You can toggle the automatic play/pause feature, which also applies to calls. Still, it’s worth having installed—you can use it to quickly see the remaining battery percentage of the buds if nothing else. I’ve reviewed a lot of true wireless earbuds over the last year, but it’s been a hot minute since I took a set of neckbuds for a whirl. The Beats Flex have been an excellent reminder that this type of earbud is still such a great choice if you want a solid set of ‘buds that won’t break the bank.
That’s likely a deliberate decision so that they don’t cannibalise the sales of the pricer Powerbeats and Powerbeats Pro, which are squarely aimed at the fitness market. They’re billed as a Class 1 Bluetooth device, meaning they’ll deliver a range of at least 20 metres, and that seems to be in keeping with what I’ve experienced. I always like to give an honest review from a neutral position. I hope my may help you to choose the right earbuds.
Comfort is great, and you can wear them all day long without experiencing fatigue. However, the fit isn’t ideal, as earbuds quickly pop out during light sports activities. Speaking of chips, despite having one, a companion app for Android gives you the ability to check battery status percentages and lets you customize features, just like on an iOS device.
For just $50 you get all of the conveniences of Apple brand headphones without paying the higher price. With all of that balance and clarity, however, comes a flat sound. Whether you’re listing to Tom Petty or DaBaby, it all sounds the same, and I mean that in a bad way.
Lee has been Reviewed’s point person for most television and home theater products since 2012. Lee received Level II certification in TV calibration from the Imaging Science Foundation in 2013. As Editor of the Home Theater vertical, Lee oversees reviews of TVs, monitors, soundbars, and Bluetooth speakers. He also reviews headphones, and has a background in music performance. You can certainly flex while using these, but you might have to get your pump on with a sweat-resistant pair.
There’s no app for iOS because the features offered here are native on iOS thanks to the M1 chip in the Flex. The buds are light, there’s plenty of length to the connected cord so it doesn’t constantly pull on the buds, and even the controls on either side are lightweight enough that I don’t even notice them. Overall, these are probably some of the most comfortable neckbuds I’ve worn in … well, as long as I can remember, really.
From the round button on the left-hand side, you can pause or play the music and skip through tracks. On the right, you’ll find the power button where you can activate Bluetooth as well. That is to say, they are wired to each other, not to your iPhone. If you want a true wireless pair of headphones, I highly recommend AirPods Pro for comfort and reliability or Powerbeats Pro for astounding audio quality.
Beats seem to be better in terms of battery life and device compatibility also. Bose has a better noise cancellation feature and it is comfier to wear. The Powerbeats pro is the best headphones for sports and fitness activities than the Flex.
The first impression of wearing the Beats Flex and testing it with some music was just okay – compared with the Powerbeats Pro, or even the Powerbeats 2020. Note that I’m also get used to listening to the awesome sound quality from the recent Jabra Elite Active 75t before switching over to review. However, that costs A$329 so it’s not really a fair comparison with Flex’s A$79.95. Apple’s solution to not including headphones with the new iPhone seems to be the Beats Flex. Fortunately, Flex is a budget pair of Beats that pack the premium audio quality you’d expect from Apple and Beats, but for a fraction of the price of AirPods. However, they are missing a handful of the features we’re used to seeing from Beats and they have a semi-awkward neckband design.
Hopefully, this is a sign that Apple will soon ditch lightning cables altogether so that we can have one USB charging standard to rule them all. Fortunately, there’s an impressive 12-hour battery packed into these headphones, and even more impressive is the Fast Fuel feature that gives you 1.5-hour of battery life from a 10-minute charge. View beats flex review Gallery 10 imagesBeats Flex are wireless headphones where the buds are tethered to a flexible neckband. The end of each side of the neckband has an end-cap that houses the battery, buttons, and technology. The cable is flat linguini style and the neckband portion is thicker and with some reinforcement to mostly keep it shaped for your neck.