Oppo Enco Air5 Pro Review: A good pair of TWS earbuds in a cutthroat segment

Pros:

Cons:

Price: Rs 4,999

Rating: 4/5

The recently launched Oppo Enco Air5 Pro seems almost identical on paper to the OnePlus Nord Buds 4 that we reviewed last month. But when it comes to audio products, we know better than to judge a book by its cover. There is one critical thing a spec sheet can’t tell you and that’s the sound quality. Do these Oppo earbuds sound significantly better to warrant a premium? Let’s find out.

Oppo Enco Air5 Pro: Design and Comfort (8/10)

The design of this product is typically Oppo; the familiar oval case that we have been seeing over the past three years since the launch of the Enco Air3 Pro, and then adopted by the OnePlus Nord Buds 3 series. It doesn’t look bad at all but it's time to try something different, isn’t it? The Oppo Enco Air5 Pro is available in Matte Black (our review unit) and Pearl While. The one we got has a smooth matte finish through and through, even on the earbuds. It looks polished and keeps the smudge marks at bay.

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The case is fairly compact, slim enough to be just about pocketable with a minimal bulge and quite light at about 35 grams. It hosts a 530 mAh battery and has a charge indicator LED at the front, while a USB-C charging port along with a camouflaged Bluetooth pairing/reset button present along the bottom edge. The earbuds are light too at under 4.5 grams each with fairly short stems. The touch zones at the back have slight indentations to let you know where to tap; the touch sensitivity is good.

The earbuds sit comfortably in the ear with a snug fit, and do not pop out even during a workout or a jog. The right sized silicone tips from the bundled options offer decent passive noise isolation and help in improving ANC performance too. The earbuds are IP55 rated dust and splash resistant, but there’s no ingress protection for the charging case.

Oppo Enco Air5 Pro: Features and Specifications (9/10)

Just like the Nord Buds 4 Pro, the feature list here is identical and packed with everything one expects at this price point. Each earbud is fitted with a 12 mm dynamic driver, 62mAh battery and three microphones for calling and ANC. The peak active noise cancellation (ANC) figure is pegged at 55 dB and you also get varying degrees of ANC, which we will discuss shortly. There’s dual-pairing support and wear detection sensors to pause the audio when you take a bud out the ear and resume when you put it back in.

These Bluetooth 6.0 earbuds support LHDC 5.0 codecs along with SBC and AAC. Another useful feature borrowed from the OnePlus Buds is slide controls that I am highly fond of. One can simply slide a finger from top to bottom or the other way on the touch zones to decrease or increase the volume or change tracks. Of course, you also get the usual single, double, triple tap and touch-and-hold gestures to assign various tasks to from the companion app.

On the topic, you don’t need to install any app if you use these buds with a OnePlus or Oppo phone. It’s built in and you can access all its features through the Bluetooth settings. For other phones, you will need the HeyMelody app. The app is available for Android and iOS both. You get to alter the sound output with a 10-band equaliser (6 previously) along with three audio presets. Oppo Alive Audio offers spatial sound options and you also get Sound Space to play a soothing white noise or a soft tune to help you relax or sleep.

Oppo Enco Air5 Pro: Performance (8/10)

These Oppo buds are sufficiently loud and perfectly audible in the 50 to 60% volume range even when outdoors. The latency is low enough when watching content, and there was no noticeable lag between the video and audio when streaming videos from OTT platforms. The wireless range is as advertised with a strong connection up to 10 metres with a clear line of sight.

Things are almost identical between the Oppo Enco Air5 Pro and Nord Buds 4 Pro in most areas but the default sound signature is where things differ. While the OnePlus is distinctly bass-heavy on its default ‘Balanced’ preset, the ‘Ultimate Sound’ preset here is arguably the best tuned in the segment. It is so nicely balanced that I didn’t have to bother using the 10-band EQ to change things. I did try my hands at the equaliser but couldn’t make the output significantly better. It does let you create multiple sound profiles to suit your taste.

