OPPO Enco W51 Wire-Free Headphones Review

OPPO may have a history as a high-end audio brand, but it's almost certainly not the first company that comes to mind if you're looking for a new pair of headphones. Despite this, its new Enco W51 wire-free buds prove you should at least be considering OPPO the next time you need a new way to get tunes into your ear holes.

The Enco W51s aren't the prettiest earbuds in the world, reminiscent of a bulkier pair of AirPods, but they're certainly not offensive. They are pretty where it matters however, by which I mean, pretty damn comfortable when it comes to day-to-day use. Even with extended use, the Enco W51s never felt like a burden to wear. (Earbud fit is of course deeply personal, and your mileage may vary.)

I also never had any issues with stability. The buds fill out a lot of your ear cavity, which heaps keep them from falling out without the need for stabilisers or hoops. I never had any issues with the Enco W51s yeeting themselves out of my ears, even when sweating it up on a treadmill. On a related note, the pair are rated IP54 water-resistance, (protected against splashing of water from any angle) which means there aren't any issues using them for even the most demanding workouts.

For a $249 pair of headphones, the Enco W51s sound great. You get solid instrument separation and there's more than enough detail. In terms of tuning, the Enco W51s are certainly on the warmer side, with a resonant low-end. While this normally just adds a nice bassy weight to them, it can occasionally be overwhelming. In some cases, I found the strong bass muddled the midrange. But considering the price-tag, I'd still say the Enco W51s still sound better than you'd expect.

When it comes to noise-cancellation, the Enco W51s are basic but yet effective. There's a limit to what earbuds can achieve in terms of blocking out noise, but these buds are more than capable of blocking a decent amount of background noises such as miscellaneous chatter, the roar of a fan, or the whir of a treadmill. Where you miss out compared to other noise-cancelling headphones is limited options for customisation. Noise-cancelling is simply on or off - you can't choose how much noise you want to block out - and there's no ambient mode for letting in the outside world where you're feeling rude and don't want to take off your buds. This isn't a huge issue personally - if I'm wearing noise-cancelling headphones, there have rarely been instances where I didn't want as much cancellation as possible - but it's still worth being aware of.

Battery is one area where the Enco W51s fall down a little, it's on the shorter side. You're only going to get between three and three-and-a-half hours per charge. For comparison, you're looking at around four-and-half with AirPods Pro, or six with Samsung's Galaxy Buds Live. The bundled charging case has enough capacity to get you 20 or so hours of playback before you'll also need to top-up the case.

While the Enco W51s will work with any iPhone or Android handset, you miss out on some functionality unless you're using them with an OPPO device. OPPO has made the rather weird choice to not launch a companion app, so the only way to adjust settings - like what tapping your buds will do - is if you're playing within OPPO's garden. By default, a double tap on the left bud will toggle noise-cancellation, while a double tap on the right will take you to the next track. 

A triple tap will fire up Google Assistant or Siri, but if you're not quick enough with the third, you may just end up skipping your song. I'm the kind of person who loves to just disable tap controls because I find I trigger them more by accident than anything else, so the fact I can't do it without an OPPO handset is frustrating. And I'm sure plenty would prefer to remap the noise-cancellation toggle to previous track.

OPPO Enco W51 - Final Thoughts

Given OPPO's reputation for bang-for-buck smartphones, it's not surprising that the Enco W51s punch above their price-tag. Priced at $249, the Enco W51s deliver great noise-cancelling and good sound quality. You'd normally need to drop around $399 for a pair of wire-free noise-cancelling buds, such as the AirPods Pro, Sony WF-1000XM3s, or the new Bose QuietComforts.

But while the Enco W51s do a great job at core functionality, there are a few quirks that may give you pause. The battery life isn't as strong as what we've seen on other wire-free buds, and you miss out on basic functionality like being able to remap the on-earphone controls unless you’re using an OPPO smartphone.

All in all, the OPPO Enco W51s are a solid pair of earbuds that definitely punch above the price-tag. They're a great pick if value is your primary concern, but you'll want to look elsewhere if you're worried about not being able to adjust settings without owning an OPPO smartphone. Well, assuming you don't own one already.

Alex Choros

Managing Editor + Group Telco Editor | X | Instagram | Threads | LinkedIn

Alex Choros is the Managing Editor of WhistleOut Australia and an award-winning journalist. He's been writing about consumer technology for over a decade and is an expert on the Australian telco sector, to the point where he knows far too many phone and internet plans by heart. In addition to leading the WhistleOut editorial team, Alex is responsible for ruining the office Sonos with his troubled taste in music.

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