×
The Great American EV Tax Credit Rush Has Begun

The Great American EV Tax Credit Rush Has Begun

Tech-news , , ,

The great EV buying frenzy has officially begun. In the last 48 hours, Tesla has seen delivery times for some of its most popular models skyrocket from a few weeks to nearly six months, a clear signal that consumers are stampeding to buy an electric vehicle before a crucial federal tax credit disappears for good.

This is the short-term sales boom that experts have been predicting, a last-chance gold rush for buyers. But for the EV industry, it’s also a sugar rush that could lead to a brutal crash.

The Deadline That Sparked the Madness

The cause of the chaos is the impending expiration of the federal EV tax credits. The credits—a key part of the Biden-era Inflation Reduction Act (IRA)—provided a $7,500 incentive for a new EV and $4,000 for a used one, significantly lowering the barrier to entry for many buyers. Losing them overnight makes many deals uneconomical, especially for first-time EV buyers.

Under the “One Big Beautiful Bill” signed by President Donald Trump on July 4, those credits will officially end on September 30. After that date, the price of a new EV will effectively jump by $7,500 overnight.

Anticipating this, automakers have been bracing for a surge of consumers looking to lock in the savings. Now, the first signs from Tesla, the undisputed market leader, prove the experts were right.

As of Sunday, consumers placing an order for most variants of the Model 3 sedan and all variants of the best-selling Model Y SUV were given a delivery estimate of four to six months, a massive jump from the one-to-three-week estimate seen just two days prior, Gizmodo found. This indicates that Tesla’s current inventory is being rapidly depleted by the surge in demand.

The Catch: You Have to Take Delivery

The long wait times are creating a high-stakes drama for buyers because of a critical rule: to qualify for the tax credit, you don’t just have to order the car by the deadline, you must take delivery of it. This is a point Tesla and its CEO, Elon Musk, are now urgently emphasizing.

“$7,500 Federal Tax Credit ends Sept 30,” Tesla wrote on X this Sunday. “You’ll need to take delivery – not just place an order – by that date to make use of the credit before it’s gone.”

Musk reposted the message, adding an even more alarming note: “Important re-timing of vehicle delivery.” The message is clear: if you wait too long, you’ll miss out.

Tesla Capitalizes on the Chaos

With demand surging and customers growing desperate, Tesla is already capitalizing on the situation. Earlier this week, the company raised its Model Y lease pricing by up to 14% and ended a free upgrade incentive for both the Model Y and Model 3. Latecomers have must place their orders by August 11 for the Model Y and August 18 for the Model 3 to take advantage of it.

The sudden changes, made with no warning, have frustrated some buyers.

“I am sick to vomiting with Tesla doing this to pull demand when they can’t do basic advertising/educating/public relations,” one user posted on X. “Every other company does it. It was cute when Tesla was a startup no more.”

This sales frenzy comes after a brutal second quarter for the automaker, which saw its deliveries fall 13.5% and its net revenue drop 16.3% compared to the previous year as it grappled with brand damage from Musk’s political activities.

While the current buying rush is a welcome short-term boost for Tesla’s bottom line, many analysts believe it is simply “pulling forward” demand from the fourth quarter and beyond. The real test will come on October 1, when the EV market will have to stand on its own for the first time in years, without the help of a massive government incentive.



Source link
#Great #American #Tax #Credit #Rush #Begun

Tag

Related Posts

One last chance to apply

Due to overwhelming interest, we’ve extended applications for Startup Battlefield Australia to July 20.

If you’ve been thinking about applying, do it now. There won’t be another extension.

One application could change everything

Since the first Startup Battlefield Australia in 2017, there have been 26 alumni companies that have collectively raised over $147 million, with three successful acquisitions. They’ve been backed by some of the world’s most respected investors — including Y Combinator, Blackbird Ventures, Square Peg Capital, Khosla Ventures, Microsoft, AirTree Ventures, Startmate, Techstars, and SOSV.

It all started with one decision: They applied.

Why apply now?

If you’re building something ambitious, this is a fast track to the people who can move your startup forward.

Selected founders will pitch live to:

  • Top-tier investors.
  • Global media.
  • Australia’s leading founders and operators.
  • Potential partners, customers, and hires.

This is more than a pitch competition. It’s a chance to earn visibility, credibility, and connections that can take years to build.

What’s at stake?

On August 19, 2026, eight startups will pitch live at Stripe Tour Sydney.

The top three will receive up to $15,000 in Stripe fee credits.

The grand prize is even bigger:

Automatic entry into Startup Battlefield 200 at TechCrunch Disrupt in San Francisco this October.

No second application. No extra round. Just a direct path to one of the world’s biggest startup stages.

Who should apply?

We’re looking for early-stage startups across Australia and New Zealand that are:

  • Pre-seed to Series B.
  • Building a real product or showing strong traction.
  • Ready to scale.
  • Ready to tell their story.

You don’t need to be a household name.

We’re looking for the next one.

The deadline has moved — the opportunity hasn’t

This extension gives you more time, but not much.

Applications now close July 20.

If you’ve been waiting, this is the moment.

Submit your application before July 20.

Free to apply. No equity taken. One opportunity that could change everything.

When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. This doesn’t affect our editorial independence.

#Final #extension #Startup #Battlefield #Australia #applications #close #July #TechCrunchStartup Battlefield,Startup Battlefield Australia">Final extension: Startup Battlefield Australia applications now close July 20 | TechCrunch One last chance to apply Due to overwhelming interest, we’ve extended applications for Startup Battlefield Australia to July 20. If you’ve been thinking about applying, do it now. There won’t be another extension. One application could change everything Since the first Startup Battlefield Australia in 2017, there have been 26 alumni companies that have collectively raised over 7 million, with three successful acquisitions. They’ve been backed by some of the world’s most respected investors — including Y Combinator, Blackbird Ventures, Square Peg Capital, Khosla Ventures, Microsoft, AirTree Ventures, Startmate, Techstars, and SOSV. It all started with one decision: They applied. Why apply now? If you’re building something ambitious, this is a fast track to the people who can move your startup forward. Selected founders will pitch live to: Top-tier investors. Global media. Australia’s leading founders and operators. Potential partners, customers, and hires. This is more than a pitch competition. It’s a chance to earn visibility, credibility, and connections that can take years to build. What’s at stake? On August 19, 2026, eight startups will pitch live at Stripe Tour Sydney. The top three will receive up to ,000 in Stripe fee credits. The grand prize is even bigger: Automatic entry into Startup Battlefield 200 at TechCrunch Disrupt in San Francisco this October. No second application. No extra round. Just a direct path to one of the world’s biggest startup stages. Who should apply? We’re looking for early-stage startups across Australia and New Zealand that are: Pre-seed to Series B. Building a real product or showing strong traction. Ready to scale. Ready to tell their story. You don’t need to be a household name. We’re looking for the next one. The deadline has moved — the opportunity hasn’t This extension gives you more time, but not much. Applications now close July 20. If you’ve been waiting, this is the moment. Submit your application before July 20. Free to apply. No equity taken. One opportunity that could change everything. When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. This doesn’t affect our editorial independence.#Final #extension #Startup #Battlefield #Australia #applications #close #July #TechCrunchStartup Battlefield,Startup Battlefield Australia

applications for Startup Battlefield Australia to July 20.

If you’ve been thinking about applying, do it now. There won’t be another extension.

One application could change everything

Since the first Startup Battlefield Australia in 2017, there have been 26 alumni companies that have collectively raised over $147 million, with three successful acquisitions. They’ve been backed by some of the world’s most respected investors — including Y Combinator, Blackbird Ventures, Square Peg Capital, Khosla Ventures, Microsoft, AirTree Ventures, Startmate, Techstars, and SOSV.

It all started with one decision: They applied.

Why apply now?

If you’re building something ambitious, this is a fast track to the people who can move your startup forward.

Selected founders will pitch live to:

  • Top-tier investors.
  • Global media.
  • Australia’s leading founders and operators.
  • Potential partners, customers, and hires.

This is more than a pitch competition. It’s a chance to earn visibility, credibility, and connections that can take years to build.

What’s at stake?

On August 19, 2026, eight startups will pitch live at Stripe Tour Sydney.

The top three will receive up to $15,000 in Stripe fee credits.

The grand prize is even bigger:

Automatic entry into Startup Battlefield 200 at TechCrunch Disrupt in San Francisco this October.

No second application. No extra round. Just a direct path to one of the world’s biggest startup stages.

Who should apply?

We’re looking for early-stage startups across Australia and New Zealand that are:

  • Pre-seed to Series B.
  • Building a real product or showing strong traction.
  • Ready to scale.
  • Ready to tell their story.

You don’t need to be a household name.

We’re looking for the next one.

The deadline has moved — the opportunity hasn’t

This extension gives you more time, but not much.

Applications now close July 20.

If you’ve been waiting, this is the moment.

Submit your application before July 20.

Free to apply. No equity taken. One opportunity that could change everything.

When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. This doesn’t affect our editorial independence.

#Final #extension #Startup #Battlefield #Australia #applications #close #July #TechCrunchStartup Battlefield,Startup Battlefield Australia">Final extension: Startup Battlefield Australia applications now close July 20 | TechCrunch

One last chance to apply

Due to overwhelming interest, we’ve extended applications for Startup Battlefield Australia to July 20.

If you’ve been thinking about applying, do it now. There won’t be another extension.

One application could change everything

Since the first Startup Battlefield Australia in 2017, there have been 26 alumni companies that have collectively raised over $147 million, with three successful acquisitions. They’ve been backed by some of the world’s most respected investors — including Y Combinator, Blackbird Ventures, Square Peg Capital, Khosla Ventures, Microsoft, AirTree Ventures, Startmate, Techstars, and SOSV.

It all started with one decision: They applied.

Why apply now?

If you’re building something ambitious, this is a fast track to the people who can move your startup forward.

Selected founders will pitch live to:

  • Top-tier investors.
  • Global media.
  • Australia’s leading founders and operators.
  • Potential partners, customers, and hires.

This is more than a pitch competition. It’s a chance to earn visibility, credibility, and connections that can take years to build.

What’s at stake?

On August 19, 2026, eight startups will pitch live at Stripe Tour Sydney.

The top three will receive up to $15,000 in Stripe fee credits.

The grand prize is even bigger:

Automatic entry into Startup Battlefield 200 at TechCrunch Disrupt in San Francisco this October.

No second application. No extra round. Just a direct path to one of the world’s biggest startup stages.

Who should apply?

We’re looking for early-stage startups across Australia and New Zealand that are:

  • Pre-seed to Series B.
  • Building a real product or showing strong traction.
  • Ready to scale.
  • Ready to tell their story.

You don’t need to be a household name.

We’re looking for the next one.

The deadline has moved — the opportunity hasn’t

This extension gives you more time, but not much.

Applications now close July 20.

If you’ve been waiting, this is the moment.

Submit your application before July 20.

Free to apply. No equity taken. One opportunity that could change everything.

When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. This doesn’t affect our editorial independence.

#Final #extension #Startup #Battlefield #Australia #applications #close #July #TechCrunchStartup Battlefield,Startup Battlefield Australia
Enco Air 5 Pro as an example. They combined well-balanced audio and strong ANC capabilities into a package that cost ₹4,999. While we still think they are great value, I’d also admit that spending that much isn’t feasible for many budget-conscious buyers. Keeping that in mind, OPPO has just announced the non-Pro version, the Enco Air 5. It follows the same recipe as its bigger brother, with 52dB of ANC and a 54-hour battery life, but trims the price down to just ₹3,099.

So, when OPPO called asking if I’d like to test the Enco Air 5, I said yes, of course. For some context, I have been using the buds for almost a month, during which I’ve taken them to countless gym sessions, gone on evening walks while listening to my favorite music, and even taken them with me to cover an esports tournament in Jaipur. If you can’t be bothered to read the full review, then yes, they are worth the price. Here’s why.

OPPO Enco Air 5 Review

Hisan Kidwai

Summary

Everything about the Enco Air 5 feels well balanced. The design is understated yet premium, the comfort is good enough for hours of use, and the companion app is packed with genuinely useful features. The sound tuning gives every part of a track room to breathe without letting one frequency overpower another. Even the ANC does a commendable job of cutting out everyday noise.

