Oppo releases wireless earbuds with 12 hours of battery life from the buds, 54 hours from the case – but don't get excited about the features

• 54 hours of playback time via the charging case
• Bluetooth 5.4 (SBC and AAC) connectivity
• US pricing isn't confirmed but the previous model is $35

The Oppo Enco Air earbuds have been respectable budget-priced AirPods alternatives since the first generation shipped in 2021, and the latest generation follow in that tradition. They don't come with a big list of fancy features, but they're solid with exceptional battery life.

The battery in the charging case is a relatively large 560mAh, and according to Oppo that means you can get a total play time of 54 hours; just in the buds, battery life is still a huge 12 hours. And while there's no ANC or Hi-Res Audio support (which helps with the long battery life – though 12 hours is massive by any standard) the specification isn't bad for the price.

Oppo Enco Air 4i: key features and pricing

The Enco Air 4i are IP55 rated for water and dust resistance and they come with Bluetooth 5.4 with relatively low latency: Oppo says that in gaming mode it's 47ms. It's important to note that while the Bluetooth version is the most recent it doesn't appear to come with the full set of audio codecs: the listed specifications only mention SBC and AAC.

The drivers are 12.4mm, slightly smaller than the 13.4mm ones in the 3i, and you can adjust the audio profile in-app with the 6-band graphic equalizer. There are built-in mics for calling, and with a weight of just 4.3g the buds should be comfortable for even long listening sessions.

We don't know the US, UK or Aus launch date yet but we do know that these earbuds are going to be extremely affordable: the Chinese price is 99 yuan, which is roughly $14. Of course there are currency differences, taxes and other factors that'll make them cost a bit more than that in the US, but probably not by a huge amount: the previous version, the Enco Air 3i earbuds, retail in the US for around $35.

We'll let you know when we hear more about their launch here, to challenge our picks of the best cheap earbuds.

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