OPPO Enco Buds 3 Pro Plus review: Budget earphones with clear audio and ANC

OPPO Enco Buds 3 Pro Plus, available at Rs 1,899, offer a clear audio experience and modest active noise cancelling experience. However, there are some downsides, too

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OPPO Enco Buds 3 Pro Plus was launched in India last month, alongside the Find X9 series. As per the Chinese smartphone maker, these true wireless stereo earbuds boast 32dB of noise cancellation and Enco Master Equaliser to deliver clear sound. How much of those claims translates to real-world, though? Let’s find out in the review below.

Design

OPPO is going with the tired-and-tested design for the OPPO Enco Buds 3 Pro Plus rather than prioritising innovation. Where other companies are catering to the audience in budget segment, such as Noise Buds Marine at Rs 1,999, the OPPO Enco Buds 3 Pro Plus come in the age-old oval-shaped case with a matte finish. 

 

Essentially, the Oppo Enco Buds 3 Pro Plus look exactly like the OnePlus Nord Buds 3, same design and same case shape, same indicating light placement on the case. Both earbuds and the case look identical. The only difference is the OPPO and OnePlus branding. 

 

The case sports a matte finish however, despite that, it is prone to fingerprint marks and scratches. Even a scratch from your nails will leave a mark that won’t disappear so easily. Overall, neither the buds nor the case exudes a premium feel. 

 

Coming to the comfort and steadiness, the OPPO Enco Buds 3 Pro Plus hold the ground well. I was able to brisk walk with these earbuds easily, but when I started jogging or engaged in some aggressive head movement like cracking my neck, then the reliability took a slight hit. It didn’t happen too often, but the earbuds did once or twice fall out of my ears during that. 

Connectivity

During my time with the OPPO Enco Buds 3 Pro Plus, the first thing that stood out was how effortlessly they connected to my devices. I paired them with both the Pixel 10 Pro and the iQOO 15, and each time the process was near-instant. The moment I opened the charging case, the earbuds latched onto the phone within a couple of seconds and were ready to go without any fuss.

 

Device switching is equally seamless. I could jump from watching something on my MacBook to attending a call on either phone almost immediately. The Bluetooth link remained stable throughout my usage. Even at my workplace, where there are always dozens of gadgets fighting for bandwidth, the earbuds never dropped connection or stuttered. I have walked around the office while my phone stayed tucked inside my bag, and the earbuds stayed connected the entire time without a single hiccup.

Companion app – HeyMelody

Akin to OnePlus earbuds, the OPPO Enco Buds 3 Pro Plus also have HeyMelody as their companion app. If you have an OPPO smartphone, then you do not need this companion app, but if you have any other smartphone, then you will be able to have better control over the earbuds with the help of HeyMelody. 

 

The OPPO Enco Buds 3 Pro Plus feature a handful of controls in the HeyMelody app. Upon pairing the earbuds and then opening the app, you will see these controls:

• Noise control: Noise cancellation mode, Transparency mode, and off
• Enco Master EQ: Original sound, clear vocals, and bass boost
• Game mode
• Control to add devices for the dual connection mode
• Find my earbuds
• Firmware update

Since the OPPO Enco Buds 3 Pro Plus earbuds have touch controls, you can customise them in the HeyMelody app too. Notably, there is no way to customise the audio output beyond the three modes listed in the Enco Master EQ setting. I would have liked some additional customisability there. 

Audio experience

Talking about the sound quality on the OPPO Enco Buds 3 Pro Plus, these earbuds get loud. In most situations, I never felt the need to push them past the 75 per cent mark. A lot of TWS earbuds tend to lean heavily into bass, but OPPO has tuned these in a way that feels a bit more controlled than that.

 

There’s plenty of bass, no doubt, but it doesn’t bulldoze over the vocals. The overall signature feels balanced enough that the mids and highs get their space without sounding thin or muddy. If you want to tweak things further, the HeyMelody app gives you a couple of EQ presets. Bass Boost is the one most people will gravitate toward, especially if you like a heavier low end. The Clear Vocals mode moves in the opposite direction, but personally, I didn’t find it as impactful. A proper custom EQ would’ve been great, though — that’s one feature I genuinely missed.

 

Now comes the important part: latency and gaming experience. I tested the OPPO Enco Buds 3 Pro Plus with different games. I went for games that depend heavily on sound engineering, like BGMI, and also for casual games where latency is not that big of a deal, like 8 Ball Pool. When I played those games without turning on the Game mode, forget about BGMI, the earbuds seemed to have latency issues to some extent, even with 8 Ball Pool. When I turned the Game mode on, the OPPO Enco Buds 3 Pro Plus handled everything smoothly.

 

Lastly, the OPPO Enco Buds 3 Pro Plus handles calling well. It was able to block some of the background noise from my end to let the receiver hear a clearer voice. Again, it was not as effective as what other slightly premium earbuds can do, but I guess it will be safe to say that it justifies the budget price bracket well. 

ANC performance

The OPPO Enco Buds 3 Pro Plus come with up to 32dB of Active Noise Cancellation, and it did a decent job. In day-to-day use, whether I was commuting or working in a busy environment, the earbuds managed to cut down the low-frequency hums really well. With ANC on, it genuinely felt like I was sitting inside my own little bubble. However, the loud noise of the Delhi Metro and people arguing over seats still penetrated through the earbuds.

 

Of course, ANC at this level can only do so much. Anything loud or sharp, like honking on the road, will still creep in. But I guess that is pretty normal given the price bracket. You do get a transparency mode as well. It essentially brings back external sounds in a natural way, making it easier to stay aware of your surroundings without pulling the earbuds out.

Battery life

According to OPPO, the Enco Buds 3 Pro Plus offer up to 43 hours of playback with the case and ANC switched off. This sounds ambitious, but does it stand true in real life? I was not completely against ANC, so I was using it occasionally in between. However, despite that, I got around 26-28 hours of battery life with the case. To put it in simple words, if you use these earbuds for around four to five hours a day, then they can easily last up to five days.

 

Roughly speaking, the charge indicator would slide down by about 10 per cent every hour. This was a decent performance, especially for this price range. Top-ups are quick, too. With USB-C fast charging, I managed to jump from a low-ish battery to nearly full in a short coffee break.  

Verdict

The OPPO Enco Buds 3 Pro Plus get a lot of the fundamentals right. The sound is loud, clear, and balanced, connectivity is excellent, and the ANC is effective for the price. The companion app adds some controls. They aren’t the most premium-looking pair, and the lack of deeper audio customisation is something OPPO should really consider fixing. But for everyday use — music, calls, videos, and even gaming with Game Mode on — they deliver a reliable performance.

 

That said, this isn’t a set meant to wow you with design or flagship features. Instead, it’s a no-nonsense option for someone who prioritises stable performance and good audio over aesthetics or bells and whistles. If your budget sits in the range of under Rs 2,000 and you want earbuds that simply work well across the board, the Enco Buds 3 Pro Plus make a strong case for themselves despite a few limitations.

OPPO Enco Buds 3 Pro Plus unboxing