OPPO Enco Q1 Review - Bluetooth earphones w/ ANC for less!
Finding a pair of Bluetooth earphones with active noise cancelation (ANC) for less is not an easy task, often, you will need to spend a LOT if you want a device with that tech.
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| OPPO Enco Q1, the budget neckband wireless earphones for less |
Enter OPPO Enco Q1, a neckband style Bluetooth earphones with ANC for just PHP 4,990, and yes, that is considered affordable.
Just a trivia, OPPO is no stranger in making audio related products. In fact, they made a lot of video and audio equipment before they became a popular smartphone brand.
So, let's now hear if these earphones are any good.
Enco Q1 arrived with a neat looking package. First, you'll see the earphones with the neckband itself. Underneath, you'll be greeted by 3 extra sizes of eartips, USB-A to USB-C charging cable, and the paper documents.
It would have been better if there's a USB wall charger included and a carrying pouch.
Enco Q1 highlights a neckband style design made out of high-quality rubber that is flexible and durable at the same time. It has a plastic plate on the lower portion of each side which houses the components inside.
It has a left and right marking so you can easily locate the left and right earpieces. On the left side of the band, you will see the noise-canceling button, volume keys, LED light indicator, and the multi-purpose power button.
The shell of the earpieces is made of plastic with metal-like magnets that you can use for easier cable management.
My unit is in Midnight Black color and it has other color variants like Sunny Orange and Silver White. We are just unsure if those variants are available to purchase here.
We also noticed that it has two holes per earpiece. Those are dubbed as the "vents" that allow air movement for better audio quality.
And yes, even if it has vents, it also has an IPX4 protection rating against water splashes. It means that the earphones are resistant to swear. So, this could be great even for working out.
On the part where the sound will come out, it has a glossy metallic-like filter. It helps in tuning the sound and preventing dirt and earwax from getting inside the earphones.
The rubber eartips they used are average for me. There's no comply-like foaming included.
Overall, it feels durable and I like that it has some sort of water-resistance.
Choosing the right tip is crucial in achieving the best comfort and isolation. Personally, I used the medium-sized tips and I got the seal that I want. It has 3 sizes of tips, so there's a chance that one will fit your ear.
By default, if you have the proper seal, isolation is respectable. It can block light outside noise quite well.
But if you want to turn the isolation a notch higher, just press the noise-canceling button.
The impressive part? It is an impressive type of ANC. It is good enough to make you more immersed in whatever you are listening to. We also tested it on a plane ride and it is quite effective in blocking the loud plane engine noise. Basically, it allowed me not to get distracted when sleeping while traveling.
My precaution? Do not turn it on if you are crossing the street as its noise-canceling can make you not aware of your surroundings.
The other strength of the Enco Q1 is its stellar battery performance. It has 160mAh of juice that can last for up to 22 hours on a single charge. It is rated to do up to 15 hours of usage with the noise-canceling mode at 50 percent volume.
In our test, we used the earphones for about 11 hours at 60 to 70 percent volume. It also has other modes like the Game Mode and Cinema Mode that could reduce the battery life as it consumes more power.
Charging via USB-C is considered quick at about 2 hours from 0 to 100 percent.
Bluetooth connectivity is version 5.0 and it has up to 10 meters of range. In our experience, connectivity is stellar and drops are rare. You will only experience drops if our music source is quite far from you or it is behind a thick wall.
It also has an easy connect/reconnect function that is comparable to modern TWS earbuds.
It also has the usual volume up and down keys that you can use to forward or play previous tracks. All you need to do is hold the "volume up" key to forward and hold the "volume down" key to play the previous track.
The last button is the Hybrid ANC key. Just press it once to turn on and off the ANC mode. Then double-tap to access Music Mode, Game Mode, and Cinema Mode.
It also has a total of four microphones with feed-forward microphones and feedback microphones that is useful for calls.
It doesn't have a sensor for stopping whatever you are playing when you remove an earpiece.
I consider its audio quality to be as good as most wired in-ear monitors in the under PHP 3K range and that is a compliment since wireless earphones often have lesser audio quality than its wired counterparts.