Design & Comfort

OPPO Enco Air 5 Review: The Budget Earbuds Most People Should Buy OPPO’s Enco earbud series has time and again delivered some of the best value devices, and for good reason. Take last month’s Enco Air 5 Pro as an example. They combined well-balanced audio and strong ANC capabilities into a package that cost ₹4,999. While we still think they are great value, I’d also admit that spending that much isn’t feasible for many budget-conscious buyers. Keeping that in mind, OPPO has just announced the non-Pro version, the Enco Air 5. It follows the same recipe as its bigger brother, with 52dB of ANC and a 54-hour battery life, but trims the price down to just ₹3,099. So, when OPPO called asking if I’d like to test the Enco Air 5, I said yes, of course. For some context, I have been using the buds for almost a month, during which I’ve taken them to countless gym sessions, gone on evening walks while listening to my favorite music, and even taken them with me to cover an esports tournament in Jaipur. If you can’t be bothered to read the full review, then yes, they are worth the price. Here’s why. OPPO Enco Air 5 ReviewHisan KidwaiSummaryEverything about the Enco Air 5 feels well balanced. The design is understated yet premium, the comfort is good enough for hours of use, and the companion app is packed with genuinely useful features. The sound tuning gives every part of a track room to breathe without letting one frequency overpower another. Even the ANC does a commendable job of cutting out everyday noise. Design & Comfort What does it take to design a great pair of earbuds? To some brands, it’s about a fun design that stands out amongst others, even if that comes at the cost of comfort. I could name a dozen such earbuds, but the truth is, the ones I keep using after reviews are those that don’t stand out. I don’t care whether you have a brand-new design or a new LED light strip. An earbud needs to be sophisticated yet stylish enough not to look cheap. And no other brand does that better than OPPO. The new Enco Air 5 are no exception. They feature the same oval-shaped case that I have come to love. While the dimensions are almost identical to the 5 Pro, the finish is indeed different. I got the Lavender Purple variant, which I’d say looks quite good. It adds a pop of color in an otherwise bland earbud world. Even though it’s very difficult to put the feel of the finish into words, I’ll try anyway. The finish reminds me of those large chalky medicine tablets. The matte finish is a little rougher than the 5 Pro, and it held up quite well in my regular use. I didn’t see any smudges, nor was there any damage to the case when I dropped it at the airport while taking out my boarding pass. The case can be opened with one hand, and there’s also a satisfying click every time you close the lid. There’s also a physical pairing button, which is always appreciated. As for the earbuds themselves, they are shiny this time around, so a bit more difficult to keep clean. Comfort is a tricky thing to answer, since everyone’s ears are different. My ears are small, so bigger earbuds like the Noise Master Buds 2 were difficult to manage. Fortunately, the Enco Air 5 were not the same. They fit perfectly inside my ear canals, without causing any discomfort. For my 6 AM flight, I put them on before leaving home, and after 4 hours of travel, they were still sitting comfortably. Still, if the regular medium-sized tips are not to your taste, there are several bundled inside the box. So, experiment to find the best fit. The earbuds are also IP55 rated, and survived my gym sessions in the brutal Indian summers just fine. Sound Quality & ANC The Enco Air 5 earbuds come with a 12mm dynamic driver featuring a titanium-coated PET diaphragm, AAC and SBC codecs, and Bluetooth 6.1. During my testing, I used the Ultimate Sound preset, but if that’s not your jam, there are Thundering Bass and Pure Vocals, along with a full equalizer, which we will talk about soon enough. On tracks such as “After Hours,” “The Pina Colada Song,” and “Runaway,” the earbuds sounded very well balanced. The sound tuning is fantastic: the highs don’t feel sharp, the mids/vocals sound very clear, and the lows are there. Don’t get me wrong, you won’t get the rumble of a big headphone, but the Enco Air 5 in the bass boost mode packs a punch. Despite the lack of high-res audio support, I found the instrument separation decent and the soundstage wide enough, though not quite as expansive as on the more expensive Enco Air 5 Pro. If you’d like your instruments placed all around the room, like at a concert, OPPO has its Live Audio feature. It’s not my favorite thing in the world to experience music with, but it works very well to place different elements perfectly around you. I believe the best way to appreciate this is with a movie, and I watched the first episode of Silo season 3 with these connected to my MacBook. The latency was pretty minimal, and the audio was super clean. Even the call quality has been upgraded compared to the previous generation. On the topic of ANC, I was headed to Jaipur to attend a BGMI esports event. If you’ve seen such events, then you’d know they can get loud—really loud. And what better place to test the ANC capabilities of the Enco Air 5? I’ll be straight: you won’t cancel every noise there is, but that doesn’t mean the ANC is bad. In the event, the earbuds suppressed about 80% of the crowd noises, which was great news. On the flight, most of the jet engine rumble was canceled, without any music on. If you do have music running, it’s very easy to cut off the world for a moment of peace. OPPO claims about 13 hours of battery life on a single charge for the earbuds without ANC on and about 6.5 hours with ANC. I can confirm those numbers are accurate, since I got roughly 5.5 hours with ANC turned on at all times. The case provides a couple of extra charges, so the total output should be around 24-25 hours, depending on your use case. Still, battery life is great overall. Controls & Companion App While many people ignore them, controls are a major factor when choosing earbuds. This is because poor controls can be frustrating. Very fortunately, that’s not the case with the Enco Air 5 earbuds. They keep things simple and functional. You get the basics like double-tap to play/pause the music, triple-tap to skip forward/rewind, and tap and hold to turn on ANC. All of these can be customized to your liking using the HeyMelody app on Android and iOS, or just the Bluetooth settings page if you have an OPPO/OnePlus device. The app has always been great, and you also get Spotify Tap. It connects to your Spotify app and plays a song based on your listening habits whenever you tap your earbuds. I’m an Apple Music user, so I couldn’t test it much, but from what I’ve heard, it’s a great addition. Beyond that, there’s Sound Space, a collection of sounds that help you concentrate better or get work done among the annoying people who watch reels at high volume. Finally, there’s a full 10-band equalizer that lets you tune the sound output precisely to your liking. Verdict At ₹3,099, the OPPO Enco Air 5 are another pair of super-easy-to-recommend earbuds. There are no headline features, but everything about the Enco Air 5 feels well balanced. The design is understated yet premium, the comfort is good enough for hours of use, and the companion app is packed with genuinely useful features. The sound tuning gives every part of a track room to breathe without letting one frequency overpower another. Even the ANC does a commendable job of cutting out everyday noise. #OPPO #Enco #Air #Review #Budget #Earbuds #People #BuyOppo

What does it take to design a great pair of earbuds? To some brands, it’s about a fun design that stands out amongst others, even if that comes at the cost of comfort. I could name a dozen such earbuds, but the truth is, the ones I keep using after reviews are those that don’t stand out. I don’t care whether you have a brand-new design or a new LED light strip. An earbud needs to be sophisticated yet stylish enough not to look cheap. And no other brand does that better than OPPO. The new Enco Air 5 are no exception. They feature the same oval-shaped case that I have come to love.

While the dimensions are almost identical to the 5 Pro, the finish is indeed different. I got the Lavender Purple variant, which I’d say looks quite good. It adds a pop of color in an otherwise bland earbud world. Even though it’s very difficult to put the feel of the finish into words, I’ll try anyway. The finish reminds me of those large chalky medicine tablets. The matte finish is a little rougher than the 5 Pro, and it held up quite well in my regular use. I didn’t see any smudges, nor was there any damage to the case when I dropped it at the airport while taking out my boarding pass. The case can be opened with one hand, and there’s also a satisfying click every time you close the lid. There’s also a physical pairing button, which is always appreciated.

A person holding the earbud

As for the earbuds themselves, they are shiny this time around, so a bit more difficult to keep clean. Comfort is a tricky thing to answer, since everyone’s ears are different. My ears are small, so bigger earbuds like the Noise Master Buds 2 were difficult to manage. Fortunately, the Enco Air 5 were not the same. They fit perfectly inside my ear canals, without causing any discomfort. For my 6 AM flight, I put them on before leaving home, and after 4 hours of travel, they were still sitting comfortably.

Still, if the regular medium-sized tips are not to your taste, there are several bundled inside the box. So, experiment to find the best fit. The earbuds are also IP55 rated, and survived my gym sessions in the brutal Indian summers just fine.

Sound Quality & ANC

Different earbuds

The Enco Air 5 earbuds come with a 12mm dynamic driver featuring a titanium-coated PET diaphragm, AAC and SBC codecs, and Bluetooth 6.1. During my testing, I used the Ultimate Sound preset, but if that’s not your jam, there are Thundering Bass and Pure Vocals, along with a full equalizer, which we will talk about soon enough.

On tracks such as “After Hours,” “The Pina Colada Song,” and “Runaway,” the earbuds sounded very well balanced. The sound tuning is fantastic: the highs don’t feel sharp, the mids/vocals sound very clear, and the lows are there. Don’t get me wrong, you won’t get the rumble of a big headphone, but the Enco Air 5 in the bass boost mode packs a punch. Despite the lack of high-res audio support, I found the instrument separation decent and the soundstage wide enough, though not quite as expansive as on the more expensive Enco Air 5 Pro.

If you’d like your instruments placed all around the room, like at a concert, OPPO has its Live Audio feature. It’s not my favorite thing in the world to experience music with, but it works very well to place different elements perfectly around you. I believe the best way to appreciate this is with a movie, and I watched the first episode of Silo season 3 with these connected to my MacBook. The latency was pretty minimal, and the audio was super clean. Even the call quality has been upgraded compared to the previous generation.

Enco Air 5 on a table with the buds out

On the topic of ANC, I was headed to Jaipur to attend a BGMI esports event. If you’ve seen such events, then you’d know they can get loud—really loud. And what better place to test the ANC capabilities of the Enco Air 5? I’ll be straight: you won’t cancel every noise there is, but that doesn’t mean the ANC is bad. In the event, the earbuds suppressed about 80% of the crowd noises, which was great news. On the flight, most of the jet engine rumble was canceled, without any music on. If you do have music running, it’s very easy to cut off the world for a moment of peace.

OPPO claims about 13 hours of battery life on a single charge for the earbuds without ANC on and about 6.5 hours with ANC. I can confirm those numbers are accurate, since I got roughly 5.5 hours with ANC turned on at all times. The case provides a couple of extra charges, so the total output should be around 24-25 hours, depending on your use case. Still, battery life is great overall.

Controls & Companion App

While many people ignore them, controls are a major factor when choosing earbuds. This is because poor controls can be frustrating. Very fortunately, that’s not the case with the Enco Air 5 earbuds. They keep things simple and functional. You get the basics like double-tap to play/pause the music, triple-tap to skip forward/rewind, and tap and hold to turn on ANC.

All of these can be customized to your liking using the HeyMelody app on Android and iOS, or just the Bluetooth settings page if you have an OPPO/OnePlus device. The app has always been great, and you also get Spotify Tap. It connects to your Spotify app and plays a song based on your listening habits whenever you tap your earbuds. I’m an Apple Music user, so I couldn’t test it much, but from what I’ve heard, it’s a great addition. Beyond that, there’s Sound Space, a collection of sounds that help you concentrate better or get work done among the annoying people who watch reels at high volume. Finally, there’s a full 10-band equalizer that lets you tune the sound output precisely to your liking.

Verdict

A person holding the Enco air 5

At ₹3,099, the OPPO Enco Air 5 are another pair of super-easy-to-recommend earbuds. There are no headline features, but everything about the Enco Air 5 feels well balanced. The design is understated yet premium, the comfort is good enough for hours of use, and the companion app is packed with genuinely useful features. The sound tuning gives every part of a track room to breathe without letting one frequency overpower another. Even the ANC does a commendable job of cutting out everyday noise.

