OPPO Enco Buds3 Pro+ review: small upgrade, same value appeal
The OPPO Enco Buds lineup has always been about delivering solid audio performance at a competitive price, and the new Enco Buds3 Pro+ continues to follow that formula. On paper, these are largely identical to the Enco Buds3 Pro that came out earlier this year, but with one meaningful upgrade and one slight compromise: you now get Active Noise Cancellation, but battery life takes a small hit.
Still, for the price bracket these sit in, they look promising. After using them for a few days across music, calls, and workouts, here’s how the experience has been so far.
Table of Contents
Design and comfort: familiar and comfortable
Visually, the Enco Buds3 Pro+ are very similar to their predecessors. The company continues with its dew-drop style design, which gives them a soft, rounded look. They come in two colour options for India – Midnight Black and Sonic Blue – and both look premium enough to pass off as pricier earbuds. The buds weigh just 4.2 grams each, and the case is compact enough to slide into a jeans coin pocket without fuss.
Comfort is where OPPO continues to excel. Even after wearing them for a few hours straight, including during running on a treadmill and while working, there was no noticeable discomfort or ear fatigue. The in-ear fit feels secure, and because they’re IP55 dust and water-resistant, you can comfortably take them to the gym or a rainy commute without worry.
Audio quality: richer sound with custom EQ options
The Enco Buds3 Pro+ come with a large 12.4mm Titanized Diaphragm Driver, which is quite nice to see in this price segment. To put it simply: they sound good.
The overall sound signature leans towards a warm, slightly bass-boosted profile that most casual listeners will enjoy. Vocals are clear, highs are controlled, and there’s enough low-end punch to make listening to pop, EDM, and Bollywood songs enjoyable, such as the trending FA9LA by Flipperachi. Podcasts and dialogue-focused content also sound crisp, which isn’t always the case with budget earbuds.
OPPO’s Enco Master Equalizer gives you three presets — Bass Boost, Clear Vocals, and Original Sound — and switching between them noticeably changes the output. If you prefer immersion, OPPO Alive Audio adds spatial effects to music and movies, and while it’s not on the same level as Apple’s Spatial Audio, it does create a wider sense of space with compatible content.
ANC and Transparency mode: finally here, and surprisingly effective
The biggest upgrade this year is ANC. The Enco Buds3 Pro+ promise up to 32dB of noise cancellation, and while numbers never tell the real story, the difference is noticeable the moment ANC is switched on.
It removes low-frequency noise fairly well — fans, AC hum, train droning, and light chatter. It won’t mute a loud cafe or the announcements during a metro commute completely, but it brings the background sound down enough to enjoy music at a reasonable volume. For earbuds in this segment, the ANC is genuinely useful rather than just a marketing line.
Transparency mode also works well and sounds natural enough that I could speak to someone without removing the earbuds.
Call quality: great for work, commutes, and outdoor use
OPPO is positioning these as great calling earbuds, and that’s mostly accurate. Dual-mic AI call noise cancellation reduces background noise significantly. During a test call outdoors, wind reduction worked well enough that my voice wasn’t distorted, though you’ll still hear louder traffic occasionally. Indoors, the call experience is excellent.
Battery life: still strong, but slightly reduced
With ANC off, you get up to 43 hours of playback, including the case, compared to 54 hours on the previous Enco Buds3 Pro. With ANC on, that drops to around 28 hours total. On the earbuds themselves, this translates to roughly 8 hours with ANC enabled and up to 12 hours without it. So yes, there’s a drop, but it’s not dramatic enough to affect real-world usage.
Connectivity and controls
The Buds3 Pro+ use Bluetooth 5.4, which keeps pairing stable. Switching between devices was smooth, and latency during gaming was low enough to avoid noticeable mismatch between audio and visuals.
Touch controls are responsive, though they take a little practice. Volume control via long-hold gestures has been retained (customisable in the HeyMelody app), but I would have preferred a swipe gesture for easier control.
Verdict
The OPPO Enco Buds3 Pro+ are a well-rounded upgrade. The addition of ANC makes them far more compelling than the previous model, and the slightly shorter battery life is unlikely to be a deal-breaker. For their expected price, they strike a strong balance of sound quality, features, and comfort.
They aren’t trying to compete with premium ANC earbuds, and they don’t need to. They deliver where it matters for budget-conscious buyers: enjoyable sound, useful noise cancellation, impressive comfort, and long-term battery durability.
If you already own the Enco Buds3 Pro, the upgrade depends on how much you value ANC. If you’re coming from older or non-ANC buds, this is a solid pick.
Pros:
- Effective ANC for the price
- Rich audio with good bass
- Very comfortable fit
- Fast charging and long endurance
Cons:
- Slight drop in battery life vs predecessor
- Touch controls take time to adjust to
- Spatial audio works best only with select content
