Since the start of the pandemic, we have been shrouded with bad news and negativity. With daily updates of COVID-19 cases and deaths, national issues, controversies and bashing all over social media, you can’t help but wish you have a way to drown out all the noise and focus on the things and people that matter.

I thought living alone was enough to keep me on track of things I have to accomplish and personal goals I want to achieve. However, there were just really too many distractions.

Luckily, just before the long weekend of November, I got my hands on the perfect partner for focus and tranquility — the OPPO Enco W51 True Wireless Headphones.

Just the right fit

As someone who’s been in search for the best earbuds, I’ve always preferred ones that had similar aesthetics with the Apple AirPods. I would always try out the ones with black variants in stores such as the Joyroom JR-TO4S TWS Earbuds that exudes sleekness and elegance.

So when I acquired the OPPO Enco W51, its design was visually refreshing and I didn’t expect that it would also be just the right fit for me.

The W51 uses flat stems compared to the AirPods that used cylinders with a unibody construction. The inner surface of this pill-shaped earbud has a matte finish while its outer surface has a glossy look, adding a nice and sleek touch to its overall design.

The earbuds are lightweight and breathable and it uses silicone tips that doesn’t sit too deeply inside my ear, providing a comfortable wearing experience. I tried all the sizes of the tips and I figured the default medium size fit me best.

The earbuds don’t easily fall off my ears even when I wore it while doing HIIT workouts at home. I also didn’t have to worry when I sweat since the W51is structurally designed for IP54 dust and water resistance.

It’s even a bonus that these earbuds came in a pillow-shaped plastic case that has a glossy finish, making it easy to carry and slide in and out of my pocket when I had to go out for errands.

The perfect pair 

One thing that really worked to my advantage is that the W51 seamlessly paired with my device the moment I opened the case. As it supports Bluetooth 5.0 and adopts the newest Bluetooth low-latency binaural transmission standards, it also provides stable connection even when my phone is not beside me.

I didn’t experience any lags and delays with the audio when I listened to music via Spotify or watched videos on Youtube or Netflix.

I also thoroughly enjoyed my K-Drama marathons or sound trip sessions at night after work, since I was able to prove that I can really use the W51 for 3.5 to 4 hours straight without returning it back in its case.

Team Do San?

Drown out all the noise. Listen to what matters.

On certain days that I wanted to isolate myself from everything that’s happening around me and really need to focus on work or a side hustle, the W51 instantly became my best duo.

As OPPO’s first TWS earbuds to offer active noise cancellation as it is equipped with triple microphone noise reduction technology, it did a surprisingly good job at cutting out ambient sounds.

When Typhoon Rolly and Ulysses ravaged the metro, I was still able to finish my work presentations and read through my books without being distracted. I just had to double tap the left stem to enable active noise cancellation and it totally blocks out the sound of rain and howling winds.

I even tried listening to music on my phone while a Youtube video plays on my laptop and I was surprised that I could no longer hear the voice of the vlogger.

Moving to its microphone performance, the OPPO Enco W51 delivers remarkable call quality for both ends of calls.

I’ve been using these earbuds for team meetings, voice and video calls with friends and family for almost three weeks. When I ask if they can hear me clearly, they would say that my voice is loud and clear as if I’m just in front of them and they can’t even hear any ambient sounds.

Is this your GadgetMatch?

With features that are not so often seen in true wireless earbuds at this price, the OPPO Enco W51 is actually a good bargain. It’s a pretty great contender when compared to premium headphones from Sony or the Apple Airpods Pro with its seamless pairing, active noise cancellation, water and dust resistance, and excellent call quality.

If you’re someone who likes to zone out from time to time to time the OPPO Enco W51 could be your GadgetMatch. If you want to eliminate noise and unnecessary chatter when you’re doing something important like talking to someone who you’d really want to engage with or just want some relaxation by listening to your own world, this TWS pair does the job admirably.

It retails for PhP 3,690 in the Philippines and is available in floral white.