#OPPO #Enco #Air #Review #Budget #Earbuds #People #BuyOppo">OPPO Enco Air 5 Review: The Budget Earbuds Most People Should Buy OPPO’s Enco earbud series has time and again delivered some of the best value devices, and for good reason. Take last month’s Enco Air 5 Pro as an example. They combined well-balanced audio and strong ANC capabilities into a package that cost ₹4,999. While we still think they are great value, I’d also admit that spending that much isn’t feasible for many budget-conscious buyers. Keeping that in mind, OPPO has just announced the non-Pro version, the Enco Air 5. It follows the same recipe as its bigger brother, with 52dB of ANC and a 54-hour battery life, but trims the price down to just ₹3,099. So, when OPPO called asking if I’d like to test the Enco Air 5, I said yes, of course. For some context, I have been using the buds for almost a month, during which I’ve taken them to countless gym sessions, gone on evening walks while listening to my favorite music, and even taken them with me to cover an esports tournament in Jaipur. If you can’t be bothered to read the full review, then yes, they are worth the price. Here’s why. OPPO Enco Air 5 ReviewHisan KidwaiSummaryEverything about the Enco Air 5 feels well balanced. The design is understated yet premium, the comfort is good enough for hours of use, and the companion app is packed with genuinely useful features. The sound tuning gives every part of a track room to breathe without letting one frequency overpower another. Even the ANC does a commendable job of cutting out everyday noise. Design & Comfort What does it take to design a great pair of earbuds? To some brands, it’s about a fun design that stands out amongst others, even if that comes at the cost of comfort. I could name a dozen such earbuds, but the truth is, the ones I keep using after reviews are those that don’t stand out. I don’t care whether you have a brand-new design or a new LED light strip. An earbud needs to be sophisticated yet stylish enough not to look cheap. And no other brand does that better than OPPO. The new Enco Air 5 are no exception. They feature the same oval-shaped case that I have come to love. While the dimensions are almost identical to the 5 Pro, the finish is indeed different. I got the Lavender Purple variant, which I’d say looks quite good. It adds a pop of color in an otherwise bland earbud world. Even though it’s very difficult to put the feel of the finish into words, I’ll try anyway. The finish reminds me of those large chalky medicine tablets. The matte finish is a little rougher than the 5 Pro, and it held up quite well in my regular use. I didn’t see any smudges, nor was there any damage to the case when I dropped it at the airport while taking out my boarding pass. The case can be opened with one hand, and there’s also a satisfying click every time you close the lid. There’s also a physical pairing button, which is always appreciated. As for the earbuds themselves, they are shiny this time around, so a bit more difficult to keep clean. Comfort is a tricky thing to answer, since everyone’s ears are different. My ears are small, so bigger earbuds like the Noise Master Buds 2 were difficult to manage. Fortunately, the Enco Air 5 were not the same. They fit perfectly inside my ear canals, without causing any discomfort. For my 6 AM flight, I put them on before leaving home, and after 4 hours of travel, they were still sitting comfortably. Still, if the regular medium-sized tips are not to your taste, there are several bundled inside the box. So, experiment to find the best fit. The earbuds are also IP55 rated, and survived my gym sessions in the brutal Indian summers just fine. Sound Quality & ANC The Enco Air 5 earbuds come with a 12mm dynamic driver featuring a titanium-coated PET diaphragm, AAC and SBC codecs, and Bluetooth 6.1. During my testing, I used the Ultimate Sound preset, but if that’s not your jam, there are Thundering Bass and Pure Vocals, along with a full equalizer, which we will talk about soon enough. On tracks such as “After Hours,” “The Pina Colada Song,” and “Runaway,” the earbuds sounded very well balanced. The sound tuning is fantastic: the highs don’t feel sharp, the mids/vocals sound very clear, and the lows are there. Don’t get me wrong, you won’t get the rumble of a big headphone, but the Enco Air 5 in the bass boost mode packs a punch. Despite the lack of high-res audio support, I found the instrument separation decent and the soundstage wide enough, though not quite as expansive as on the more expensive Enco Air 5 Pro. If you’d like your instruments placed all around the room, like at a concert, OPPO has its Live Audio feature. It’s not my favorite thing in the world to experience music with, but it works very well to place different elements perfectly around you. I believe the best way to appreciate this is with a movie, and I watched the first episode of Silo season 3 with these connected to my MacBook. The latency was pretty minimal, and the audio was super clean. Even the call quality has been upgraded compared to the previous generation. On the topic of ANC, I was headed to Jaipur to attend a BGMI esports event. If you’ve seen such events, then you’d know they can get loud—really loud. And what better place to test the ANC capabilities of the Enco Air 5? I’ll be straight: you won’t cancel every noise there is, but that doesn’t mean the ANC is bad. In the event, the earbuds suppressed about 80% of the crowd noises, which was great news. On the flight, most of the jet engine rumble was canceled, without any music on. If you do have music running, it’s very easy to cut off the world for a moment of peace. OPPO claims about 13 hours of battery life on a single charge for the earbuds without ANC on and about 6.5 hours with ANC. I can confirm those numbers are accurate, since I got roughly 5.5 hours with ANC turned on at all times. The case provides a couple of extra charges, so the total output should be around 24-25 hours, depending on your use case. Still, battery life is great overall. Controls & Companion App While many people ignore them, controls are a major factor when choosing earbuds. This is because poor controls can be frustrating. Very fortunately, that’s not the case with the Enco Air 5 earbuds. They keep things simple and functional. You get the basics like double-tap to play/pause the music, triple-tap to skip forward/rewind, and tap and hold to turn on ANC. All of these can be customized to your liking using the HeyMelody app on Android and iOS, or just the Bluetooth settings page if you have an OPPO/OnePlus device. The app has always been great, and you also get Spotify Tap. It connects to your Spotify app and plays a song based on your listening habits whenever you tap your earbuds. I’m an Apple Music user, so I couldn’t test it much, but from what I’ve heard, it’s a great addition. Beyond that, there’s Sound Space, a collection of sounds that help you concentrate better or get work done among the annoying people who watch reels at high volume. Finally, there’s a full 10-band equalizer that lets you tune the sound output precisely to your liking. Verdict At ₹3,099, the OPPO Enco Air 5 are another pair of super-easy-to-recommend earbuds. There are no headline features, but everything about the Enco Air 5 feels well balanced. The design is understated yet premium, the comfort is good enough for hours of use, and the companion app is packed with genuinely useful features. The sound tuning gives every part of a track room to breathe without letting one frequency overpower another. Even the ANC does a commendable job of cutting out everyday noise. #OPPO #Enco #Air #Review #Budget #Earbuds #People #BuyOppo

as an example. They combined well-balanced audio and strong ANC capabilities into a package that cost ₹4,999. While we still think they are great value, I’d also admit that spending that much isn’t feasible for many budget-conscious buyers. Keeping that in mind, OPPO has just announced the non-Pro version, the Enco Air 5. It follows the same recipe as its bigger brother, with 52dB of ANC and a 54-hour battery life, but trims the price down to just ₹3,099.

So, when OPPO called asking if I’d like to test the Enco Air 5, I said yes, of course. For some context, I have been using the buds for almost a month, during which I’ve taken them to countless gym sessions, gone on evening walks while listening to my favorite music, and even taken them with me to cover an esports tournament in Jaipur. If you can’t be bothered to read the full review, then yes, they are worth the price. Here’s why.

OPPO Enco Air 5 Review

Hisan Kidwai

Summary

Everything about the Enco Air 5 feels well balanced. The design is understated yet premium, the comfort is good enough for hours of use, and the companion app is packed with genuinely useful features. The sound tuning gives every part of a track room to breathe without letting one frequency overpower another. Even the ANC does a commendable job of cutting out everyday noise.

Design & Comfort

OPPO Enco Air 5 Review: The Budget Earbuds Most People Should Buy OPPO’s Enco earbud series has time and again delivered some of the best value devices, and for good reason. Take last month’s Enco Air 5 Pro as an example. They combined well-balanced audio and strong ANC capabilities into a package that cost ₹4,999. While we still think they are great value, I’d also admit that spending that much isn’t feasible for many budget-conscious buyers. Keeping that in mind, OPPO has just announced the non-Pro version, the Enco Air 5. It follows the same recipe as its bigger brother, with 52dB of ANC and a 54-hour battery life, but trims the price down to just ₹3,099. So, when OPPO called asking if I’d like to test the Enco Air 5, I said yes, of course. For some context, I have been using the buds for almost a month, during which I’ve taken them to countless gym sessions, gone on evening walks while listening to my favorite music, and even taken them with me to cover an esports tournament in Jaipur. If you can’t be bothered to read the full review, then yes, they are worth the price. Here’s why. OPPO Enco Air 5 ReviewHisan KidwaiSummaryEverything about the Enco Air 5 feels well balanced. The design is understated yet premium, the comfort is good enough for hours of use, and the companion app is packed with genuinely useful features. The sound tuning gives every part of a track room to breathe without letting one frequency overpower another. Even the ANC does a commendable job of cutting out everyday noise. Design & Comfort What does it take to design a great pair of earbuds? To some brands, it’s about a fun design that stands out amongst others, even if that comes at the cost of comfort. I could name a dozen such earbuds, but the truth is, the ones I keep using after reviews are those that don’t stand out. I don’t care whether you have a brand-new design or a new LED light strip. An earbud needs to be sophisticated yet stylish enough not to look cheap. And no other brand does that better than OPPO. The new Enco Air 5 are no exception. They feature the same oval-shaped case that I have come to love. While the dimensions are almost identical to the 5 Pro, the finish is indeed different. I got the Lavender Purple variant, which I’d say looks quite good. It adds a pop of color in an otherwise bland earbud world. Even though it’s very difficult to put the feel of the finish into words, I’ll try anyway. The finish reminds me of those large chalky medicine tablets. The matte finish is a little rougher than the 5 Pro, and it held up quite well in my regular use. I didn’t see any smudges, nor was there any damage to the case when I dropped it at the airport while taking out my boarding pass. The case can be opened with one hand, and there’s also a satisfying click every time you close the lid. There’s also a physical pairing button, which is always appreciated. As for the earbuds themselves, they are shiny this time around, so a bit more difficult to keep clean. Comfort is a tricky thing to answer, since everyone’s ears are different. My ears are small, so bigger earbuds like the Noise Master Buds 2 were difficult to manage. Fortunately, the Enco Air 5 were not the same. They fit perfectly inside my ear canals, without causing any discomfort. For my 6 AM flight, I put them on before leaving home, and after 4 hours of travel, they were still sitting comfortably. Still, if the regular medium-sized tips are not to your taste, there are several bundled inside the box. So, experiment to find the best fit. The earbuds are also IP55 rated, and survived my gym sessions in the brutal Indian summers just fine. Sound Quality & ANC The Enco Air 5 earbuds come with a 12mm dynamic driver featuring a titanium-coated PET diaphragm, AAC and SBC codecs, and Bluetooth 6.1. During my testing, I used the Ultimate Sound preset, but if that’s not your jam, there are Thundering Bass and Pure Vocals, along with a full equalizer, which we will talk about soon enough. On tracks such as “After Hours,” “The Pina Colada Song,” and “Runaway,” the earbuds sounded very well balanced. The sound tuning is fantastic: the highs don’t feel sharp, the mids/vocals sound very clear, and the lows are there. Don’t get me wrong, you won’t get the rumble of a big headphone, but the Enco Air 5 in the bass boost mode packs a punch. Despite the lack of high-res audio support, I found the instrument separation decent and the soundstage wide enough, though not quite as expansive as on the more expensive Enco Air 5 Pro. If you’d like your instruments placed all around the room, like at a concert, OPPO has its Live Audio feature. It’s not my favorite thing in the world to experience music with, but it works very well to place different elements perfectly around you. I believe the best way to appreciate this is with a movie, and I watched the first episode of Silo season 3 with these connected to my MacBook. The latency was pretty minimal, and the audio was super clean. Even the call quality has been upgraded compared to the previous generation. On the topic of ANC, I was headed to Jaipur to attend a BGMI esports event. If you’ve seen such events, then you’d know they can get loud—really loud. And what better place to test the ANC capabilities of the Enco Air 5? I’ll be straight: you won’t cancel every noise there is, but that doesn’t mean the ANC is bad. In the event, the earbuds suppressed about 80% of the crowd noises, which was great news. On the flight, most of the jet engine rumble was canceled, without any music on. If you do have music running, it’s very easy to cut off the world for a moment of peace. OPPO claims about 13 hours of battery life on a single charge for the earbuds without ANC on and about 6.5 hours with ANC. I can confirm those numbers are accurate, since I got roughly 5.5 hours with ANC turned on at all times. The case provides a couple of extra charges, so the total output should be around 24-25 hours, depending on your use case. Still, battery life is great overall. Controls & Companion App While many people ignore them, controls are a major factor when choosing earbuds. This is because poor controls can be frustrating. Very fortunately, that’s not the case with the Enco Air 5 earbuds. They keep things simple and functional. You get the basics like double-tap to play/pause the music, triple-tap to skip forward/rewind, and tap and hold to turn on ANC. All of these can be customized to your liking using the HeyMelody app on Android and iOS, or just the Bluetooth settings page if you have an OPPO/OnePlus device. The app has always been great, and you also get Spotify Tap. It connects to your Spotify app and plays a song based on your listening habits whenever you tap your earbuds. I’m an Apple Music user, so I couldn’t test it much, but from what I’ve heard, it’s a great addition. Beyond that, there’s Sound Space, a collection of sounds that help you concentrate better or get work done among the annoying people who watch reels at high volume. Finally, there’s a full 10-band equalizer that lets you tune the sound output precisely to your liking. Verdict At ₹3,099, the OPPO Enco Air 5 are another pair of super-easy-to-recommend earbuds. There are no headline features, but everything about the Enco Air 5 feels well balanced. The design is understated yet premium, the comfort is good enough for hours of use, and the companion app is packed with genuinely useful features. The sound tuning gives every part of a track room to breathe without letting one frequency overpower another. Even the ANC does a commendable job of cutting out everyday noise. #OPPO #Enco #Air #Review #Budget #Earbuds #People #BuyOppo

What does it take to design a great pair of earbuds? To some brands, it’s about a fun design that stands out amongst others, even if that comes at the cost of comfort. I could name a dozen such earbuds, but the truth is, the ones I keep using after reviews are those that don’t stand out. I don’t care whether you have a brand-new design or a new LED light strip. An earbud needs to be sophisticated yet stylish enough not to look cheap. And no other brand does that better than OPPO. The new Enco Air 5 are no exception. They feature the same oval-shaped case that I have come to love.

