OPPO Enco W31 Wireless Earphones Review – Balanced & Well Rounded Earbuds

Wireless headphones used to be a pricey affair but Oppo’s latest efforts have made this desirable segment of audio tech far more accessible with their new Enco W31 true wireless headphones offering a ton of features without costing an arm and a leg.

In terms of packaging, the Oppo Enco W31 headphones come in a plain white box with a bare minimum of iconography or labelling. Sliding it open reveals the headphone charging case with the earbuds stored within it inset inside a form-fitted tray. Just beneath it is a quick start manual as well as a USB Type-C charging cable and a set of differently sized soft silicone earbuds so that you can swap the existing pair out in order to offer a better fit.

The charging case for the Enco W31 has an unusual form factor. Rather than the usual lozenge shape that’s in vogue with other manufacturers, the Enco W31 instead has a clamshell design much like a make-up compact or a rounded hockey puck that flips open to reveal both earbuds nestled in form-fitted trays. On the underside is a USB Type-C port that lets you charge the case andthe earbuds. Interestingly enough, the Enco W31 has IP54 water and dust resistance, which makes them able to survive a spot of rain and sweat from a workout but they won’t survive a dip in the pool.

Each of the earbuds has a familiar toothbrush-shaped design akin to Apple’s AirPods save for a chunkier, flatter ‘handle’ of sorts and a more rounded bean-shaped earpiece. Each earpod has a 7mmm driver and features Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity to pair up to audio sources. Another feature that the Enco W31 has is binaural Bluetooth audio transmission which pipes audio to both earbuds for a smoother, low-latency listening experience.

The controls are fairly straightforward with a double-tap on the right earbud letting you swap tracks while a double-tap on the left earbud lets you switch between Balance and Bass mode. A triple tap on either earbud calls in a voice assistant.

Plasticky chassis aside, the Enco W31 is easily pocketable, compact and looks presentable from afar. Getting a proper initial fit takes some time as you need to get a good passive audio seal from the silicone earbuds for best results. If they don’t quite fit, you’ll have to swap them out and try out the other different sizes bundled with the packaging.

OPPO Enco W31 Performance

Getting it paired with a smartphone was a straightforward affair that didn’t take too long. It supports both iOS and Android phones. In our tests, it recognised a Samsung Galaxy Note10 in seconds along with a Huawei MatePad Pro and an iPhone 11 Max Pro without issues. 

Performance in its Balanced mode befits the name with an even-handed if rather flat sound signature that’s not particularly overbearing nor is it distinctive. Bass and treble were decent with a good amount of detail combined with fair sound staging. In this mode, it’s best suited for general usage and listening to mainstream music. 

Where the Enco W31 stands out though is that it has a separate Bass mode. Once fired up, it kicks up the bass by several notches. As it lacks actual physical bass drivers, this is presumably on account of hardwired equaliser settings. In this mode action games like Call of Duty Mobile and bass-heavy tracks like Bear McCreary’s ‘Prelude to War’ enjoyed louder, thumpier bass though it’s often at the expense of subtler treble. This mode is ideal for gaming and for action movies.

Regardless of mode, audio quality is contingent on getting a good passive audio seal with the Enco W31’s silicone earbuds. As it lacks active noise cancellation, external audio can leak in but if you ensure you get a properly fitting set of ear tips put in, you’ll enjoy a much better listening experience. Call quality, assuming you’ve fitted your ear tips properly was clear on both sides though background noise, including traffic and one very insistent cat, was unavoidably apparent from our side of the call.

In terms of battery life, the Enco W31 managed to survive a good three hours on a single charge with the charging case allowing us to top it up 4 more times for a grand total of 15 hours which is fair. If required, a quick 10-minute charge can get you about an hour of music playback; handy if you’re in a hurry though you need a couple of hours to get it to a full charge.

OPPO Enco W31 Verdict

The OPPO Enco W31 wireless earbuds are a novel offering with fair battery life, a decent Bass mode and good overall audio quality along with IP54 water and dust resistance in a unique form factor though the tradeoff here is that it has a rather plasticky charging case. If you’re after a pair of wireless earbuds for general use, the Enco W31 is worth a look.

OPPO Enco W31 Specifications

Price RM259
Driver 7mm dynamic drivers
Frequency response 20Hz – 20kHz
Microphone sensitivity -39 dBV/Pa
Audio formats AAC/SBC
Bluetooth version 5.0
Wireless range 10m
Battery 25mAh (headphones) 350mAh (charging case)/ 15 hours total (quoted) 3.5 hours per earbud w/ 150 mins charging time (case) 80 mins (earbud)
Weight 50g
Review unit courtesy of OPPO Malaysia. Available for purchase online at the OPPO Online store here.

What we liked Uses Type-C port, IP54 water resistance, fair performance for price
What we didn’t Charging case build quality can be improved, middling battery life|
We say  The OPPO Enco W31 wireless earbuds are a novel offering with fair battery life, a decent Bass mode and good overall audio quality along with IP54 water and dust resistance though the tradeoff here is that it has a rather plasticky charging case. If you’re after a pair of wireless earbuds for general use, the Enco W31 is worth a look.