Battery life over cutting-edge features
In the ongoing human pursuit of staying connected without being tethered, Oppo has stepped forward with two modestly priced wearables — the Enco Air 2i earbuds and the Band 2 smartwatch — released in China in August 2022. The company is not merely selling gadgets but staking a claim in the broader ecosystem wars, where smartphones alone no longer define a brand's reach. At prices that challenge both budget and mid-range rivals, Oppo is asking consumers to consider whether loyalty to a brand can be earned through value rather than prestige.
- Oppo enters an already crowded wearables arena, where giants like Apple and Samsung have long set the terms of competition — making every new entrant a test of nerve and pricing strategy.
- The Band 2 smartwatch's 14-day battery life and 100+ sports modes signal a direct challenge to devices costing two or three times as much, compressing the perceived gap between budget and premium.
- The Enco Air 2i earbuds, at roughly 1,800 rupees, pair AI-driven call noise cancellation with 28 hours of combined battery life — specs that force consumers to question whether higher price tags are justified.
- Both devices opened for pre-order in early August with mid-month shipping, giving Oppo a narrow window to convert curiosity into loyalty before competitors respond.
- The deeper question landing beneath the spec sheets is whether Oppo's software ecosystem can match its hardware ambitions — a gap that has tripped up many capable challengers before.
Oppo has moved into the wearables space with two new devices aimed squarely at Chinese consumers: the Enco Air 2i earbuds at 149 yuan (roughly 1,800 rupees) and the Band 2 smartwatch starting at 249 yuan, with an NFC-enabled variant at 299 yuan. Both opened for pre-order in early August 2022, with shipping expected mid-month.
The Enco Air 2i earbuds lead with endurance — 28 hours of combined playback from earbuds and case together. They connect over Bluetooth 5.2, carry 10mm titanium-plated drivers, support AAC and SBC codecs, and include AI noise cancellation optimized for voice calls. An IPX4 water-resistance rating handles splashes and rain, and a double-tap gesture lets users trigger their phone's camera remotely. They come in Obsidian Black and Crystal White.
The Band 2 smartwatch centers its appeal on screen quality and fitness breadth. Its 1.57-inch AMOLED display peaks at 500 nits — bright enough for direct sunlight — and Oppo backs it with 200 watch faces and over 100 sports modes spanning swimming, racing, and even competitive gaming. Continuous heart rate monitoring, sleep tracking, and 5ATM water resistance round out the feature set. The headline figure, though, is battery life: Oppo claims 14 days from a 200mAh cell.
Taken together, these launches reflect Oppo's ambition to build a connected device ecosystem beyond smartphones. The pricing is deliberately aggressive, undercutting mainstream rivals on earbuds and sitting far below premium smartwatch territory. Whether the software experience can honor the hardware promise remains the open question — but the specifications alone suggest Oppo intends to be taken seriously in a market where battery life and affordability have become the defining battlegrounds.
Oppo has entered the crowded wearables market with two new devices aimed at Chinese consumers: a pair of wireless earbuds and a smartwatch, both priced to compete directly with established players in the category. The Enco Air 2i earbuds carry a price tag of 149 yuan, roughly 1,800 rupees, while the Band 2 smartwatch starts at 249 yuan for the standard model and 299 yuan for a version with NFC capability—about 2,900 and 3,500 rupees respectively. Both products opened for pre-orders in China in early August, with shipping expected to begin mid-month.
The earbuds are built around a simple promise: stay charged for a long time. The Enco Air 2i delivers 28 hours of combined playback when paired with its charging case, a figure that puts them in line with competitors from larger manufacturers. They connect via Bluetooth 5.2 with an effective range of roughly 10 meters. The audio hardware includes 10-millimeter drivers with titanium plating and support for both AAC and SBC codecs, covering a frequency range from 20 hertz to 20,000 hertz. For those who take calls, Oppo has included AI-powered noise cancellation tuned specifically for voice conversations. The earbuds themselves carry an IPX4 water-resistance rating, meaning they can handle splashes and light rain. Each earbud holds a 40-milliamp-hour battery, while the case provides 460 milliamp-hours of additional power. There's also a gesture control feature that lets users snap photos from their phone by double-tapping an earbud. The earbuds come in Obsidian Black and Crystal White.
The Band 2 smartwatch takes a different approach, emphasizing screen quality and fitness tracking. Its 1.57-inch AMOLED display reaches a peak brightness of 500 nits, making it readable in direct sunlight. The screen resolution sits at 256 by 402 pixels. Oppo is offering 200 different watch faces and support for more than 100 sports modes, ranging from conventional workouts and swimming to racing and competitive gaming. The watch monitors heart rate continuously and tracks sleep patterns. Both the standard and NFC variants are water-resistant to 5 atmospheres of pressure, suitable for swimming and snorkeling. The real standout specification is battery life: Oppo claims the 200-milliamp-hour battery will last up to 14 days between charges. The watch comes in Dark Night and Clear Cloud Blue.
These launches signal Oppo's ambition to build a fuller ecosystem of connected devices beyond smartphones. The pricing is aggressive—the earbuds undercut many mainstream alternatives, and the smartwatch sits well below premium offerings from Apple or Samsung. Whether Chinese consumers will embrace these devices depends partly on brand loyalty and partly on how well the software experience matches the hardware specifications. The company's track record with wearables remains relatively young, but the specifications suggest Oppo is serious about competing in a category where battery life and price have become the primary battlegrounds.
Citações Notáveis
Oppo claims the 200-milliamp-hour battery will last up to 14 days between charges— Oppo (Band 2 specification)
A Conversa do Hearth Outra perspectiva sobre a história
Why does Oppo need to launch wearables now? Aren't they already late to this market?
They're not trying to be first. They're trying to be practical. The earbuds cost less than half what Apple charges, and the smartwatch battery lasts two weeks instead of two days. That's a different conversation with consumers.
But doesn't everyone already have earbuds? What's the actual appeal here?
The appeal is that most people don't have *good* earbuds at this price. And the watch isn't trying to be a smartphone on your wrist—it's trying to be a watch that actually works for two weeks without nagging you to charge it.
The specs mention AI noise cancellation for calls. Is that actually useful, or is it marketing?
It's a real feature, but it's narrowly focused. It's not noise cancellation for music—it's specifically for making your voice clearer when you're on a call. That's genuinely useful if you take calls in noisy places.
What about the 28-hour battery claim? Is that realistic?
It depends on how much you actually use them. That's combined time with the case, so you're getting maybe five or six hours per charge from the buds themselves. Realistic for moderate use, optimistic if you're a heavy listener.
So who is this really for?
Someone in China who wants reliable wearables without paying premium prices, and who values battery life over cutting-edge features. That's a much larger group than you might think.