While the dimensions are almost identical to the 5 Pro, the finish is indeed different. I got the Lavender Purple variant, which I’d say looks quite good. It adds a pop of color in an otherwise bland earbud world. Even though it’s very difficult to put the feel of the finish into words, I’ll try anyway. The finish reminds me of those large chalky medicine tablets. The matte finish is a little rougher than the 5 Pro, and it held up quite well in my regular use. I didn’t see any smudges, nor was there any damage to the case when I dropped it at the airport while taking out my boarding pass. The case can be opened with one hand, and there’s also a satisfying click every time you close the lid. There’s also a physical pairing button, which is always appreciated.

A person holding the earbud

As for the earbuds themselves, they are shiny this time around, so a bit more difficult to keep clean. Comfort is a tricky thing to answer, since everyone’s ears are different. My ears are small, so bigger earbuds like the Noise Master Buds 2 were difficult to manage. Fortunately, the Enco Air 5 were not the same. They fit perfectly inside my ear canals, without causing any discomfort. For my 6 AM flight, I put them on before leaving home, and after 4 hours of travel, they were still sitting comfortably.

Still, if the regular medium-sized tips are not to your taste, there are several bundled inside the box. So, experiment to find the best fit. The earbuds are also IP55 rated, and survived my gym sessions in the brutal Indian summers just fine.

Sound Quality & ANC

Different earbuds

The Enco Air 5 earbuds come with a 12mm dynamic driver featuring a titanium-coated PET diaphragm, AAC and SBC codecs, and Bluetooth 6.1. During my testing, I used the Ultimate Sound preset, but if that’s not your jam, there are Thundering Bass and Pure Vocals, along with a full equalizer, which we will talk about soon enough.

On tracks such as “After Hours,” “The Pina Colada Song,” and “Runaway,” the earbuds sounded very well balanced. The sound tuning is fantastic: the highs don’t feel sharp, the mids/vocals sound very clear, and the lows are there. Don’t get me wrong, you won’t get the rumble of a big headphone, but the Enco Air 5 in the bass boost mode packs a punch. Despite the lack of high-res audio support, I found the instrument separation decent and the soundstage wide enough, though not quite as expansive as on the more expensive Enco Air 5 Pro.

If you’d like your instruments placed all around the room, like at a concert, OPPO has its Live Audio feature. It’s not my favorite thing in the world to experience music with, but it works very well to place different elements perfectly around you. I believe the best way to appreciate this is with a movie, and I watched the first episode of Silo season 3 with these connected to my MacBook. The latency was pretty minimal, and the audio was super clean. Even the call quality has been upgraded compared to the previous generation.

Enco Air 5 on a table with the buds out

On the topic of ANC, I was headed to Jaipur to attend a BGMI esports event. If you’ve seen such events, then you’d know they can get loud—really loud. And what better place to test the ANC capabilities of the Enco Air 5? I’ll be straight: you won’t cancel every noise there is, but that doesn’t mean the ANC is bad. In the event, the earbuds suppressed about 80% of the crowd noises, which was great news. On the flight, most of the jet engine rumble was canceled, without any music on. If you do have music running, it’s very easy to cut off the world for a moment of peace.

OPPO claims about 13 hours of battery life on a single charge for the earbuds without ANC on and about 6.5 hours with ANC. I can confirm those numbers are accurate, since I got roughly 5.5 hours with ANC turned on at all times. The case provides a couple of extra charges, so the total output should be around 24-25 hours, depending on your use case. Still, battery life is great overall.

Controls & Companion App

While many people ignore them, controls are a major factor when choosing earbuds. This is because poor controls can be frustrating. Very fortunately, that’s not the case with the Enco Air 5 earbuds. They keep things simple and functional. You get the basics like double-tap to play/pause the music, triple-tap to skip forward/rewind, and tap and hold to turn on ANC.

All of these can be customized to your liking using the HeyMelody app on Android and iOS, or just the Bluetooth settings page if you have an OPPO/OnePlus device. The app has always been great, and you also get Spotify Tap. It connects to your Spotify app and plays a song based on your listening habits whenever you tap your earbuds. I’m an Apple Music user, so I couldn’t test it much, but from what I’ve heard, it’s a great addition. Beyond that, there’s Sound Space, a collection of sounds that help you concentrate better or get work done among the annoying people who watch reels at high volume. Finally, there’s a full 10-band equalizer that lets you tune the sound output precisely to your liking.

Verdict

A person holding the Enco air 5

At ₹3,099, the OPPO Enco Air 5 are another pair of super-easy-to-recommend earbuds. There are no headline features, but everything about the Enco Air 5 feels well balanced. The design is understated yet premium, the comfort is good enough for hours of use, and the companion app is packed with genuinely useful features. The sound tuning gives every part of a track room to breathe without letting one frequency overpower another. Even the ANC does a commendable job of cutting out everyday noise.

#OPPO #Enco #Air #Review #Budget #Earbuds #People #BuyOppo">OPPO Enco Air 5 Review: The Budget Earbuds Most People Should Buy

OPPO’s Enco earbud series has time and again delivered some of the best value devices, and for good reason. Take last month’s Enco Air 5 Pro as an example. They combined well-balanced audio and strong ANC capabilities into a package that cost ₹4,999. While we still think they are great value, I’d also admit that spending that much isn’t feasible for many budget-conscious buyers. Keeping that in mind, OPPO has just announced the non-Pro version, the Enco Air 5. It follows the same recipe as its bigger brother, with 52dB of ANC and a 54-hour battery life, but trims the price down to just ₹3,099.

So, when OPPO called asking if I’d like to test the Enco Air 5, I said yes, of course. For some context, I have been using the buds for almost a month, during which I’ve taken them to countless gym sessions, gone on evening walks while listening to my favorite music, and even taken them with me to cover an esports tournament in Jaipur. If you can’t be bothered to read the full review, then yes, they are worth the price. Here’s why.

OPPO Enco Air 5 Review

Hisan Kidwai

Summary

Everything about the Enco Air 5 feels well balanced. The design is understated yet premium, the comfort is good enough for hours of use, and the companion app is packed with genuinely useful features. The sound tuning gives every part of a track room to breathe without letting one frequency overpower another. Even the ANC does a commendable job of cutting out everyday noise.

Design & Comfort

OPPO Enco Air 5 Review: The Budget Earbuds Most People Should Buy OPPO’s Enco earbud series has time and again delivered some of the best value devices, and for good reason. Take last month’s Enco Air 5 Pro as an example. They combined well-balanced audio and strong ANC capabilities into a package that cost ₹4,999. While we still think they are great value, I’d also admit that spending that much isn’t feasible for many budget-conscious buyers. Keeping that in mind, OPPO has just announced the non-Pro version, the Enco Air 5. It follows the same recipe as its bigger brother, with 52dB of ANC and a 54-hour battery life, but trims the price down to just ₹3,099. So, when OPPO called asking if I’d like to test the Enco Air 5, I said yes, of course. For some context, I have been using the buds for almost a month, during which I’ve taken them to countless gym sessions, gone on evening walks while listening to my favorite music, and even taken them with me to cover an esports tournament in Jaipur. If you can’t be bothered to read the full review, then yes, they are worth the price. Here’s why. OPPO Enco Air 5 ReviewHisan KidwaiSummaryEverything about the Enco Air 5 feels well balanced. The design is understated yet premium, the comfort is good enough for hours of use, and the companion app is packed with genuinely useful features. The sound tuning gives every part of a track room to breathe without letting one frequency overpower another. Even the ANC does a commendable job of cutting out everyday noise. Design & Comfort What does it take to design a great pair of earbuds? To some brands, it’s about a fun design that stands out amongst others, even if that comes at the cost of comfort. I could name a dozen such earbuds, but the truth is, the ones I keep using after reviews are those that don’t stand out. I don’t care whether you have a brand-new design or a new LED light strip. An earbud needs to be sophisticated yet stylish enough not to look cheap. And no other brand does that better than OPPO. The new Enco Air 5 are no exception. They feature the same oval-shaped case that I have come to love. While the dimensions are almost identical to the 5 Pro, the finish is indeed different. I got the Lavender Purple variant, which I’d say looks quite good. It adds a pop of color in an otherwise bland earbud world. Even though it’s very difficult to put the feel of the finish into words, I’ll try anyway. The finish reminds me of those large chalky medicine tablets. The matte finish is a little rougher than the 5 Pro, and it held up quite well in my regular use. I didn’t see any smudges, nor was there any damage to the case when I dropped it at the airport while taking out my boarding pass. The case can be opened with one hand, and there’s also a satisfying click every time you close the lid. There’s also a physical pairing button, which is always appreciated. As for the earbuds themselves, they are shiny this time around, so a bit more difficult to keep clean. Comfort is a tricky thing to answer, since everyone’s ears are different. My ears are small, so bigger earbuds like the Noise Master Buds 2 were difficult to manage. Fortunately, the Enco Air 5 were not the same. They fit perfectly inside my ear canals, without causing any discomfort. For my 6 AM flight, I put them on before leaving home, and after 4 hours of travel, they were still sitting comfortably. Still, if the regular medium-sized tips are not to your taste, there are several bundled inside the box. So, experiment to find the best fit. The earbuds are also IP55 rated, and survived my gym sessions in the brutal Indian summers just fine. Sound Quality & ANC The Enco Air 5 earbuds come with a 12mm dynamic driver featuring a titanium-coated PET diaphragm, AAC and SBC codecs, and Bluetooth 6.1. During my testing, I used the Ultimate Sound preset, but if that’s not your jam, there are Thundering Bass and Pure Vocals, along with a full equalizer, which we will talk about soon enough. On tracks such as “After Hours,” “The Pina Colada Song,” and “Runaway,” the earbuds sounded very well balanced. The sound tuning is fantastic: the highs don’t feel sharp, the mids/vocals sound very clear, and the lows are there. Don’t get me wrong, you won’t get the rumble of a big headphone, but the Enco Air 5 in the bass boost mode packs a punch. Despite the lack of high-res audio support, I found the instrument separation decent and the soundstage wide enough, though not quite as expansive as on the more expensive Enco Air 5 Pro. If you’d like your instruments placed all around the room, like at a concert, OPPO has its Live Audio feature. It’s not my favorite thing in the world to experience music with, but it works very well to place different elements perfectly around you. I believe the best way to appreciate this is with a movie, and I watched the first episode of Silo season 3 with these connected to my MacBook. The latency was pretty minimal, and the audio was super clean. Even the call quality has been upgraded compared to the previous generation. On the topic of ANC, I was headed to Jaipur to attend a BGMI esports event. If you’ve seen such events, then you’d know they can get loud—really loud. And what better place to test the ANC capabilities of the Enco Air 5? I’ll be straight: you won’t cancel every noise there is, but that doesn’t mean the ANC is bad. In the event, the earbuds suppressed about 80% of the crowd noises, which was great news. On the flight, most of the jet engine rumble was canceled, without any music on. If you do have music running, it’s very easy to cut off the world for a moment of peace. OPPO claims about 13 hours of battery life on a single charge for the earbuds without ANC on and about 6.5 hours with ANC. I can confirm those numbers are accurate, since I got roughly 5.5 hours with ANC turned on at all times. The case provides a couple of extra charges, so the total output should be around 24-25 hours, depending on your use case. Still, battery life is great overall. Controls & Companion App While many people ignore them, controls are a major factor when choosing earbuds. This is because poor controls can be frustrating. Very fortunately, that’s not the case with the Enco Air 5 earbuds. They keep things simple and functional. You get the basics like double-tap to play/pause the music, triple-tap to skip forward/rewind, and tap and hold to turn on ANC. All of these can be customized to your liking using the HeyMelody app on Android and iOS, or just the Bluetooth settings page if you have an OPPO/OnePlus device. The app has always been great, and you also get Spotify Tap. It connects to your Spotify app and plays a song based on your listening habits whenever you tap your earbuds. I’m an Apple Music user, so I couldn’t test it much, but from what I’ve heard, it’s a great addition. Beyond that, there’s Sound Space, a collection of sounds that help you concentrate better or get work done among the annoying people who watch reels at high volume. Finally, there’s a full 10-band equalizer that lets you tune the sound output precisely to your liking. Verdict At ₹3,099, the OPPO Enco Air 5 are another pair of super-easy-to-recommend earbuds. There are no headline features, but everything about the Enco Air 5 feels well balanced. The design is understated yet premium, the comfort is good enough for hours of use, and the companion app is packed with genuinely useful features. The sound tuning gives every part of a track room to breathe without letting one frequency overpower another. Even the ANC does a commendable job of cutting out everyday noise. #OPPO #Enco #Air #Review #Budget #Earbuds #People #BuyOppo

