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Oppo Enco W31 review: good sound, few features

Oppo Enco W31 standing
(Image: TechnikNews)
(Post picture: © 2020 TechnikNews))

With the Oppo Enco W31, Oppo is launching its first affordable TWS (True Wireless Stereo) in Germany. We took a closer look at the in-ear headphones and were surprised at one point or another.

The Enco W31 come in a plain white box. In addition to the case with the headphones, three other "ear pads" and a USB-C cable are also included. A great scope of delivery in the price range, I have nothing to criticize here.

Design and workmanship

The Enco W31 are a mixture of the AirPods from Apple and the Redmi AirDots from Xiaomi. That didn't bother me much. Above all, the headphones are very light and have a very high quality finish. In my test phase of four weeks they didn't get any scratches and never felt “cheap”.

In terms of color, the Enco W31 is available in black and white, with a gray / silver metal plate on the back. This shines and makes the headphones look higher quality.

I have to complain a bit about the case. While it has a chic design, it is also quite large for it. It fits well in your pocket, but is not as inconspicuous as the case of the Samsung Galaxy Buds. The case is also well made, but attracts fingerprints.

Overall, I like the design and the workmanship very much. Only the case could be smaller.

Comfort and sound

This is where the Enco W31 can really score. I preferred to use the largest ear cushions because they provided the best shielding. Still, I never felt "safe" with the headphones. I always got the feeling that the headphones could fall out. They never are, but just the feeling drove me crazy. But that differs from ear to ear.

There is no such thing as a perfect design that fits everyone. Other colleagues found the headphones to be a great fit. That's why I always recommend putting on the headphones beforehandprobeer

Worn Oppo Enco W31

The Oppo Enco W31 sit well, but still I never had the 100% secure hold (picture: TechnikNews)

A 7 mm driver was installed as the sound membrane. This is an average size for TWS headphones. The sound quality really impressed meprochan.

In the "classic mode" the bass is rather restrained. This is very good for classical music and people who don't want bass-heavy headphones, as many TWS automatically emphasize the bass.

The bass mode, which can be activated by double-tapping the left headphones, clearly emphasizes the bass. My favorite because this mode suits my music style perfectly, so I've used this mode in most cases.

The Enco W31 can of course also be used as a headset. I talked about 30-40 minutes on the phone with the headphones and the people I spoke to always understood me very well. The microphones are located on the underside of the headphones and are therefore not too far from the mouth.

In terms of sound, the Enco W31 are on the same level as the Galaxy Buds or the Urbanista Paris.

The Enco W31 couldn't convince me here. Other TWS in this price range offer a lot more. A touch sensor is installed on the "rods", which works for the most part. But finding the right place to trigger is not easy the first time.

Double tapping on the right earbud jumps to the next track in the playlist and a triple tap on both earbuds activates the voice assistant. Yes, that was all. A tremendous amount of potential has been wasted here. Because the Galaxy Buds, which are available for the same price, can do a lot more. Among other things, ambient sound, own equalizer and the reading of notifications (to the test).

But one cool feature worked great: the proximity sensor. If you take one or both headphones out of your ear, the music will automatically pause.

Sure, the Enco W31 work best with Oppo smartphones, as the headphones are perfectly integrated into the system (buttons can be adjusted and more). But I would have liked to have my own app, with which the headphones could also be adapted to other smartphones.

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The headphones are supplied with Bluetooth 5.0, but only support the AAC and SBC audio codex. For example, not the Qualcomm aptX Codex, which further improves the sound and connection quality. That is a shame and should be corrected in a successor.

With Oppo smartphones, the headphones are easily connected via a pop-up animation:

Oppo Enco W31 connection

With Oppo smartphones, the headphones are more conveniently connected (Image: Oppo)

Battery

The TWS both have a 25 mAh battery. That sounds small, but still lasts for 3 hours of music enjoyment. A year ago I would have said a good value, but in 2020 that is a rather below average value. A normal TWS from 2020 creates around 4-5 hours, the high-end TWS like the Galaxy Buds + even up to 8 hours.

The case is not a “power bank” either. The integrated 350 mAh are sufficient for 3-4 times recharging and thus results in a total runtime of 12-15 hours. The lack of support for wireless charging is also a shame.

The battery must definitely be improved for a successor.

Conclusion

The Oppo Enco W31 do some things right and some things wrong. They're not bad TWS, but they can't stand out in the market. Because if you don't have an Oppo smartphone, you only get the headphones and cannot adjust them. This phenomenon is comparable to using AirPods from Apple with an Android smartphone. On the other hand, the Enco W31 can convince in terms of sound and the balance / bass mode is a good feature.

I like the design a lot, but the compact design with the light weight at the same time has a negative effect on the battery life. If you have an Oppo smartphone, you can definitely look at the headphones or the slightly more expensive brother Oppo Enco Free, everyone else can use cheaper alternatives or equivalent headphones.

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Nils Ahrensmeier

Nils has been with us since 2019 TechnikNews and very interested in smartphones, speakers, smartwatches and SmartHome. In addition to his 'Creative Business' studies, he enjoys pursuing his hobby of athletics and meeting up with friends.

Nils has already written 321 articles and made 32 comments.

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