So let’s talk about budget earbuds because what I have with me right now is the realme Buds Air 2, which is priced at only RM199, but the OPPO Enco Air2 is priced at a slightly higher price of RM249.
So the question is, is the extra RM50 worth it? Or should you settle with the realme Buds Air 2 option? Well, let’s find out!
.
Design & Build
First, let’s compare the design and the build quality of each.
Starting from the case, while the realme Buds Air 2 comes with a dome-shaped charging case, which does look very similar to the infamous Apple Airpods case although in black, I loved how OPPO has decided to go with a more unique semi-translucent case, which not only makes it stand out better because of its luminous jelly-like look but it is also way less slippery than the glossy finish in the realme Buds Air 2.
The OPPO Enco Air2 is also lighter at exactly 40 grams for the whole case with the earbuds on compared to almost 2 grams heavier at 41.7 grams for the realme Buds Air 2.
And when it comes to just measuring the weight of the single earbud, we are looking at a lighter 3.7 grams for the OPPO Enco Air2 compared to almost a gram heavier of 4.2 grams for the realme Buds Air 2.
And while I am not a massive fan of the stalk kind of design for earbuds in general, if I really had to choose, I’d go with the overall look and build quality for the OPPO Enco Air2 compared to the Realme.
Then in terms of the comfort level when it comes to wearing it in your ears and how well it fits, well, during my first impressions, both fit in well, BUT what’s very important is to know how well it holds once I do my usual Adam Lobo #SAWANMODETEST, find out what happened during the test in my review video!
.
Audio Quality
Next, as for audio quality, I have said it before, and I will say it again that audio is subjective, and all we need to know is if it sounds clear and if the volume is loud enough, that’s it!
And the first thing I noticed is that the overall output volume for the Enco Air 2 was better due to the larger 13.4mm speaker driver compared to a smaller 10mm on the realme Buds Air 2.
Yes, there is an option for you to boost the overall volume within the software on the realme Buds Air 2 but I felt that it was really forcing into the volume as opposed to organically having a better volume.
There are two stereo EQ configuration presets on the Enco Air 2 which are Bass Boost and Clear Vocals, which the name says it all on what they are for
whereas the realme Buds Air 2 has Bass Boost+ and Bright, which gives a different listening presets for each as well, where I would say Dynamic is boosting the overall mids, and the Bright preset would be on the frequency of the treble in audio that you are listening.
And based on my listening, because the OPPO Enco Air2 has a bigger speaker driver, the Bass Boost Mode was better as it had a stronger overall output, which was surprising to me for the price it offers. The overall bass for the realme Buds Air 2 was good, but if compared side by side, the OPPO Enco Air2 was undoubtedly better.
And because the EQ for Clear Vocals on the Enco Air 2 had a more admirable balance compared to the Bright EQ, which overall made listening to podcasts sound pretty thin, even switching to the Dynamic Mode didn’t give the same clarity that the Enco Air 2.
Once again, the realme Buds Air 2 has the noise cancellation feature during music listening which in return did give slightly less floor noise when listening to music, but personally, when it comes to the audio quality, I would choose the OPPO Enco Air2 over here. Also, do check out the microphone test in my review video!
.
Battery Life
Next, let’s talk about each of the battery life.
Now, based on my daily usage, I got an average of 19 to 20 hours of use with the realme Buds Air 2 at maximum volume together without noise cancellation with the charging case, and I got close to 23 hours on the OPPO Enco Air 2, which was great to know.
While both earbuds have fast charging capabilities, the OPPO Enco Air2 did get me up and running close to 1 hour and 43 minutes compared to close to 2 hours for the realme Buds Air 2 so that I would give this to the OPPO Enco Air2 once again for this category.
.
Smart Controls
Then finally, let’s talk about the smart controls and features on each of the earbuds.
Now besides pairing very quickly to your device for both of the earbuds through Google Fast Pair on the realme Buds Air 2 and also fast pairing with the BES2500IU chip on the OPPO Enco Air2.
One very unique feature on OPPO’s earbuds is that it gives camera controls which you can double-tap on the earbuds when the camera app of your phone is turned on, making it great for taking remote control selfies, now that was thoughtful!
Then the realme Buds Air 2 has the Smart Wear Detection, which automatically pauses when you take off the earbuds and resumes the track once you put it back in your ears
and there is also the automatic transparency mode switch when you take off ONE of the earbuds, which was a handy feature which the OPPO Enco Air2 doesn’t have.
In terms of touch controls, while both earbuds have all the necessary play, pause, and track changing controls as how earbuds should have, but where the OPPO Enco Air2 has the edge is how it has volume controls through pressing and holding the left earbuds to decrease the volume and increasing volume by doing the same on the right.
But this is because long pressing on the earbuds for the realme Buds Air 2 toggles between the noise cancellation and transparency mode. Hence, if you need those features, you have a clear choice between the both, so personally, I’d give the edge to realme Buds Air 2 over here since there is a noise cancellation option.
.
Conclusion
So there you have it, my comparison between both of the earbuds, and since I have already given you my choice for each category, let me know which would you choose between the two.
Like I mentioned in my review of the AirPods 3, yes that is WAAAY more expensive than these options, but the fact is that not EVERYONE likes or needs noise cancellation in their overall music listening, so do let me know what your thoughts are in the comment section of my YouTube video.
Get these two budget earbuds at the link below:-
realme Buds Air 2:
https://invol.co/cl9uglx (Lazada)
https://invol.co/cl9ugmm (Shopee)OPPO Enco Air2:
https://invol.co/cl9ugpg (Lazada)