What does it take to design a great pair of earbuds? To some brands, it’s about a fun design that stands out amongst others, even if that comes at the cost of comfort. I could name a dozen such earbuds, but the truth is, the ones I keep using after reviews are those that don’t stand out. I don’t care whether you have a brand-new design or a new LED light strip. An earbud needs to be sophisticated yet stylish enough not to look cheap. And no other brand does that better than OPPO. The new Enco Air 5 are no exception. They feature the same oval-shaped case that I have come to love.

While the dimensions are almost identical to the 5 Pro, the finish is indeed different. I got the Lavender Purple variant, which I’d say looks quite good. It adds a pop of color in an otherwise bland earbud world. Even though it’s very difficult to put the feel of the finish into words, I’ll try anyway. The finish reminds me of those large chalky medicine tablets. The matte finish is a little rougher than the 5 Pro, and it held up quite well in my regular use. I didn’t see any smudges, nor was there any damage to the case when I dropped it at the airport while taking out my boarding pass. The case can be opened with one hand, and there’s also a satisfying click every time you close the lid. There’s also a physical pairing button, which is always appreciated.

A person holding the earbud

As for the earbuds themselves, they are shiny this time around, so a bit more difficult to keep clean. Comfort is a tricky thing to answer, since everyone’s ears are different. My ears are small, so bigger earbuds like the Noise Master Buds 2 were difficult to manage. Fortunately, the Enco Air 5 were not the same. They fit perfectly inside my ear canals, without causing any discomfort. For my 6 AM flight, I put them on before leaving home, and after 4 hours of travel, they were still sitting comfortably.

Still, if the regular medium-sized tips are not to your taste, there are several bundled inside the box. So, experiment to find the best fit. The earbuds are also IP55 rated, and survived my gym sessions in the brutal Indian summers just fine.

Sound Quality & ANC

Different earbuds

The Enco Air 5 earbuds come with a 12mm dynamic driver featuring a titanium-coated PET diaphragm, AAC and SBC codecs, and Bluetooth 6.1. During my testing, I used the Ultimate Sound preset, but if that’s not your jam, there are Thundering Bass and Pure Vocals, along with a full equalizer, which we will talk about soon enough.

On tracks such as “After Hours,” “The Pina Colada Song,” and “Runaway,” the earbuds sounded very well balanced. The sound tuning is fantastic: the highs don’t feel sharp, the mids/vocals sound very clear, and the lows are there. Don’t get me wrong, you won’t get the rumble of a big headphone, but the Enco Air 5 in the bass boost mode packs a punch. Despite the lack of high-res audio support, I found the instrument separation decent and the soundstage wide enough, though not quite as expansive as on the more expensive Enco Air 5 Pro.

If you’d like your instruments placed all around the room, like at a concert, OPPO has its Live Audio feature. It’s not my favorite thing in the world to experience music with, but it works very well to place different elements perfectly around you. I believe the best way to appreciate this is with a movie, and I watched the first episode of Silo season 3 with these connected to my MacBook. The latency was pretty minimal, and the audio was super clean. Even the call quality has been upgraded compared to the previous generation.

Enco Air 5 on a table with the buds out

On the topic of ANC, I was headed to Jaipur to attend a BGMI esports event. If you’ve seen such events, then you’d know they can get loud—really loud. And what better place to test the ANC capabilities of the Enco Air 5? I’ll be straight: you won’t cancel every noise there is, but that doesn’t mean the ANC is bad. In the event, the earbuds suppressed about 80% of the crowd noises, which was great news. On the flight, most of the jet engine rumble was canceled, without any music on. If you do have music running, it’s very easy to cut off the world for a moment of peace.

OPPO claims about 13 hours of battery life on a single charge for the earbuds without ANC on and about 6.5 hours with ANC. I can confirm those numbers are accurate, since I got roughly 5.5 hours with ANC turned on at all times. The case provides a couple of extra charges, so the total output should be around 24-25 hours, depending on your use case. Still, battery life is great overall.

Controls & Companion App

While many people ignore them, controls are a major factor when choosing earbuds. This is because poor controls can be frustrating. Very fortunately, that’s not the case with the Enco Air 5 earbuds. They keep things simple and functional. You get the basics like double-tap to play/pause the music, triple-tap to skip forward/rewind, and tap and hold to turn on ANC.

All of these can be customized to your liking using the HeyMelody app on Android and iOS, or just the Bluetooth settings page if you have an OPPO/OnePlus device. The app has always been great, and you also get Spotify Tap. It connects to your Spotify app and plays a song based on your listening habits whenever you tap your earbuds. I’m an Apple Music user, so I couldn’t test it much, but from what I’ve heard, it’s a great addition. Beyond that, there’s Sound Space, a collection of sounds that help you concentrate better or get work done among the annoying people who watch reels at high volume. Finally, there’s a full 10-band equalizer that lets you tune the sound output precisely to your liking.

Verdict

A person holding the Enco air 5

At ₹3,099, the OPPO Enco Air 5 are another pair of super-easy-to-recommend earbuds. There are no headline features, but everything about the Enco Air 5 feels well balanced. The design is understated yet premium, the comfort is good enough for hours of use, and the companion app is packed with genuinely useful features. The sound tuning gives every part of a track room to breathe without letting one frequency overpower another. Even the ANC does a commendable job of cutting out everyday noise.

#OPPO #Enco #Air #Review #Budget #Earbuds #People #BuyOppo
Dan Da Dan anime studio Science SARU’s adaptation of The Ghost in the Shell is finally streaming on Prime Video, and its pilot episode looks like a ’90s anime fever dream in the best way possible. Major Motoko Kusanagi kicks all the ass, its soundtrack is a bop, and its action sequences are a chef’s kiss. Don’t just take our word for it; check out the trailer below and see for yourself how Science SARU cooked once again.

Ahead of its premiere, io9 got to chat with director Mokochan and character designer Shuhei Handa at Anime Expo about how their vision for Masamune Shirow’s seminal cyberpunk manga came to be, as well as a couple of pointed fandom-centric questions for fans who’ve been dying to see Major Motoko Kusanagi realized in all her goofy glory. 

‘The Ghost in the Shell’ Director, Character Designer on Keeping Motoko True to the Manga Dan Da Dan anime studio Science SARU’s adaptation of The Ghost in the Shell is finally streaming on Prime Video, and its pilot episode looks like a ’90s anime fever dream in the best way possible. Major Motoko Kusanagi kicks all the ass, its soundtrack is a bop, and its action sequences are a chef’s kiss. Don’t just take our word for it; check out the trailer below and see for yourself how Science SARU cooked once again. [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ahZn4dVCbvs[/embed] Ahead of its premiere, io9 got to chat with director Mokochan and character designer Shuhei Handa at Anime Expo about how their vision for Masamune Shirow’s seminal cyberpunk manga came to be, as well as a couple of pointed fandom-centric questions for fans who’ve been dying to see Major Motoko Kusanagi realized in all her goofy glory.  Left: Shuhei Handa, right: Mokochan. © Isaiah Colbert/io9 This interview was edited for clarity.  Isaiah Colbert, io9: From Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken!, Devilman Crybaby, Inu-Oh, Scott Pilgrim Takes Off, and Dan Da Dan to Sanda and Jaadugar: A Witch in Mongolia, Science SARU has built an impressive portfolio and reputation for making bold, expressive, and experimental anime. What about The Ghost in the Shell made it feel like a natural fit as the studio’s next project? Mokochan: For all of the works done by Science SARU, using animation to do storytelling is very important. That’s why we use a lot of hand-drawn animation in it. For The Ghost in the Shell, the most important thing is to use the visuals to capture its world. It’s the same policy with other series as well. TVアニメ「#攻殻機動隊 THE GHOST IN THE SHELL」⋱ご視聴ありがとうございました⋰ ◤◢◤◢◤◢◤◢◤◢◤◢◤◢ 第01話より草薙素子と荒巻大輔の出会い 👩🏻 🐵迫力の原画を大公開！ 原画｜小島崇史 さん ◤◢◤◢◤◢◤◢◤◢◤◢◤◢https://t.co/wICYD3OlUm pic.twitter.com/6rNlJdXZZk — サイエンスSARU (@sciencesaru) July 7, 2026 io9: From the jump, The Ghost in the Shell marks a stark tonal shift—a return—towards Masamune Shirow’s lighter, more mischievous vision of the cyberpunk epic. What led Science SARU to pivot away from the austere, military tone that Mamoru Oshii’s 1995 film would go on to cement as the franchise’s vibe for decades? Mokochan: We didn’t intentionally try to change the tone from how director Mamoru Oshii did previously because the concept for making this new series is to base it on the original manga, so we already had our own way of making this one. © Masamune Shirow/Kodansha io9: In an era when people often use AI to cheaply mimic retro anime aesthetics, the new Ghost in the Shell feels like a deliberate rejection of AI’s pervasiveness in the arts—where every frame in the trailers looks unmistakably hand‑crafted. It’s a phenomenon that’s certainly paradoxical, considering that the manga prophesied how such technologies would be utilized in the not-so-far-off year of 2029. What’s Science SARU’s stance on AI, and what specific animation techniques did it use most to capture the show’s aesthetic through the power of collective human artistry? Mokochan: One of the concepts of the original manga is about the mysterious part of the human being. So we wanted to honor how the original creator captured the world and how we express all of the story in the original manga. So we wanted to follow the same concept using the same method to show humanity by using hand-drawn art. We prefer to just use our arms to draw all of the animation. Handa: It’s because the main concept is about the human body, so that’s why we prefer hand-drawn art over AI. © Science SARU io9: Major Kusanagi has long been read as a bisexual icon in the West, especially because of Shirow’s famous island-escapade chapter with her gal pals, which has been lost in some Western reprints of the original manga. She’s also considerably goofier in the manga, a trait fans lovingly call a “bisexual disaster.” In what ways was it important for Science SARU to depict Kusanagi’s inherent goofball nature and her queerness in this adaptation, and what does portraying that side of her mean for a global audience in 2026? Mokochan: During the process of making the new series, we were actually very surprised by it because, compared to the original manga, a lot of the thoughts about sexuality are very advanced, exploring many possibilities. It’s not just about sexuality; it’s also about the human being, technology, and many other things. [The manga] accepts everything in the world. That was a very big surprise. We didn’t intend to modernize the content to make it fit the new era. © Science SARU [The Ghost in the Shell producers’ note in regard to Science SARU’s adaptation of Motoko’s vacation scene from the original manga: “We had to adjust the depictions in the original work to match the rating.”] Handa: When we portray Kusanagi’s character, we like to bring out all the comical parts because they’re in the original manga. It’s kind of different how director Oshii portrays her in the previous series because, in those series, Kusanagi was not that expressive. We prefer to keep the authentic parts of the original manga, so we thought we definitely needed to keep the comical parts in the character, so that’s why we included that content. © Science SARU © Science SARU © Science SARU © Science SARU io9: As a fan of the series, I’ve seen Ghost in the Shell go through different iterations, reinterpretations, and reboots. And in that, Motoko’s design has changed in a way that reflects how different people interpret her. But while her outer shell is different, the themes—the ghost in the original story—remain in each adaptation. For Science SARU’s newer adaptation of The Ghost in the Shell, which themes from the original manga feel more prescient now than when it first came out? Mokochan: Because the original intent of this project is to follow the original manga—not just Kusanagi, but also all the content and the world’s concept—we didn’t try to modernize any part of it. The creative team, all of whom are also big fans of the original manga. So, for the world, the story, the characters, and the theme, it’s all the same because we want to honor the original manga. ｳｵｵｵ攻殻機動隊1話にLOと作画監督で参加させていただきました！憧れの攻殻機動隊に関わることができて感激です🔥LOはセンターの子供が撃たれるあたりから脱走するところまで、作監は冒頭からOP前あたりまでです。少佐かっこよくて可愛かった〜！こちら担当LOのうちの1カットです🙏🏻#攻殻機動隊 pic.twitter.com/zUlxgD9fin — 宮かなえ (@miyakanae_) July 7, 2026 The Ghost in the Shell is streaming now on Prime Video. io9 is on the ground at Anime Expo 2026. We’ll be bringing you updates on all the biggest panels, screenings, and announcements, plus exclusive one-on-one interviews with the people behind some of the best and most popular anime around. You can check out all of io9’s Anime Expo coverage here. Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who. #Ghost #Shell #Director #Character #Designer #Keeping #Motoko #True #MangaAnime,Anime Expo,Science Saru,The Ghost in the Shell
Left: Shuhei Handa, right: Mokochan. © Isaiah Colbert/io9

