OPPO Enco X3i review: the perfect balance of quality and comfort

Not long ago, we wrote about new fully wireless headphones OPPO Enco Air 4 Pro. It was a mid-range device that surprised us and received a good rating. Now we have OPPO Enco X3i — TWS headphones in our hands, which are a segment higher. So what are they better at, what do they come with, and can they surprise you? Everything, as always, in the review below.

Technical specifications of OPPO Enco X3i

Speakers	Hybrid dynamic, 6 mm tweeter and 10.4 mm woofer
Frequency range of the headphones	15 Hz — 40 KHz
Headphone sensitivity	110 dB
Microphone sensitivity	-38 DB
Number of microphones	2
Kodeks	AAC, SBC, LHDC 5.0
Connection	Bluetooth 5.3
Protection	YES, IP55
Earbud battery	58 mAh
Case battery	520 mAh
Battery life	Up to 10 hours without ANC
Battery life with the case	Up to 44 hours without ANC
Fast charging	Є
Cable length	10 cm
Case dimensions	58.72×50.15×25.81 mm
Headphone dimensions	31.68×20.22×24.4 mm
Weight of the earbud	4,8 г
Case weight	36,5 г

Packaging and equipment

OPPO Enco X3i comes in a compact white and gray box.

Inside we find the headphones themselves with a case, documentation, a short USB-C cable and a set of replaceable ear cushions.

OPPO Enco X3i design and ergonomics

OPPO Enco X3i — classic in-ear headphones with a short leg. The design is stylish and modern, but in general, it is not similar to other models of competitors or OPPO itself.

Each earbud has an L or R inscription, microphones, and a touch panel on the outside of the leg. The case is made of glossy and matte plastic, but the former is larger and is made to look like chrome. Because of this, fingerprints and other traces of use are clearly visible on the headphones.

But the case is quite unusual — its shape is more rectangular than square, the corners are rounded, but the ends are flat. It is made of matte plastic.

On the top of the lid you can see the OPPO inscription, below it there is a recess for easy opening and an LED indicator.

On the back is a USB-C port.

The lid is easy to close and open with one hand. Under it, you can see the glossy and matte parts of the case, a headphone storage space, and a reset button for the connection.

Features of the OPPO Enco X3i

OPPO Enco X3i are equipped with hybrid dynamic drivers (10.4 mm + 6 mm) for midrange and deep bass. The frequency range of the headphones is 15 — 40,000 Hz, and the sensitivity is 110 dB. Sound delay can be up to 94 ms. The microphones are built into the case and their sensitivity is -38 dB. Noise cancellation support (ENC) is declared.

In terms of codecs, the headphones support AAC and LHDC 5.0. However, the latter option works only with the manufacturer’s new smartphones, and for all others there is basic AAC. OPPO Alive Audio and Golden Sound 2.0 sound enhancement technologies are also announced.

Like OPPO Enco Air 4 Pro, OPPO Enco X3i is equipped with ANC active noise cancellation with a maximum of 49 dB, although they are in-channel, so passive noise cancellation is also good. The «noise level» can be reduced, and there is also a «transparency mode», when the environment is clearly audible even with headphones and music on, for example.

This model also has built-in sensors that respond to their removal. That is, music or video will stop when you take one earbud out of your ear. This is very convenient and not all models have it.

OPPO Enco X3i is seriously protected from moisture according to the IP55 standard. This means that TWS headphones can accidentally drop water or spill something on them and, theoretically, they will not be damaged. Of course, they are not «afraid of» rain, sweat, splashes, etc.

Connection and control

OPPO Enco X3i is equipped with a Bluetooth 5.3 module. The connection is instantaneous as soon as the case lid is opened (Google Fast Pair is supported). If the headphones have already been connected to another device, you can reset the settings by pressing the button inside the case for a few seconds.

Fully wireless headphones can connect to two devices simultaneously and automatically switch between them. This works correctly, but you must first activate this function in the proprietary HeyMelody app.

In the app, you can configure four noise reduction modes, activate the aforementioned dual-device connection, change the touch controls, enable game mode with minimal signal delay, adjust the equalizer, and select one of four sound presets. You can also boost the bass, customize the sound of the headphones to suit your ears (I didn’t notice any difference at all), and most importantly — activate the OPPO Alive Audio spatial sound mode.

OPPO Enco X3i are controlled via the touch panel on each of the headphones. By default, double-clicking switches to the next track, and triple-clicking to the previous track. An upward swipe increases the volume, and a downward swipe decreases it. One swipe pauses or turns on the track, and holding it changes the ANC mode. However, all this changes in the app if you are used to something else or want to change something for yourself.