In addition, like what we mentioned above, connectivity is stellar. It is one of the rare wireless earphones for the price where you won't experience delays and drops often.
The sound signature is more U-shaped than V-shaped. It means that it has an emphasis on the lows and highs but, mids aren't are recessed. Mids are still considered as clear and crisp. It has good separation between the instruments and vocals as well.
To nitpick, it would have liked it better if the bass speed is faster and tighter. I would have wanted a slightly more balanced sound as well. But that's just me. Normally, those types of sound profiles are found on really expensive earphones.
In the first place, at this price point, I didn't expect it to be an analytical wireless IEM.
I won't go too technical on its sound, but it should satisfy even some picky listeners on a tight budget. By the way, the soundstage is pretty wide, thanks to its 11.8mm dynamic driver with PEEK+PU composite diaphragms.
When it comes to the noise-canceling mode, I didn't like most of the earphones I tested in the past as it reduces soundstage and overall audio quality. But with the Enoc Q1, I am quite impressed. Audio performance is still quite good and the drop in quality is not that noticeable.
It also has the Game Mode and Cinema Mode EQ presets that enhances the soundstage artificially to let you enjoy your movie or gaming experience more immersively.
For calls, voice quality is mostly clear. I'm quite impressed with the overall audio and mic performance of this device.
Pros - Nice comfort, good battery life, ANC for less, impressive audio in its class
Cons - The strain relief on the earpieces should be flexible
Unboxing/Accessories
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| The box |
Enco Q1 arrived with a neat looking package. First, you'll see the earphones with the neckband itself. Underneath, you'll be greeted by 3 extra sizes of eartips, USB-A to USB-C charging cable, and the paper documents.
 |
| Eartips, cable, and paper docs |
It would have been better if there's a USB wall charger included and a carrying pouch.
Build Quality/Design
 |
| Rubberized neckband |
Enco Q1 highlights a neckband style design made out of high-quality rubber that is flexible and durable at the same time. It has a plastic plate on the lower portion of each side which houses the components inside.
 |
| The left side of the band |
It has a left and right marking so you can easily locate the left and right earpieces. On the left side of the band, you will see the noise-canceling button, volume keys, LED light indicator, and the multi-purpose power button.
 |
| The earpieces |
The shell of the earpieces is made of plastic with metal-like magnets that you can use for easier cable management.
My unit is in Midnight Black color and it has other color variants like Sunny Orange and Silver White. We are just unsure if those variants are available to purchase here.
We also noticed that it has two holes per earpiece. Those are dubbed as the "vents" that allow air movement for better audio quality.
And yes, even if it has vents, it also has an IPX4 protection rating against water splashes. It means that the earphones are resistant to swear. So, this could be great even for working out.
On the part where the sound will come out, it has a glossy metallic-like filter. It helps in tuning the sound and preventing dirt and earwax from getting inside the earphones.
The rubber eartips they used are average for me. There's no comply-like foaming included.
Overall, it feels durable and I like that it has some sort of water-resistance.
Comfort/Isolation
 |
| Nice comfort, great for blocking noise |
Choosing the right tip is crucial in achieving the best comfort and isolation. Personally, I used the medium-sized tips and I got the seal that I want. It has 3 sizes of tips, so there's a chance that one will fit your ear.
By default, if you have the proper seal, isolation is respectable. It can block light outside noise quite well.
But if you want to turn the isolation a notch higher, just press the noise-canceling button.
The impressive part? It is an impressive type of ANC. It is good enough to make you more immersed in whatever you are listening to. We also tested it on a plane ride and it is quite effective in blocking the loud plane engine noise. Basically, it allowed me not to get distracted when sleeping while traveling.
ANC works!
My precaution? Do not turn it on if you are crossing the street as its noise-canceling can make you not aware of your surroundings.
Battery
 |
| USB-C charging |
The other strength of the Enco Q1 is its stellar battery performance. It has 160mAh of juice that can last for up to 22 hours on a single charge. It is rated to do up to 15 hours of usage with the noise-canceling mode at 50 percent volume.