This interview was edited for clarity. 

Isaiah Colbert, io9: From Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken!, Devilman Crybaby, Inu-Oh, Scott Pilgrim Takes Off, and Dan Da Dan to Sanda and Jaadugar: A Witch in Mongolia, Science SARU has built an impressive portfolio and reputation for making bold, expressive, and experimental anime. What about The Ghost in the Shell made it feel like a natural fit as the studio’s next project?

Mokochan: For all of the works done by Science SARU, using animation to do storytelling is very important. That’s why we use a lot of hand-drawn animation in it. For The Ghost in the Shell, the most important thing is to use the visuals to capture its world. It’s the same policy with other series as well.

io9: From the jump, The Ghost in the Shell marks a stark tonal shift—a return—towards Masamune Shirow’s lighter, more mischievous vision of the cyberpunk epic. What led Science SARU to pivot away from the austere, military tone that Mamoru Oshii’s 1995 film would go on to cement as the franchise’s vibe for decades?

Mokochan: We didn’t intentionally try to change the tone from how director Mamoru Oshii did previously because the concept for making this new series is to base it on the original manga, so we already had our own way of making this one.

Ghost In The Shell Shirow Masamune Kodansha (1)
© Masamune Shirow/Kodansha

io9: In an era when people often use AI to cheaply mimic retro anime aesthetics, the new Ghost in the Shell feels like a deliberate rejection of AI’s pervasiveness in the arts—where every frame in the trailers looks unmistakably hand‑crafted. It’s a phenomenon that’s certainly paradoxical, considering that the manga prophesied how such technologies would be utilized in the not-so-far-off year of 2029. What’s Science SARU’s stance on AI, and what specific animation techniques did it use most to capture the show’s aesthetic through the power of collective human artistry?

Mokochan: One of the concepts of the original manga is about the mysterious part of the human being. So we wanted to honor how the original creator captured the world and how we express all of the story in the original manga. So we wanted to follow the same concept using the same method to show humanity by using hand-drawn art. We prefer to just use our arms to draw all of the animation.

Handa: It’s because the main concept is about the human body, so that’s why we prefer hand-drawn art over AI.

The Ghost In The Shell image of Motoko Kusanagi.
© Science SARU

io9: Major Kusanagi has long been read as a bisexual icon in the West, especially because of Shirow’s famous island-escapade chapter with her gal pals, which has been lost in some Western reprints of the original manga. She’s also considerably goofier in the manga, a trait fans lovingly call a “bisexual disaster.” In what ways was it important for Science SARU to depict Kusanagi’s inherent goofball nature and her queerness in this adaptation, and what does portraying that side of her mean for a global audience in 2026?

Mokochan: During the process of making the new series, we were actually very surprised by it because, compared to the original manga, a lot of the thoughts about sexuality are very advanced, exploring many possibilities. It’s not just about sexuality; it’s also about the human being, technology, and many other things. [The manga] accepts everything in the world. That was a very big surprise. We didn’t intend to modernize the content to make it fit the new era.

The Ghost In The Shell still of Kusanagi kissing a woman.
© Science SARU

[The Ghost in the Shell producers’ note in regard to Science SARU’s adaptation of Motoko’s vacation scene from the original manga: “We had to adjust the depictions in the original work to match the rating.”]

Handa: When we portray Kusanagi’s character, we like to bring out all the comical parts because they’re in the original manga. It’s kind of different how director Oshii portrays her in the previous series because, in those series, Kusanagi was not that expressive. We prefer to keep the authentic parts of the original manga, so we thought we definitely needed to keep the comical parts in the character, so that’s why we included that content.

io9: As a fan of the series, I’ve seen Ghost in the Shell go through different iterations, reinterpretations, and reboots. And in that, Motoko’s design has changed in a way that reflects how different people interpret her. But while her outer shell is different, the themes—the ghost in the original story—remain in each adaptation. For Science SARU’s newer adaptation of The Ghost in the Shell, which themes from the original manga feel more prescient now than when it first came out?

Mokochan: Because the original intent of this project is to follow the original manga—not just Kusanagi, but also all the content and the world’s concept—we didn’t try to modernize any part of it. The creative team, all of whom are also big fans of the original manga. So, for the world, the story, the characters, and the theme, it’s all the same because we want to honor the original manga.

The Ghost in the Shell is streaming now on Prime Video.

io9 is on the ground at Anime Expo 2026. We’ll be bringing you updates on all the biggest panels, screenings, and announcements, plus exclusive one-on-one interviews with the people behind some of the best and most popular anime around. You can check out all of io9’s Anime Expo coverage here.

Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.

#Ghost #Shell #Director #Character #Designer #Keeping #Motoko #True #MangaAnime,Anime Expo,Science Saru,The Ghost in the Shell">‘The Ghost in the Shell’ Director, Character Designer on Keeping Motoko True to the Manga Dan Da Dan anime studio Science SARU’s adaptation of The Ghost in the Shell is finally streaming on Prime Video, and its pilot episode looks like a ’90s anime fever dream in the best way possible. Major Motoko Kusanagi kicks all the ass, its soundtrack is a bop, and its action sequences are a chef’s kiss. Don’t just take our word for it; check out the trailer below and see for yourself how Science SARU cooked once again. [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ahZn4dVCbvs[/embed] Ahead of its premiere, io9 got to chat with director Mokochan and character designer Shuhei Handa at Anime Expo about how their vision for Masamune Shirow’s seminal cyberpunk manga came to be, as well as a couple of pointed fandom-centric questions for fans who’ve been dying to see Major Motoko Kusanagi realized in all her goofy glory.  Left: Shuhei Handa, right: Mokochan. © Isaiah Colbert/io9 This interview was edited for clarity.  Isaiah Colbert, io9: From Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken!, Devilman Crybaby, Inu-Oh, Scott Pilgrim Takes Off, and Dan Da Dan to Sanda and Jaadugar: A Witch in Mongolia, Science SARU has built an impressive portfolio and reputation for making bold, expressive, and experimental anime. What about The Ghost in the Shell made it feel like a natural fit as the studio’s next project? Mokochan: For all of the works done by Science SARU, using animation to do storytelling is very important. That’s why we use a lot of hand-drawn animation in it. For The Ghost in the Shell, the most important thing is to use the visuals to capture its world. It’s the same policy with other series as well. TVアニメ「#攻殻機動隊 THE GHOST IN THE SHELL」⋱ご視聴ありがとうございました⋰ ◤◢◤◢◤◢◤◢◤◢◤◢◤◢ 第01話より草薙素子と荒巻大輔の出会い 👩🏻 🐵迫力の原画を大公開！ 原画｜小島崇史 さん ◤◢◤◢◤◢◤◢◤◢◤◢◤◢https://t.co/wICYD3OlUm pic.twitter.com/6rNlJdXZZk — サイエンスSARU (@sciencesaru) July 7, 2026 io9: From the jump, The Ghost in the Shell marks a stark tonal shift—a return—towards Masamune Shirow’s lighter, more mischievous vision of the cyberpunk epic. What led Science SARU to pivot away from the austere, military tone that Mamoru Oshii’s 1995 film would go on to cement as the franchise’s vibe for decades? Mokochan: We didn’t intentionally try to change the tone from how director Mamoru Oshii did previously because the concept for making this new series is to base it on the original manga, so we already had our own way of making this one. © Masamune Shirow/Kodansha io9: In an era when people often use AI to cheaply mimic retro anime aesthetics, the new Ghost in the Shell feels like a deliberate rejection of AI’s pervasiveness in the arts—where every frame in the trailers looks unmistakably hand‑crafted. It’s a phenomenon that’s certainly paradoxical, considering that the manga prophesied how such technologies would be utilized in the not-so-far-off year of 2029. What’s Science SARU’s stance on AI, and what specific animation techniques did it use most to capture the show’s aesthetic through the power of collective human artistry? Mokochan: One of the concepts of the original manga is about the mysterious part of the human being. So we wanted to honor how the original creator captured the world and how we express all of the story in the original manga. So we wanted to follow the same concept using the same method to show humanity by using hand-drawn art. We prefer to just use our arms to draw all of the animation. Handa: It’s because the main concept is about the human body, so that’s why we prefer hand-drawn art over AI. © Science SARU io9: Major Kusanagi has long been read as a bisexual icon in the West, especially because of Shirow’s famous island-escapade chapter with her gal pals, which has been lost in some Western reprints of the original manga. She’s also considerably goofier in the manga, a trait fans lovingly call a “bisexual disaster.” In what ways was it important for Science SARU to depict Kusanagi’s inherent goofball nature and her queerness in this adaptation, and what does portraying that side of her mean for a global audience in 2026? Mokochan: During the process of making the new series, we were actually very surprised by it because, compared to the original manga, a lot of the thoughts about sexuality are very advanced, exploring many possibilities. It’s not just about sexuality; it’s also about the human being, technology, and many other things. [The manga] accepts everything in the world. That was a very big surprise. We didn’t intend to modernize the content to make it fit the new era. © Science SARU [The Ghost in the Shell producers’ note in regard to Science SARU’s adaptation of Motoko’s vacation scene from the original manga: “We had to adjust the depictions in the original work to match the rating.”] Handa: When we portray Kusanagi’s character, we like to bring out all the comical parts because they’re in the original manga. It’s kind of different how director Oshii portrays her in the previous series because, in those series, Kusanagi was not that expressive. We prefer to keep the authentic parts of the original manga, so we thought we definitely needed to keep the comical parts in the character, so that’s why we included that content. © Science SARU © Science SARU © Science SARU © Science SARU io9: As a fan of the series, I’ve seen Ghost in the Shell go through different iterations, reinterpretations, and reboots. And in that, Motoko’s design has changed in a way that reflects how different people interpret her. But while her outer shell is different, the themes—the ghost in the original story—remain in each adaptation. For Science SARU’s newer adaptation of The Ghost in the Shell, which themes from the original manga feel more prescient now than when it first came out? Mokochan: Because the original intent of this project is to follow the original manga—not just Kusanagi, but also all the content and the world’s concept—we didn’t try to modernize any part of it. The creative team, all of whom are also big fans of the original manga. So, for the world, the story, the characters, and the theme, it’s all the same because we want to honor the original manga. ｳｵｵｵ攻殻機動隊1話にLOと作画監督で参加させていただきました！憧れの攻殻機動隊に関わることができて感激です🔥LOはセンターの子供が撃たれるあたりから脱走するところまで、作監は冒頭からOP前あたりまでです。少佐かっこよくて可愛かった〜！こちら担当LOのうちの1カットです🙏🏻#攻殻機動隊 pic.twitter.com/zUlxgD9fin — 宮かなえ (@miyakanae_) July 7, 2026 The Ghost in the Shell is streaming now on Prime Video. io9 is on the ground at Anime Expo 2026. We’ll be bringing you updates on all the biggest panels, screenings, and announcements, plus exclusive one-on-one interviews with the people behind some of the best and most popular anime around. You can check out all of io9’s Anime Expo coverage here. Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who. #Ghost #Shell #Director #Character #Designer #Keeping #Motoko #True #MangaAnime,Anime Expo,Science Saru,The Ghost in the Shell

 anime studio Science SARU’s adaptation of The Ghost in the Shell is finally streaming on Prime Video, and its pilot episode looks like a ’90s anime fever dream in the best way possible. Major Motoko Kusanagi kicks all the ass, its soundtrack is a bop, and its action sequences are a chef’s kiss. Don’t just take our word for it; check out the trailer below and see for yourself how Science SARU cooked once again.

