Baseus Encok S17 review: Tune in, zone out and get lost in the music

In the realm of mobile accessories, Baseus is a brand that needs no introduction. Over the last few years, the brand has launched products that appeal to a wide audience and its mantra of keeping the price as low as possible yet offering the best features is what makes it achieve its mass fan following. The brand has one of the biggest smartphone accessory stores on AliExpress and you can purchase products ranging from smartphone cases to power banks and car chargers to styluses.

Building on its extensive portfolio, Baseus has recently introduced the Encok S17 Bluetooth earphones and I am quite impressed with it. These babies fit my needs as a workout enthusiast as well as my hunger for great sounding earphones to compliment my workout. After using it extensively for the past few days, here are my thoughts on it.

Design

When it comes to earphones, there are a couple of things I focus on — they have to sound good and they have to look great. For me, earphones are an extension of myself and they have to fit in the lifestyle I lead. The Baseus Encok S17 is a pair of earphones that check both the boxes leaving me truly satisfied. Being a frequent gym goer, I need earphones that remain locked-in no matter how strenuous the workout is. Featuring soft gel silicone ear hooks, the S17 sits securely in the ear without budging thereby giving me all the assurances I need to continue focusing on my workout.

The Encok S17 is designed for those who have an active lifestyle and have added an angled design that sits comfortably in the ear canal. These earphones borrow its overall design from some of the bigger brands out there but have traits that make it unique enough to stand out in a crowd. A feature I absolutely loved here was the lightweight design at just 22g. This allowed me to wear it and even forget that I have it on. In the process, I never felt any fatigue while using it.

These earphones are priced at Rs 1,999 here in India and hence it doesn’t come with a Type-C port for charging. It uses the conventional micro-USB charging option as this is a more convenient solution. Micro-USB cables are easily accessible which allows you to charge it pretty much everywhere. At an airport, I had no issue topping up the 100mAh dual battery and in just an hour and a half, I was able to get close to 7-hours of audio playback; which is pretty impressive. It is also worth noting that you get up to 200 hours of standby time on the S17.

Baseus highlights the magnetic lock on the Encok S17 and this helps keep it secure around your neck when not in use. Unlike the OnePLus Bullets Wireless earphones, the magnets are simply added to keep them locked in place and feature no additional functionality. I would have preferred if they also offered the option to play/pause the earphones when locked in as it would alleviate them to a whole new status. But at this price, there are not many complaints from us.

The in-line remote control has all the necessary functions and the buttons here are quite tactile. This unit is made of plastic and feels quite durable enough to survive a bit of rough usage. The only issue I had with it was the power button not registering when I tried to turn it off. I always had to long-press it multiple times before I received the in-ear notification that it was powering down.

Performance

The Baseus Encok S17 is fitted with 12mm moving coil speakers that offer clear sound at all times. Combine this with Bluetooth v5.0, you get a stable connection even with your smartphone or tablet located at even a far-off distance. Also, by using this Bluetooth standard, the power consumption is also reduced and you effectively get a better audio transmission.

Due to the design of the in-ear monitors, you also get a fair amount of passive noise isolation allowing you to tune in, zone out and get lost in your music. With that being said, during calls, I could hear the person on the other end clearly. However, the person on the other end complained that my voice sometimes sounded a bit muffled. There could be various reasons for my voice being incomprehensible and not necessarily the fault of the earphones.

A feature I loved here was the IPX5 certification. While bigger brands are skirting this feature in order to keep the price down, it’s great that Baseus has included it and in the process giving us the assurance that the Encok S17 won’t get ruined after a few sweaty sessions in the gym. However, it is best to avoid these earphones in the rain as there is a chance it may not fare as well.

The Encok S17 features independent sound chambers which contain 12mm PU composite diaphragm which helps in producing high-resolution sound along with powerful bass output. Apart from this, Baseus claims that these earphones are tuned by acoustic experts so that the frequencies produced by the S17 achieve a balance and offer a richer, dynamic audio quality. I felt this to be true to an extent as the bass output was decent and much better than I expected. The highs are quite reaching and mids aren’t really glossed over by the other frequencies. While saying I got a rich sound is exaggerating it; I did receive an audio quality that will be satisfactory to most casual listeners and workout enthusiasts. And I can overemphasize this point due to the punchy bass that’s on offer.

Verdict

The Baseus Encok S17 is available for USD 25.95 at Amazon.com and Rs 1,999 on Amazon.in. With these earphones, Baseus offers you so much more than what you pay for. Rarely do you find earphones that are so light and extremely comfortable at the same time in this price range making it an ideal option not just for the gym-goers but for anyone in general. They also look pretty great and offer quite an amazing audio experience. Being sweat-resistant and having the magnetic locks also aides in its cause. With the S17, it is great to see that there are brands out there who offer great products without forcing you to burn a hole in your pocket. To sum it up, If you are looking for a pair of sporty earphones that look plenty good, these are an option worth considering.