In our test, we used the earphones for about 11 hours at 60 to 70 percent volume. It also has other modes like the Game Mode and Cinema Mode that could reduce the battery life as it consumes more power.
Charging via USB-C is considered quick at about 2 hours from 0 to 100 percent.
Features
Using the earphones is straight forward. It has a button that you can use to turn on and pair the earphones to your music player with Bluetooth of choice. Note that the power key can also be used to stop/play or answer/drop calls.Bluetooth connectivity is version 5.0 and it has up to 10 meters of range. In our experience, connectivity is stellar and drops are rare. You will only experience drops if our music source is quite far from you or it is behind a thick wall.
It also has an easy connect/reconnect function that is comparable to modern TWS earbuds.
It also has the usual volume up and down keys that you can use to forward or play previous tracks. All you need to do is hold the "volume up" key to forward and hold the "volume down" key to play the previous track.
The last button is the Hybrid ANC key. Just press it once to turn on and off the ANC mode. Then double-tap to access Music Mode, Game Mode, and Cinema Mode.
It also has a total of four microphones with feed-forward microphones and feedback microphones that is useful for calls.
It doesn't have a sensor for stopping whatever you are playing when you remove an earpiece.
Audio
On default mode, without the noise-canceling feature, the listening experience is very enjoyable for a wireless buds.I consider its audio quality to be as good as most wired in-ear monitors in the under PHP 3K range and that is a compliment since wireless earphones often have lesser audio quality than its wired counterparts.
Audio quality is good for the price!
In addition, like what we mentioned above, connectivity is stellar. It is one of the rare wireless earphones for the price where you won't experience delays and drops often.
Connectivity is stellar!
The sound signature is more U-shaped than V-shaped. It means that it has an emphasis on the lows and highs but, mids aren't are recessed. Mids are still considered as clear and crisp. It has good separation between the instruments and vocals as well.
To nitpick, it would have liked it better if the bass speed is faster and tighter. I would have wanted a slightly more balanced sound as well. But that's just me. Normally, those types of sound profiles are found on really expensive earphones.
In the first place, at this price point, I didn't expect it to be an analytical wireless IEM.
I won't go too technical on its sound, but it should satisfy even some picky listeners on a tight budget. By the way, the soundstage is pretty wide, thanks to its 11.8mm dynamic driver with PEEK+PU composite diaphragms.
When it comes to the noise-canceling mode, I didn't like most of the earphones I tested in the past as it reduces soundstage and overall audio quality. But with the Enoc Q1, I am quite impressed. Audio performance is still quite good and the drop in quality is not that noticeable.
It also has the Game Mode and Cinema Mode EQ presets that enhances the soundstage artificially to let you enjoy your movie or gaming experience more immersively.
For calls, voice quality is mostly clear. I'm quite impressed with the overall audio and mic performance of this device.
Pros - Nice comfort, good battery life, ANC for less, impressive audio in its class
Cons - The strain relief on the earpieces should be flexible
OPPO Enco Q1 Specs
Driver: 11.8mm dynamic w/ PEEK+PU composite diaphragms
Microphone: 4x microphones
Battery: 160mAh
Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.0
Others: Hybrid ANC, IPX4 water splash resistance, magnetized earbuds, 4-button control, LED notification, USB-C, Colors: sunny orange, silver white
Weight: 42 g
Price: PHP 4,990
Overall, OPPO has created a really good wireless earphones with ANC for less.
Build/Design - 3.75
Comfort/Isolation - 4.5
Battery Life - 4.5
Features - 4.5
Sound - 4.25
Average - 4.3/5
Verdict
At PHP 4,990, nearly everything about the Enco Q1 is great for the price. The neckband is comfortable to wear, battery life is stellar, pairing is easy, audio quality is great, and the noise-canceling works.Overall, OPPO has created a really good wireless earphones with ANC for less.
Build/Design - 3.75
Comfort/Isolation - 4.5
Battery Life - 4.5
Features - 4.5
Sound - 4.25
Average - 4.3/5
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