Ahead of its premiere, io9 got to chat with director Mokochan and character designer Shuhei Handa at Anime Expo about how their vision for Masamune Shirow’s seminal cyberpunk manga came to be, as well as a couple of pointed fandom-centric questions for fans who’ve been dying to see Major Motoko Kusanagi realized in all her goofy glory. 

‘The Ghost in the Shell’ Director, Character Designer on Keeping Motoko True to the Manga Dan Da Dan anime studio Science SARU’s adaptation of The Ghost in the Shell is finally streaming on Prime Video, and its pilot episode looks like a ’90s anime fever dream in the best way possible. Major Motoko Kusanagi kicks all the ass, its soundtrack is a bop, and its action sequences are a chef’s kiss. Don’t just take our word for it; check out the trailer below and see for yourself how Science SARU cooked once again. [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ahZn4dVCbvs[/embed] Ahead of its premiere, io9 got to chat with director Mokochan and character designer Shuhei Handa at Anime Expo about how their vision for Masamune Shirow’s seminal cyberpunk manga came to be, as well as a couple of pointed fandom-centric questions for fans who’ve been dying to see Major Motoko Kusanagi realized in all her goofy glory.  Left: Shuhei Handa, right: Mokochan. © Isaiah Colbert/io9 This interview was edited for clarity.  Isaiah Colbert, io9: From Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken!, Devilman Crybaby, Inu-Oh, Scott Pilgrim Takes Off, and Dan Da Dan to Sanda and Jaadugar: A Witch in Mongolia, Science SARU has built an impressive portfolio and reputation for making bold, expressive, and experimental anime. What about The Ghost in the Shell made it feel like a natural fit as the studio’s next project? Mokochan: For all of the works done by Science SARU, using animation to do storytelling is very important. That’s why we use a lot of hand-drawn animation in it. For The Ghost in the Shell, the most important thing is to use the visuals to capture its world. It’s the same policy with other series as well. TVアニメ「#攻殻機動隊 THE GHOST IN THE SHELL」⋱ご視聴ありがとうございました⋰ ◤◢◤◢◤◢◤◢◤◢◤◢◤◢ 第01話より草薙素子と荒巻大輔の出会い 👩🏻 🐵迫力の原画を大公開！ 原画｜小島崇史 さん ◤◢◤◢◤◢◤◢◤◢◤◢◤◢https://t.co/wICYD3OlUm pic.twitter.com/6rNlJdXZZk — サイエンスSARU (@sciencesaru) July 7, 2026 io9: From the jump, The Ghost in the Shell marks a stark tonal shift—a return—towards Masamune Shirow’s lighter, more mischievous vision of the cyberpunk epic. What led Science SARU to pivot away from the austere, military tone that Mamoru Oshii’s 1995 film would go on to cement as the franchise’s vibe for decades? Mokochan: We didn’t intentionally try to change the tone from how director Mamoru Oshii did previously because the concept for making this new series is to base it on the original manga, so we already had our own way of making this one. © Masamune Shirow/Kodansha io9: In an era when people often use AI to cheaply mimic retro anime aesthetics, the new Ghost in the Shell feels like a deliberate rejection of AI’s pervasiveness in the arts—where every frame in the trailers looks unmistakably hand‑crafted. It’s a phenomenon that’s certainly paradoxical, considering that the manga prophesied how such technologies would be utilized in the not-so-far-off year of 2029. What’s Science SARU’s stance on AI, and what specific animation techniques did it use most to capture the show’s aesthetic through the power of collective human artistry? Mokochan: One of the concepts of the original manga is about the mysterious part of the human being. So we wanted to honor how the original creator captured the world and how we express all of the story in the original manga. So we wanted to follow the same concept using the same method to show humanity by using hand-drawn art. We prefer to just use our arms to draw all of the animation. Handa: It’s because the main concept is about the human body, so that’s why we prefer hand-drawn art over AI. © Science SARU io9: Major Kusanagi has long been read as a bisexual icon in the West, especially because of Shirow’s famous island-escapade chapter with her gal pals, which has been lost in some Western reprints of the original manga. She’s also considerably goofier in the manga, a trait fans lovingly call a “bisexual disaster.” In what ways was it important for Science SARU to depict Kusanagi’s inherent goofball nature and her queerness in this adaptation, and what does portraying that side of her mean for a global audience in 2026? Mokochan: During the process of making the new series, we were actually very surprised by it because, compared to the original manga, a lot of the thoughts about sexuality are very advanced, exploring many possibilities. It’s not just about sexuality; it’s also about the human being, technology, and many other things. [The manga] accepts everything in the world. That was a very big surprise. We didn’t intend to modernize the content to make it fit the new era. © Science SARU [The Ghost in the Shell producers’ note in regard to Science SARU’s adaptation of Motoko’s vacation scene from the original manga: “We had to adjust the depictions in the original work to match the rating.”] Handa: When we portray Kusanagi’s character, we like to bring out all the comical parts because they’re in the original manga. It’s kind of different how director Oshii portrays her in the previous series because, in those series, Kusanagi was not that expressive. We prefer to keep the authentic parts of the original manga, so we thought we definitely needed to keep the comical parts in the character, so that’s why we included that content. © Science SARU © Science SARU © Science SARU © Science SARU io9: As a fan of the series, I’ve seen Ghost in the Shell go through different iterations, reinterpretations, and reboots. And in that, Motoko’s design has changed in a way that reflects how different people interpret her. But while her outer shell is different, the themes—the ghost in the original story—remain in each adaptation. For Science SARU’s newer adaptation of The Ghost in the Shell, which themes from the original manga feel more prescient now than when it first came out? Mokochan: Because the original intent of this project is to follow the original manga—not just Kusanagi, but also all the content and the world’s concept—we didn’t try to modernize any part of it. The creative team, all of whom are also big fans of the original manga. So, for the world, the story, the characters, and the theme, it’s all the same because we want to honor the original manga. ｳｵｵｵ攻殻機動隊1話にLOと作画監督で参加させていただきました！憧れの攻殻機動隊に関わることができて感激です🔥LOはセンターの子供が撃たれるあたりから脱走するところまで、作監は冒頭からOP前あたりまでです。少佐かっこよくて可愛かった〜！こちら担当LOのうちの1カットです🙏🏻#攻殻機動隊 pic.twitter.com/zUlxgD9fin — 宮かなえ (@miyakanae_) July 7, 2026 The Ghost in the Shell is streaming now on Prime Video. io9 is on the ground at Anime Expo 2026. We’ll be bringing you updates on all the biggest panels, screenings, and announcements, plus exclusive one-on-one interviews with the people behind some of the best and most popular anime around. You can check out all of io9’s Anime Expo coverage here. Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who. #Ghost #Shell #Director #Character #Designer #Keeping #Motoko #True #MangaAnime,Anime Expo,Science Saru,The Ghost in the Shell
Left: Shuhei Handa, right: Mokochan. © Isaiah Colbert/io9

This interview was edited for clarity. 

Isaiah Colbert, io9: From Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken!, Devilman Crybaby, Inu-Oh, Scott Pilgrim Takes Off, and Dan Da Dan to Sanda and Jaadugar: A Witch in Mongolia, Science SARU has built an impressive portfolio and reputation for making bold, expressive, and experimental anime. What about The Ghost in the Shell made it feel like a natural fit as the studio’s next project?

Mokochan: For all of the works done by Science SARU, using animation to do storytelling is very important. That’s why we use a lot of hand-drawn animation in it. For The Ghost in the Shell, the most important thing is to use the visuals to capture its world. It’s the same policy with other series as well.

io9: From the jump, The Ghost in the Shell marks a stark tonal shift—a return—towards Masamune Shirow’s lighter, more mischievous vision of the cyberpunk epic. What led Science SARU to pivot away from the austere, military tone that Mamoru Oshii’s 1995 film would go on to cement as the franchise’s vibe for decades?

Mokochan: We didn’t intentionally try to change the tone from how director Mamoru Oshii did previously because the concept for making this new series is to base it on the original manga, so we already had our own way of making this one.

Ghost In The Shell Shirow Masamune Kodansha (1)
© Masamune Shirow/Kodansha

io9: In an era when people often use AI to cheaply mimic retro anime aesthetics, the new Ghost in the Shell feels like a deliberate rejection of AI’s pervasiveness in the arts—where every frame in the trailers looks unmistakably hand‑crafted. It’s a phenomenon that’s certainly paradoxical, considering that the manga prophesied how such technologies would be utilized in the not-so-far-off year of 2029. What’s Science SARU’s stance on AI, and what specific animation techniques did it use most to capture the show’s aesthetic through the power of collective human artistry?

Mokochan: One of the concepts of the original manga is about the mysterious part of the human being. So we wanted to honor how the original creator captured the world and how we express all of the story in the original manga. So we wanted to follow the same concept using the same method to show humanity by using hand-drawn art. We prefer to just use our arms to draw all of the animation.

Handa: It’s because the main concept is about the human body, so that’s why we prefer hand-drawn art over AI.

The Ghost In The Shell image of Motoko Kusanagi.
© Science SARU

io9: Major Kusanagi has long been read as a bisexual icon in the West, especially because of Shirow’s famous island-escapade chapter with her gal pals, which has been lost in some Western reprints of the original manga. She’s also considerably goofier in the manga, a trait fans lovingly call a “bisexual disaster.” In what ways was it important for Science SARU to depict Kusanagi’s inherent goofball nature and her queerness in this adaptation, and what does portraying that side of her mean for a global audience in 2026?

Mokochan: During the process of making the new series, we were actually very surprised by it because, compared to the original manga, a lot of the thoughts about sexuality are very advanced, exploring many possibilities. It’s not just about sexuality; it’s also about the human being, technology, and many other things. [The manga] accepts everything in the world. That was a very big surprise. We didn’t intend to modernize the content to make it fit the new era.

The Ghost In The Shell still of Kusanagi kissing a woman.
© Science SARU

[The Ghost in the Shell producers’ note in regard to Science SARU’s adaptation of Motoko’s vacation scene from the original manga: “We had to adjust the depictions in the original work to match the rating.”]

Handa: When we portray Kusanagi’s character, we like to bring out all the comical parts because they’re in the original manga. It’s kind of different how director Oshii portrays her in the previous series because, in those series, Kusanagi was not that expressive. We prefer to keep the authentic parts of the original manga, so we thought we definitely needed to keep the comical parts in the character, so that’s why we included that content.

io9: As a fan of the series, I’ve seen Ghost in the Shell go through different iterations, reinterpretations, and reboots. And in that, Motoko’s design has changed in a way that reflects how different people interpret her. But while her outer shell is different, the themes—the ghost in the original story—remain in each adaptation. For Science SARU’s newer adaptation of The Ghost in the Shell, which themes from the original manga feel more prescient now than when it first came out?

Mokochan: Because the original intent of this project is to follow the original manga—not just Kusanagi, but also all the content and the world’s concept—we didn’t try to modernize any part of it. The creative team, all of whom are also big fans of the original manga. So, for the world, the story, the characters, and the theme, it’s all the same because we want to honor the original manga.

