’s no arguing that its ANC performance is above average.

In terms of audio quality, I’m quite happy with these earbuds. The mid bass is tight and controlled (even if it’s lacking in impact), the highs are clean and laid back, and generally, it has a “warm” sound signature. Audiophiles may be left wanting more, but for more casual listeners like myself, it’s certainly good enough.

Another positive of the Enco X2 is its relatively long battery life. On a single charge with ANC switched off, the earbuds managed to last almost 9 hours; just shy of Oppo’s quoted battery life of 9.5 hours. Even though this is not class-leading – the WF-1000XM4, for example, can last over 8 hours with ANC activated – it’s still respectable.

Last but not least is the solid build quality of the Enco X2. It’s positioned as a flagship product, and this is definitely reflected in the build quality of the earbuds. The buds themselves look and feel nice, and the charging case is also solid with a good amount of heft.

While there’s a lot to like about the Enco X2, it also has one shortcoming: its competition.

The Bad Stuff

As mentioned, the Enco X2 is a compelling pair of wireless earbuds in a vacuum, but it has a tough competitor in the form of the Sony WF-1000XM4. Even though it originally retails at RM1,099, you can get it for as low as RM818 now. This effectively puts it in the same price bracket as Oppo’s offering.

Compared to the Enco X2, the WF-1000XM4 offers superior ANC performance, audio quality, and battery life. Depending on how you much you value these aspects, the XM4 may be the better wireless earbuds for you.

But the Enco X2 does have the advantage in other areas, especially build quality. Both the buds and charging case of the Enco X2 feel more…substantial than the more plasticky nature of the WF-1000XM4. On top of that, some folks may prefer the looks of the Oppo earbuds over the bulky design of the XM4 too.

Is It Worth It?

For RM799, the Oppo Enco X2 offers a feature set that definitely match the asking price. While the Sony WF-1000XM4 offers better audio quality, ANC, and battery life for about the same amount of money, it doesn’t feel or look quite as premium as the Enco X2; something that consumers may find more appealing.

For what it’s worth, I certainly enjoyed reviewing the Enco X2. Its audio quality and ANC performance are more than good enough for my needs, and I really like the squeeze controls of the earbuds. I don’t have to worry about accidental inputs with these earbuds.

Plus, there’s no denying the premium appeal of the Enco X2 with its solid build quality and looks.