Oppo Enco Air 3 Review: A Solid Choice for Comfort and Sound Quality (Under Rs. 3,000)
Oppo consistently delivers impressive true wireless earphones in the budget and mid-range categories, frequently topping "best-in-class" lists. While other brands like OnePlus, Realme, and JBL get a lot of attention, Oppo’s commitment to design and value for money makes them a strong contender, particularly when it comes to affordable earphones. The Oppo Enco Air 3, priced at Rs. 2,999 in India, is the newest addition to their lineup, and it seeks to build upon the success of its predecessor, the Enco Air 2. The Enco Air 3 echoes its predecessor’s design philosophy: a transparent charging case, an outer-ear fit, and a feather-light weight (less than 4g per earpiece). But is it truly the top true wireless headset under Rs. 3,000 in the market today?
Design and Features: A Transparent Twist
As the name suggests, the Oppo Enco Air 3 is all about lightweight comfort. Like the Enco Air 2, these earphones have an outer-ear fit, meaning they rest on the outer ear rather than fitting inside the ear canal. This makes them exceptionally comfortable, even for extended listening sessions. The Enco Air 3, available in a single "glaze white" color, exhibits a unique translucent finish on the earpiece stems, complementing the transparent lid of the charging case.
The upper part of the stems houses touch-sensitive controls that can be tailored through the companion app. The earphones boast IP54 rating for dust and water resistance, ensuring durability in daily use. The earpieces themselves are remarkably minimalist, devoid of branding or markings.
The charging case is a standout feature. The transparent lid reveals the entirety of the earpieces, held magnetically in a "display" rather than simply slotting into place. An indicator light, visible even with the lid closed, and the Oppo logo at the front add to the case’s sleek aesthetic. A USB Type-C port at the bottom handles charging. The rear of the case, however, sports some unsightly regulatory text. While the Enco Air 3 lacks advanced features like wireless charging or active noise cancellation, it does offer some app-based customization, including multi-point connectivity for simultaneous pairing with two devices.
App and Specifications: A Solid Foundation
Like other Oppo headsets, the Enco Air 3 leverages the Bluetooth settings on select Oppo and OnePlus smartphones, for easy configuration. For other devices, the HeyMelody app, available on both Android and iOS, provides access to the headset’s functionalities. The Enco Air 3 enjoys full app support on both platforms.
Given its price point, the Enco Air 3 doesn’t boast a plethora of features, and the app reflects this, focusing on essential settings. You get battery levels for both the earpieces and the case, three EQ presets, Oppo Alive Audio (for spatial sound, but only with supported audio apps and formats), Game Mode for low-latency audio, dual connection toggling, and detailed touch control customization.
The touch controls are quite comprehensive. From playback control and volume adjustments to invoking your default voice assistant and activating Game Mode, everything is managed directly from the headset. While I prefer disabling the single-tap gesture to avoid accidental triggers, which limits the available controls on the earpieces, you can find a configuration that suits your needs.
Powering the Enco Air 3 are 13.4mm dynamic drivers featuring a frequency response range of 20-20,000Hz, and a driver sensitivity rating of 125db. Bluetooth 5.3 connectivity ensures a stable connection, with support for the SBC and AAC Bluetooth codecs. The sales package, however, is incredibly basic, containing only the earphones and the charging case. Missing a charging cable might inconvenience some users.
Performance and Battery Life: A Comfortable Sound Experience
The Enco Air 3’s positioning in Oppo’s budget true wireless earphones segment can be a bit perplexing. While the benefits over the more affordable Enco Buds 2 are somewhat vague, leading to questions about the price difference, the Air 3 does redeem itself with its performance, particularly considering the decreasing prevalence of outer-ear fit earphones.
For my review, I primarily used an Android smartphone, but for calls, I leveraged the multi-point connectivity feature to simultaneously pair with an iPhone. The experience was seamless, with no noticeable drop in audio quality, demonstrating the headset’s ability to utilize the AAC Bluetooth codec for music playback on both devices.
As expected with earphones of this type, the sound varies subtly depending on the angle of the earpieces. While there’s a noticeable shift in sound, particularly in the bass intensity when angling the earpieces inwards, the variation isn’t as dramatic as with other headsets sharing this design.
The sound quality on the Enco Air 3 is generally good, especially for an outer-ear fit. The sub-bass frequencies are surprisingly impactful, delivering a satisfying experience when listening to tracks like "Paper Cranes" by Andrew Bayer, with its rhythmic and progressive beat.
Although the mid-bass frequencies lack a bit of aggression, the overall sound is engaging and well-rounded. The sound is reasonably balanced, offering a good mix of punchiness and clarity, aligning with expectations for a headset in this price range.
The Enco Air 3 boasts a high sensitivity rating of 125dB, which translates to exceptional loudness. Even though the outer-ear fit allows for significant ambient sound penetration (a desired feature for many), even moderate volume levels on the Enco Air 3 are enough to drown out ambient noise.
However, setting the volume below 50 percent offers a good balance between what you hear on the headset and your surroundings, especially indoors. It is noteworthy that the sound remains clear, detailed, and enjoyable across most volume levels, with distortion only becoming noticeable at extremely high (and potentially unsafe) volumes.
This is where the Enco Air 3 truly stands out. It provides the comfort of an outer-ear fit with the ability to maintain natural ambient awareness, while simultaneously delivering sound quality and volume levels usually seen in in-canal earphones. The larger drivers are well-tuned, making for a comfortable and hassle-free listening experience across volume ranges.
Call quality proves to be decent in both indoor and outdoor environments. The environmental noise cancellation effectively prioritizes voice, making conversations clear even in noisy surroundings. Game Mode results in a slight reduction in latency with mobile games, but with a slight trade-off in sound quality.
The Enco Air 3’s battery life is quite decent given its features, size, and weight. The earpieces consistently deliver around five hours of playback on a single charge, and the charging case provides an additional three charges, resulting in a total runtime of approximately 20 hours per charge cycle.
Verdict: A Strong Contender with a Comfortable Edge
Oppo’s latest true wireless headset is an interesting proposition due to its unique combination of positive attributes. It successfully marries good design and comfortable fit with loud, clear sound, which is impressive for a headset priced under Rs. 3,000. Maintaining a lower volume provides the benefit of natural ambient awareness, while the earphones are powerful enough to completely drown out surrounding sounds if needed, despite the unsealed fit.
While the Enco Air 3 lacks active noise cancellation, features like multi-point connectivity and fully customizable controls via the user-friendly app help mitigate its absence. The Enco Air 3 emerges as a strong all-rounder in this price bracket due to its blend of design and performance. However, if you’re not overly concerned with aesthetics and prefer the in-canal fit, options like the OnePlus Nord Buds and Oppo Enco Buds 2 offer equally impressive performance at a lower price point.