The Ghost in the Shell is streaming now on Prime Video.

io9 is on the ground at Anime Expo 2026. We’ll be bringing you updates on all the biggest panels, screenings, and announcements, plus exclusive one-on-one interviews with the people behind some of the best and most popular anime around. You can check out all of io9’s Anime Expo coverage here.

Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.

#Ghost #Shell #Director #Character #Designer #Keeping #Motoko #True #MangaAnime,Anime Expo,Science Saru,The Ghost in the Shell">‘The Ghost in the Shell’ Director, Character Designer on Keeping Motoko True to the Manga

Dan Da Dan anime studio Science SARU’s adaptation of The Ghost in the Shell is finally streaming on Prime Video, and its pilot episode looks like a ’90s anime fever dream in the best way possible. Major Motoko Kusanagi kicks all the ass, its soundtrack is a bop, and its action sequences are a chef’s kiss. Don’t just take our word for it; check out the trailer below and see for yourself how Science SARU cooked once again.

Ahead of its premiere, io9 got to chat with director Mokochan and character designer Shuhei Handa at Anime Expo about how their vision for Masamune Shirow’s seminal cyberpunk manga came to be, as well as a couple of pointed fandom-centric questions for fans who’ve been dying to see Major Motoko Kusanagi realized in all her goofy glory. 

‘The Ghost in the Shell’ Director, Character Designer on Keeping Motoko True to the Manga Dan Da Dan anime studio Science SARU’s adaptation of The Ghost in the Shell is finally streaming on Prime Video, and its pilot episode looks like a ’90s anime fever dream in the best way possible. Major Motoko Kusanagi kicks all the ass, its soundtrack is a bop, and its action sequences are a chef’s kiss. Don’t just take our word for it; check out the trailer below and see for yourself how Science SARU cooked once again. [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ahZn4dVCbvs[/embed] Ahead of its premiere, io9 got to chat with director Mokochan and character designer Shuhei Handa at Anime Expo about how their vision for Masamune Shirow’s seminal cyberpunk manga came to be, as well as a couple of pointed fandom-centric questions for fans who’ve been dying to see Major Motoko Kusanagi realized in all her goofy glory.  Left: Shuhei Handa, right: Mokochan. © Isaiah Colbert/io9 This interview was edited for clarity.  Isaiah Colbert, io9: From Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken!, Devilman Crybaby, Inu-Oh, Scott Pilgrim Takes Off, and Dan Da Dan to Sanda and Jaadugar: A Witch in Mongolia, Science SARU has built an impressive portfolio and reputation for making bold, expressive, and experimental anime. What about The Ghost in the Shell made it feel like a natural fit as the studio’s next project? Mokochan: For all of the works done by Science SARU, using animation to do storytelling is very important. That’s why we use a lot of hand-drawn animation in it. For The Ghost in the Shell, the most important thing is to use the visuals to capture its world. It’s the same policy with other series as well. TVアニメ「#攻殻機動隊 THE GHOST IN THE SHELL」⋱ご視聴ありがとうございました⋰ ◤◢◤◢◤◢◤◢◤◢◤◢◤◢ 第01話より草薙素子と荒巻大輔の出会い 👩🏻 🐵迫力の原画を大公開！ 原画｜小島崇史 さん ◤◢◤◢◤◢◤◢◤◢◤◢◤◢https://t.co/wICYD3OlUm pic.twitter.com/6rNlJdXZZk — サイエンスSARU (@sciencesaru) July 7, 2026 io9: From the jump, The Ghost in the Shell marks a stark tonal shift—a return—towards Masamune Shirow’s lighter, more mischievous vision of the cyberpunk epic. What led Science SARU to pivot away from the austere, military tone that Mamoru Oshii’s 1995 film would go on to cement as the franchise’s vibe for decades? Mokochan: We didn’t intentionally try to change the tone from how director Mamoru Oshii did previously because the concept for making this new series is to base it on the original manga, so we already had our own way of making this one. © Masamune Shirow/Kodansha io9: In an era when people often use AI to cheaply mimic retro anime aesthetics, the new Ghost in the Shell feels like a deliberate rejection of AI’s pervasiveness in the arts—where every frame in the trailers looks unmistakably hand‑crafted. It’s a phenomenon that’s certainly paradoxical, considering that the manga prophesied how such technologies would be utilized in the not-so-far-off year of 2029. What’s Science SARU’s stance on AI, and what specific animation techniques did it use most to capture the show’s aesthetic through the power of collective human artistry? Mokochan: One of the concepts of the original manga is about the mysterious part of the human being. So we wanted to honor how the original creator captured the world and how we express all of the story in the original manga. So we wanted to follow the same concept using the same method to show humanity by using hand-drawn art. We prefer to just use our arms to draw all of the animation. Handa: It’s because the main concept is about the human body, so that’s why we prefer hand-drawn art over AI. © Science SARU io9: Major Kusanagi has long been read as a bisexual icon in the West, especially because of Shirow’s famous island-escapade chapter with her gal pals, which has been lost in some Western reprints of the original manga. She’s also considerably goofier in the manga, a trait fans lovingly call a “bisexual disaster.” In what ways was it important for Science SARU to depict Kusanagi’s inherent goofball nature and her queerness in this adaptation, and what does portraying that side of her mean for a global audience in 2026? Mokochan: During the process of making the new series, we were actually very surprised by it because, compared to the original manga, a lot of the thoughts about sexuality are very advanced, exploring many possibilities. It’s not just about sexuality; it’s also about the human being, technology, and many other things. [The manga] accepts everything in the world. That was a very big surprise. We didn’t intend to modernize the content to make it fit the new era. © Science SARU [The Ghost in the Shell producers’ note in regard to Science SARU’s adaptation of Motoko’s vacation scene from the original manga: “We had to adjust the depictions in the original work to match the rating.”] Handa: When we portray Kusanagi’s character, we like to bring out all the comical parts because they’re in the original manga. It’s kind of different how director Oshii portrays her in the previous series because, in those series, Kusanagi was not that expressive. We prefer to keep the authentic parts of the original manga, so we thought we definitely needed to keep the comical parts in the character, so that’s why we included that content. © Science SARU © Science SARU © Science SARU © Science SARU io9: As a fan of the series, I’ve seen Ghost in the Shell go through different iterations, reinterpretations, and reboots. And in that, Motoko’s design has changed in a way that reflects how different people interpret her. But while her outer shell is different, the themes—the ghost in the original story—remain in each adaptation. For Science SARU’s newer adaptation of The Ghost in the Shell, which themes from the original manga feel more prescient now than when it first came out? Mokochan: Because the original intent of this project is to follow the original manga—not just Kusanagi, but also all the content and the world’s concept—we didn’t try to modernize any part of it. The creative team, all of whom are also big fans of the original manga. So, for the world, the story, the characters, and the theme, it’s all the same because we want to honor the original manga. ｳｵｵｵ攻殻機動隊1話にLOと作画監督で参加させていただきました！憧れの攻殻機動隊に関わることができて感激です🔥LOはセンターの子供が撃たれるあたりから脱走するところまで、作監は冒頭からOP前あたりまでです。少佐かっこよくて可愛かった〜！こちら担当LOのうちの1カットです🙏🏻#攻殻機動隊 pic.twitter.com/zUlxgD9fin — 宮かなえ (@miyakanae_) July 7, 2026 The Ghost in the Shell is streaming now on Prime Video. io9 is on the ground at Anime Expo 2026. We’ll be bringing you updates on all the biggest panels, screenings, and announcements, plus exclusive one-on-one interviews with the people behind some of the best and most popular anime around. You can check out all of io9’s Anime Expo coverage here. Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who. #Ghost #Shell #Director #Character #Designer #Keeping #Motoko #True #MangaAnime,Anime Expo,Science Saru,The Ghost in the Shell
Left: Shuhei Handa, right: Mokochan. © Isaiah Colbert/io9

This interview was edited for clarity. 

Isaiah Colbert, io9: From Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken!, Devilman Crybaby, Inu-Oh, Scott Pilgrim Takes Off, and Dan Da Dan to Sanda and Jaadugar: A Witch in Mongolia, Science SARU has built an impressive portfolio and reputation for making bold, expressive, and experimental anime. What about The Ghost in the Shell made it feel like a natural fit as the studio’s next project?

Mokochan: For all of the works done by Science SARU, using animation to do storytelling is very important. That’s why we use a lot of hand-drawn animation in it. For The Ghost in the Shell, the most important thing is to use the visuals to capture its world. It’s the same policy with other series as well.

io9: From the jump, The Ghost in the Shell marks a stark tonal shift—a return—towards Masamune Shirow’s lighter, more mischievous vision of the cyberpunk epic. What led Science SARU to pivot away from the austere, military tone that Mamoru Oshii’s 1995 film would go on to cement as the franchise’s vibe for decades?

Mokochan: We didn’t intentionally try to change the tone from how director Mamoru Oshii did previously because the concept for making this new series is to base it on the original manga, so we already had our own way of making this one.

Ghost In The Shell Shirow Masamune Kodansha (1)
© Masamune Shirow/Kodansha

io9: In an era when people often use AI to cheaply mimic retro anime aesthetics, the new Ghost in the Shell feels like a deliberate rejection of AI’s pervasiveness in the arts—where every frame in the trailers looks unmistakably hand‑crafted. It’s a phenomenon that’s certainly paradoxical, considering that the manga prophesied how such technologies would be utilized in the not-so-far-off year of 2029. What’s Science SARU’s stance on AI, and what specific animation techniques did it use most to capture the show’s aesthetic through the power of collective human artistry?

Mokochan: One of the concepts of the original manga is about the mysterious part of the human being. So we wanted to honor how the original creator captured the world and how we express all of the story in the original manga. So we wanted to follow the same concept using the same method to show humanity by using hand-drawn art. We prefer to just use our arms to draw all of the animation.

Handa: It’s because the main concept is about the human body, so that’s why we prefer hand-drawn art over AI.

The Ghost In The Shell image of Motoko Kusanagi.
© Science SARU

io9: Major Kusanagi has long been read as a bisexual icon in the West, especially because of Shirow’s famous island-escapade chapter with her gal pals, which has been lost in some Western reprints of the original manga. She’s also considerably goofier in the manga, a trait fans lovingly call a “bisexual disaster.” In what ways was it important for Science SARU to depict Kusanagi’s inherent goofball nature and her queerness in this adaptation, and what does portraying that side of her mean for a global audience in 2026?

Mokochan: During the process of making the new series, we were actually very surprised by it because, compared to the original manga, a lot of the thoughts about sexuality are very advanced, exploring many possibilities. It’s not just about sexuality; it’s also about the human being, technology, and many other things. [The manga] accepts everything in the world. That was a very big surprise. We didn’t intend to modernize the content to make it fit the new era.

The Ghost In The Shell still of Kusanagi kissing a woman.
© Science SARU

[The Ghost in the Shell producers’ note in regard to Science SARU’s adaptation of Motoko’s vacation scene from the original manga: “We had to adjust the depictions in the original work to match the rating.”]

Handa: When we portray Kusanagi’s character, we like to bring out all the comical parts because they’re in the original manga. It’s kind of different how director Oshii portrays her in the previous series because, in those series, Kusanagi was not that expressive. We prefer to keep the authentic parts of the original manga, so we thought we definitely needed to keep the comical parts in the character, so that’s why we included that content.

io9: As a fan of the series, I’ve seen Ghost in the Shell go through different iterations, reinterpretations, and reboots. And in that, Motoko’s design has changed in a way that reflects how different people interpret her. But while her outer shell is different, the themes—the ghost in the original story—remain in each adaptation. For Science SARU’s newer adaptation of The Ghost in the Shell, which themes from the original manga feel more prescient now than when it first came out?

Mokochan: Because the original intent of this project is to follow the original manga—not just Kusanagi, but also all the content and the world’s concept—we didn’t try to modernize any part of it. The creative team, all of whom are also big fans of the original manga. So, for the world, the story, the characters, and the theme, it’s all the same because we want to honor the original manga.

The Ghost in the Shell is streaming now on Prime Video.

io9 is on the ground at Anime Expo 2026. We’ll be bringing you updates on all the biggest panels, screenings, and announcements, plus exclusive one-on-one interviews with the people behind some of the best and most popular anime around. You can check out all of io9’s Anime Expo coverage here.

Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.

#Ghost #Shell #Director #Character #Designer #Keeping #Motoko #True #MangaAnime,Anime Expo,Science Saru,The Ghost in the Shell

Post Comment