My preference would just be a cable that hangs under my neck or around the back of my neck. The neckband got in the way during activities with a lot of movement (especially crunches!). The linguini cord goes where it wants to and ends up rubbing against our chin. The original Beats X beats solo pro wireless sold for around £120-£130 in the UK, and over the last few years they’ve slowly slipped down to £60-£90 depending on where you looked. The new Beats Flex rock out of the gate at just £49, a significantly lower entry point and makes them a really affordable set of wireless earphones.
They are significantly cheaper than their predecessors and Apple’s AirPods, but little has been sacrificed in sound or function. The headphones have simple pairing, seamless switching and a strong Bluetooth connection. They work just as well with Android devices, thanks to the Beats app, as they do Apple ones. The Beats beats flex review app on Android offers many of the same features as available on an iPhone, including assistance with pairing and battery status popups, as well as handling updates and various settings. In the world of true wireless Bluetooth earbuds, the older-style neckband models typically occupy the cheaper end of the market.
However, that costs A$329 so it’s not really a fair comparison with Flex’s A$79.95. Beats Flex is better than AirPods as they have 7 hours longer battery life and 3.5 hours shorter charge time. Passive noise reduction and an inline control panel can also be found in Beats. I think the best customer for the Beats Flex is anyone looking to replace a set of wired earbuds with something wireless that won’t break the bank doing it. The target audience here isn’t the person looking at AirPods or other true wireless earbuds that are more than twice the cost of the Flex, and the audio quality/features reflect that.
There is some minor noise from the cable as it pulls, too. Overall, the Beats Flex are an excellent set of everyday Bluetooth earbuds from a name brand. The Beats Flex are a set of good value, feature-rich Bluetooth earbuds from Apple. Apple offers trade-in and free recycling schemes, including for non-Apple products. You won’t be hearing new details in well worn tracks, but they sound great for a cheaper set of earbuds with a balance often lost in rivals. The earbuds magnetically attach to each other when not in use, which pauses the music too.
On the flip side, you have newer models like the JLab Epic Sport2 crushing it with 20 hours. This isn’t a deal-breaker, especially since Beats’ buds come equipped with USB-C and Fast Fuel charging to net you 1.5 hours of use on a 10-minute charge. You’ll either have to carry around a USB-C charger or a power bank with a USB-C port to recharge on the go, but that’s a small compromise. The Beats app gets zero promotion, and for good reason, as it has very few features.
Instead of placing the microphone and controls in an inline pod on the left earbud’s wire, these are now contained in the left housing. 3Testing conducted by Apple in August 2020 using preproduction Beats Flex and software paired with iPhone 11 Pro Max units and prerelease software. Another cool feature is Audio Sharing which lets you share what you’re listening to with other Beats headphones or Apple AirPods. By bringing them near your Apple device, you’ll just need to tap the pop up to activate it, and each of you will be able to control your own volume. But they are neckband buds, which means there’s a band that sits on your neck and cables to the earbuds, not the truly wireless design that’s become popular in the past few years.
Unfortunately, all these features are absent in Flex wireless earbuds. Flex wireless earbuds don’t come up with a carrying case or pouch. But you can fold and then keep them in your pocket without any worries, as they are flexible enough. Yet, they lack IP ratings for dust and water resistance. It is disappointing that the earbuds seem like they are prone to ripping. Right now, I am describing these two features of flex wireless headphones below.
Actually I’ve owned several pairs because I use them constantly so the battery never lasts me long enough, even though they’ve got a respectable 8 hours . They’ve been my go-to and I practically live with them on. That said, there’s plenty to like at the Beats Flex and that low price makes them sound seriously appealing. We’d also say that they don’t feel as premium as the more expensive Powerbeats but you are paying almost half the price for the Flex so it’s harsh to fault the overall build quality too much. So, there’s no doubt that price tag is clearly enticing, but are the Beats Flex really worth your hard-earned cash? Express.co.uk has been putting them to the test and here’s what we think…
The Flex are Beats most affordable earphones to date, and they’re ever so close to being considered a bonafide bargain. Hilda Scott uses her combined passion for gadgets and bargain shopping to bring you the best prices on all things tech. She has a bachelor’s degree in film and media studies from Hunter College and 11 years of tech and entertainment journalism. Her work has been featured on Tom’s Guide, iTechPost, Examiner.com, Parlemag, Enstars, and Latin Times. When she’s not scouting for the best deals, Hilda’s catching up on her favorite TV shows and pro-wrestling matches. Thanks to the Apple W1 chip, Beats Flex integrates nicely with iPhone/iPad offering a quick, one-touch setup and seamless interaction within iOS.