At the OPPO new product launch conference on November 25, OPPO Enco Free2i came on stage with the OPPO Reno 7 series. Its pricing is aimed at the more mainstream consumer market, and continues to inherit the super noise cancelling technology on OPPO Enco Free2. So how does it actually perform?

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Appearance Design: Simplicity First

The OPPO Enco Free2i I got is the white version. The overall design of the charging case is basically the same as that of OPPO Enco Free2, and it adopts a cobblestone shape with an excellent feel. However, due to cost and pricing, Enco Free2i does not use the “contrast color” design on the bottom centerline of the OPPO Enco Free2 charging case, but it still maintains a simple and stylish style overall.

The surface of the OPPO Enco Free2i charging case is very smooth, the overall feel is flatter than OPPO Enco Free2, and the arc transition is smooth and full. However, you can still feel some split feeling at the opening of the lid, the opening and closing feel is good, the opening and closing damping is light, and it is convenient for one-handed opening and closing outdoors, and the earphone will not be loose if shaken vigorously.

There is a breathing indicator on the front of the charging case, a Type-C charging port at the bottom, and a hidden control button on the right, which is almost integrated with the body. The OPPO LOGO is printed on the hinge on the back, which is relatively low-key.

The interior of the charging case uses a more vibrant contrast color design, using gray-blue as the overall tone, which can form a good match with white, creating a youthful and fashionable taste.

OPPO Enco Free2i is more similar to OPPO Enco Free2. Both use OPPO’s ergonomically developed low-pressure streamline design, which is comfortable to wear. The catheter is shorter than the common in-ear earphones, it will not over-compress the ear canal when worn, and will not cause discomfort when worn for a long time. But the slight difference is that the optical coating on the headphone handle has been cancelled, but still retains the functions of sliding touch to adjust the volume. The remaining grooves can also allow users to easily perceive the touch area.

Eartips still use the highly acclaimed oval design, which is more in line with the normal shape of the human ear. After several days of audition, the ear canal was originally small, but I didn’t have any pain from wearing it for a long time.

Controls and Battery Life

In terms of control, OPPO Enco Free2i adopts the simple way of OPPO headphone family. It uses the headphone handle to slide to control the volume, double-click, single-click, and long-press to generate custom controls. The false touch rate is not high in use, and there will be sound feedback every time you touch it, which is very user-friendly.

In terms of battery life, the OPPO Enco Free2i charging case has a battery capacity of 480mAh and the earbud is 41mAh. Achieve up to 30 hours of battery life, while supporting fast charging, allowing users to basically get rid of battery life anxiety.

Noise Cancelling: Personalized Customization, Pure and Natural

In order to inherit OPPO Enco Free2’s leapfrog noise cancelling expressiveness. OPPO Enco Free2i is equipped with a triple-core noise cancelling chip. At the same time, it uses feedforward active noise cancelling+feedback active noise cancelling two noise cancelling microphones, and the dual-microphone noise cancelling combined with front feedback can guarantee the width and depth of noise cancelling to the greatest extent.

At the same time, these three noise cancelling microphones can also optimize the quality of the call, so that the noise cancelling ability of the headphone can be raised to a higher level. Even in the face of strong outdoor winds and subway commuting, the voice heard by the other party is still very clear.

After the personalized noise cancelling is turned on, the headphone will first try to automatically adjust the depth of the noise cancelling. During this period, you can obviously feel the change in the depth of the headphone noise cancelling. Finally, OPPO Enco Free2i will start the noise cancelling performance that is most suitable for the user’s current situation based on the user’s current environment and the residual noise received by the internal noise cancelling microphone.

After actual experience, I feel that the noise cancelling ability of OPPO Enco Free2i is still concentrated on the mid-low frequency. It has a good inhibitory effect on the driving vehicles on the street, the roar of the bus engine, and the discussion in the office. However, in the face of strong winter winds and high-frequency noise from mechanical keyboards, the noise cancelling effect of OPPO Enco Free2i is not so obvious. This also takes into account the human ear’s sensitivity to high-frequency sounds, and avoids the “drowning” situation. In daily use, the noise cancelling performance of OPPO Enco Free2i is absolutely at the upper level, clean and neat, bringing immersive listening conditions.

Sound Quality: Fresh and Clean, with Obvious Levels

OPPO Enco Free2i’s performance in terms of sound quality is excellent. Thanks to OPPO’s accumulation of technical experience in wireless headphones in recent years, OPPO Enco Free2i, which is priced below $100, can also have the level of flagship headphone sound quality.

The vocal and bass test session is from Zhao Peng’s “乌兰巴托的夜”, who is known as the “Prince of Bass”. OPPO Enco Free2i can well restore Zhao Peng’s deep, magnetic voice. Whether it is the fullness of the bass or the sinking power, OPPO Enco Free2i is not much different from OPPO Enco Free2, and can be well resolved for human voice and bass.

For high-frequency music, I chose the electronic music that is more popular among young people——Alan Walker’s “The Spectre”. OPPO Enco Free2i’s performance in this piece of music is acceptable. Although there will still be a little confusion in the excessively detailed clips, the overall sense of musical range, sound range and dynamic range are quite excellent. In this price, it is at the upper level.

In general, OPPO Enco Free2i is more suitable for listening to vocals and mid-frequency music. The emotions expressed are clean and pure, without losing the texture of the music itself due to the modification of the tuning. If the sound quality orientation of Apple headphones is like a glass of boiled water, tasteless but quenching one’s thirst. Then the sound quality orientation of OPPO Enco Free2i should be like mountain spring water, sweet but natural.

Conclusion

OPPO Enco Free2i is a sincere work launched by OPPO, with complete and powerful noise cancelling performance and good sound quality foundation, making it a leader in wireless headphones at the price of $100. Excellent comprehensive ability and outstanding cost performance are the labels I give it. I hope it can shine in the mainstream headphone consumer price segment.

OPPO ENCO Free 2i specs and features:

• Bluetooth 5.2 with SBC/AAC codec
• 4 – 6.5 hours playback of per charge (ANC on/off)
• Charging case can charge earbuds fully 4 times
• IPX4 waterproof rating (rain and sweat resistant)
• Comes with 3 sets of eartips, USB-C cable, user manual
• $39 – Check latest price on AliExpress or Amazon Germany