OPPO Enco X3i sound and microphone

OPPO Enco X3i have excellent, soft bass, which can be amplified via the app if necessary. For me, this was enough, as well as the midrange, but the upper frequencies were a bit lacking, but the overall sound quality of the headphones is good, and the stage is wide.

I also note the high volume, when at 60% they shout so that it is more than enough. However, they don’t shut down at 100%, but it was physically painful for my ears.

This is the model that is suitable for everything at the same time. Yes, they won’t be the best in one thing, for example, in music, they don’t have enough clarity of instruments, but their versatility and sufficient sound detail, in my opinion, covers other imperfections in certain scenarios.

You can also play around with the equalizer and built-in presets, as they improve the sound for certain activities. For example, some are better for watching videos, while others are great for listening to audiobooks.

OPPO Enco X3i supports OPPO Alive Audio surround sound. This is something similar to what is in Airpods. However, this is not just a copy for the sake of a copy, but a high-quality reproduction of a cool technology. Some other companies have also tried to implement this feature in their headphones, but it is in this model that I liked it the most. I recommend turning on spatial sound in all scenarios except for listening to music, although I know people who use it with it, but I think it’s weird. However, in all other scenarios, surround sound really adds to the presence effect and makes the sound more realistic.

OPPO Enco X3i also has good microphones for its segment. They also have a noise reduction function that does a great job with ambient sounds. They really cut off, but, as always, you have to pay for it with a slightly distorted voice, but its quality is still at a good level.

OPPO Enco X3i battery life

Each OPPO Enco X3i headphone is equipped with a 58 mAh battery, and the case has a 520 mAh battery. The declared battery life is up to 10 hours, but this is without ANC. The case will give you another 30-34 hours, for a total of 44 hours. With active noise cancellation, you will get 5-6 hours without the case and up to 30 hours with it. Fast charging is claimed. They promise that 10 minutes of charging will give up to 7 hours without ANC.

In fact, I can confirm the above figures. I tested the headphones without noise-canceling and forgot when I last charged them. The battery life is really great. However, for the most part, I listened to music in the background at 20-30% volume, only sometimes the volume was 50-60% because, as I wrote above, they are very loud and this was enough.

With active noise cancellation, of course, the headphones work less, but these 5-6 hours with ANC, in my opinion, are definitely a good indicator because some models give the same time without noise cancellation. Therefore, the battery life of OPPO Enco X3i is one of the main advantages of these headphones. However, I note that the OPPO Enco Air 4 Pro had up to 12 hours of operation, they are cheaper, but they are very close in terms of functions and capabilities.

User experience

The OPPO Enco X3i showed me what I expected for my money. They are modern and stylishly designed, and come in various colors to appeal to different users. The glossy «chrome» look certainly looks impressive, but I would have preferred the matte plastic because you can see traces of use and so on very much.

I liked the sound quality and that pleasant, unobtrusive, soft bass. It’s also important that it can be amplified if necessary, but it’s unlikely that you will need it.

The touch panel behaved adequately, and only a few times I had phantom clicks. And although it is placed in a standard way, where your fingers constantly touch the headphones, it must have been slightly reduced in sensitivity, but the response to touch remained good.

I like the microphone. Of course, for a TWS segment. You can really hear you well, and the noise-canceling works well. The ANC mode also cuts off any ambient noise, but I hardly felt any difference between its weaker versions. That is, both the maximum and minimum settings actually cut off all possible sound for the given parameters.

I liked the spatial sound, as I wrote about above. This is really what I advise you to try in these headphones because I liked it only in Airpods and almost nowhere else, with some exceptions. And then it just came in.

It’s also great that they added sensors that «can see» when the headphones are removed and pause a song or video. It’s very convenient.

Well, the battery life is also on par, which is definitely a plus. Up to 10 hours on a single charge is good.

Price and competitors

OPPO Enco X3i is sold at a price from 4070 UAH. This is definitely an adequate model, but there are places where headphones are pricier. In any case, the main problem of the model is serious competitors who are even better known.

Pay attention to Huawei FreeBuds 6i. There are also Nothing Ear (2) (price from UAH 4799) and Nothing Ear (a). There are also Samsung Galaxy Buds2 Pro, OnePlus Buds Pro 2, Realme Buds Air 6 Pro and Soundcore Liberty 4 NC.