You’ve known OPPO for their popular smartphones. But with the introduction of the OPPO Enco Q1, the company is letting people know that they’re more than just a phone manufacturer. Because if you don’t remember, OPPO started off with Blue-ray players.

The OPPO Enco Q1 is a neckband-style headphone that focuses on its Hybrid Active Noise Cancelling. It was launched alongside the new OPPO Reno 2 a few weeks ago.

Oh, and if you don’t like reading, you can skip this article and watch our OPPO Enco Q1 unboxing and review video above.

Design and Build Quality

But if you do like reading, let’s start talking about its design. As stated earlier, the Enco Q1 has a neckband design. Unlike some of the competition, the neckband is made from a flexible titanium alloy thread. I personally like this design as you can easily throw it in your bag, without having to worry about breaking it. Although I wish a carrying case was included

OPPO-Enco-Q1-neckband

It has a matte rubber build. But on the tip, it uses a shiny metal material that adds contrast on the design. The one that we have here is the bright Sunny Orange model, while a more subtle Midnight Black and Silver White options are also available.

On the left side of the band, behind the OPPO logo, you’d find all your buttons and ports. There’s a USB Type-C input for charger, that’s covered by a flap to prevent water and dust damage, enabling its IPX4 water resistance rating.

OPPO-Enco-Q1-5823

We also have the mode button (for enabling noise cancellation and audio effects), volume controls, LED indicator, and a metallic power/pairing button with OPPO-green accents on the side.

I like how accessible each button is, although the mode button and volume controls feel a little stiff and hard to press at times.

OPPO-Enco-Q1-5827

Each earbud is magnetic, so you can easily tuck them in when not in use. Although I wish that it would also automatically pause the music when you take them off your ears, or when each bud are in-contact with each other via magnets.

Comfort is also great on this one. Other than the ear tips, not a lot of hardware will touch your ear. The thin cable, SoftFit silicone tips. and all of its lightweight material, assures that you can use it comfortably for hours. Without any swelling or soreness.

See also: Xiaomi Mi AirDots Pro Review

Sound Quality

The OPPO Enco Q1 features large 11.8mm dynamic drivers that offers clean and full sound.

OPPO-Enco-Q1-sound-quality

The trebles sound nice, the bass is thumping but not exaggerated, although the mids are a bit muddy at times. It’s great for listening to pop, party, and other bass-heavy music, while also managing to offer clean output when listening to jazz or rock music.

It may not appeal the audiophiles out there, but the sound it offers is really appealing to the ears that will definitely attract a lot of people.

OPPO-Enco-Q1-bass

It also has three different modes, which you can switch through by double-pressing the mode button above the volume controls.

It’s set to ‘Music’ by default, while Game and Cinema Modes are also available. There’s a soft voice prompt that easily lets you know which mode are you on.

OPPO-Enco-Q1-Game-Mode

I’m personally interested in the Cinema Mode, which mimics a surround 3D audio. It’s great for watching movies or TV shows. It offers a wide sound stage that feels like you’re watching a movie in a real multi-speaker surround system. It also works great when listening to music.

There’s also the Game Mode, which is great for shooting games like PUBG Mobile or the new Call of Duty Mobile. It highlights every footsteps and gunfire sounds that almost gives you an unfair advantage. You can really notice the difference while playing.

Noise Cancelling

As stated earlier, the main highlight OPPO Enco Q1 is its noise-canceling feature. In fact, the device’s name is “OPPO Enco Quiet” when you look it up in the Bluetooth settings.

OPPO-Enco-Q1-noise-cancelling

The earphones have two microphones on each bud that enables its hybrid active noise canceling. These are feedback and feed-forward microphones, which analyzes the ambient noise around you and inside your ears.

It then sends the data to a dedicated digital noise cancellation chip for the noise cancellation to work. And it did work really well in our testing. The low sound of aircon buzzing, car engine running, and other background noises are blocked with this feature. This is really great for jet setters out there, or if you’re just a daily commuter.

OPPO-Enco-Q1-Sunny-Orange

There is still some noise coming in since it’s not completely sealed like over-ear headphones. But you can immediately notice the difference with it on and off.

You can single press the Mode button to enable ANC. The same soft voice will let you know if it’s on or off.

Connectivity

Pairing the OPPO Enco Q1 on any device is easy. Just long-press the power button until a voice prompt confirms that you’re in pairing mode, and look for the ‘OPPO Enco Quiet’ on the Bluetooth settings.

OPPO-Enco-Q1-bluetooth-range

This one utilizes Bluetooth 5.0, which is currently the standard in wireless devices. On paper, it can stay connected to your device by up to 10 meters. And as per our testing, the claims hold up.

I’ve paired it on my MacBook Pro to listen to music while writing this review. While taking breaks, I can easily stand up, go to the home kitchen or office pantry to grab something to eat, and the connection held up with no dropping or choppiness.

Battery life

The OPPO Enco Q1 sports a 160mAh battery, which is said can last for up to 15hrs with the Active Noise Cancellation mode on. But if you want to stretch it up more, OPPO said that you can turn off the ANC mode to get up to 22hrs of charge.

OPPO-Enco-Q1-battery-cable

If you’re like me who only uses headphones while commuting. About 4hrs a day, back and forth, you’d only be charging this device once or twice a week.

The OPPO Enco Q1 charges via USB Type-C. A short cable is included in the box. It takes 2-hours to get a full charge, while a quick 10-minute charge can already give you 2hrs of playtime.

Verdict

The OPPO Enco Q1 really has a space in this saturated midrange wireless earphones market.

OPPO-Enco-Q1-Sunny-Orange

Besides its clean sound and good connectivity features, it has a really impressive noise cancellation feature, which is a rare find in this category.

There are surely other affordable alternatives out there. But you can almost never see a pair of cans that have this good noise cancellation for the price. And for those of you who travel a lot, that feature alone is enough to justify the OPPO Enco Q1’s price.

OPPO Enco Q1 pricing and availability in the Philippines

The OPPO Enco Q1 is now available in stores and kiosks nationwide for the price of Php4,990.

Pros

  • Clean treble
  • Thumping bass
  • Premium design
  • Great noise cancellation
  • USB Type-C port

Cons

  • No Carrying case
  • Some buttons are a bit stiff

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