Ultimate Sound preset maintains a good balance between the three major frequency ranges. Though not bass-heavy, there is still ample bass to enjoy and with a nice depth without masking the midrange frequencies much. The vocal clarity on these earbuds is very good and the instrument separation is decent. The highs are tempered just right with ample sparkle without any sibilance. The soundstage is decently broad for the segment and provides a good sense of space. The sound output is energetic with a fair amount of detail and is enjoyable across various genres of music.

However, the taste in sound is subjective. If you prefer or are in the mood for some extra bass, simply switch to the Thundering Bass preset. Don’t worry about the name - the bass kick is manageable. And then you have Pure Vocals preset that tones down the bass and is best suited for voice-heavy content like podcasts. Give them all a go before you settle on one or create your own (or a few) using the EQ.

The ANC figure (55 dB) is similar to that on the Nord Buds 4 Pro. Numbers aside, the ANC performance is equally good and the joint best under Rs 5,000 currently. It significantly reduces several low frequency sounds like the AC buzz or the whirr of a fan indoors or the sound of car engines when outdoors.

It also delivers in noisy places like public transport where it reduces quite a bit of the background chatter. And it does so in Moderate and High modes both. You can choose between varying degrees of ANC from Low to High depending on the quantum of ambient noise, or simply set it to Auto and let the buds take care of it.

Higher the ANC, the more battery it consumes. Just like the Nord buds, the High mode here also adjusts the noise cancellation depending on the ambient noise, which makes it an auto mode of sorts, which was unnecessary with an Auto mode already present. The Transparency mode here sounds fairly natural but could have done with a slight vocal boost. It does help you stay aware of your surroundings or catch announcements, but you need to strain your ears a bit to hear someone in noisy areas with the buds in your ears.

Oppo Enco Air5 Pro: Call quality (8/10)

The call quality on these earbuds is quite good indoors as well as outdoors in buzzing areas. People on the line were clearly audible to each other most of the time. When outdoors, the background noise and wind noise are kept in check, though not eliminated entirely. Despite that, the voice clarity doesn’t get impacted much even in noisy areas. As a result, the Oppo Enco Air5 Pro is one of the better options for hands-free calling.

Oppo Enco Air5 Pro: Battery life (8.5/10)

This Oppo product boasts of impressive battery backup figures. The company claims 13 hours of audio playback for the buds alone and 54 hours overall with the charging case at 50% loudness with ANC off and when using AAC codec, and 10 hours and 39 hours respectively with LHDC codec. With ANC switched on, those figures come down to 7 and 29 hours on AAC and 6 and 26 hours on LHDC. We carried out our entire testing using LHDC codec with the loudness around 60% most of the time.

The buds lasted for 6 and a half hours with Auto ANC enabled all the time and close to 9 and a half hours without ANC. With the charging case, the overall battery backup ranged between 25 to 38 hours depending on your ANC usage, which is great. The numbers should be even higher on AAC. A 10-minute charge promises close to 13 hours of playtime with the buds and case combined on AAC without ANC, which is equally impressive. The buds can be charged fully in less than an hour, while the case takes another 30 minutes for a full tank.

Oppo Enco Air5 Pro: Price, verdict and alternatives

The Oppo Enco Air5 Pro is priced at Rs 4,999 with a one year warranty in India. That makes it a thousand Rupees pricier than the Nord Buds 4 Pro with the exact feature set. Yes, the default sound here is marginally better than the Nord buds, and a bit of premium is justified. How much is a matter of individual preference; Rs 500 would have been ideal, if you ask me. Given its sound quality, battery backup, call quality and features, it is not hard to recommend these Oppo earbuds.

Having said that, there is a strong reason why Oppo should rethink the pricing of the Enco Air5 Pro, and that’s because the OnePlus Buds 3 with similar features, dual drivers and superior sound quality currently sells for Rs 700 to 800 less. The Oppo and Nord Buds do offer better ANC performance and battery backup. Thus, it’s a three way battle between the cousins with no clear winner. Choose one depending on whether you are looking for the best sound quality, best ANC performance or best value under 5K. Neither will disappoint you.