It’s still very much present, though you may be underwhelmed if you’re the “give me all the bass you can stuff into my brain” type of listener. I find the balance to be very good for most listening purposes, but I personally prefer a bit more low end in music than what the Flex offers. That said, it’s not something I’ve noticed myself missing after just a few minutes of listening to the Flex. On the contrary, I’d argue the Beats Flex offer a more enjoyable listen than the pricier Powerbeats Pro, high praise indeed for a pair of headphones that cost less than a third of the price. Despite that, they’re comfortable to wear for extended periods and the earbuds are magnetic so they’ll stay locked together around your neck when not in use. Rather neatly, they’ll also pause the music automatically when clipped together and play again when you pull them apart.
The Flex, despite being drastically cheaper than the Beats X, sport upgraded audio, including a new driver and laser-cut vents on each bud to relieve ear pressure. Beats has also improved the digital processor that tunes your tunes, and the results are well-balanced. On a layered track with a lot going on like “I Know the End” by Phoebe Bridgers, beats studio3 the Flex easily separated the horns, rollicking guitar, drums, and Bridgers’ screams. The same was true of Fleetwood Mac’s “Silver Springs,” in which the percussion, piano, and guitars backing Stevie Nicks’ impassioned chorus were clear and distinct. We try to take an open and transparent approach and provide a broad-based comparison service.
Far more so than the AirPods Pro, which also uses this in-ear style and I can happily keep in my ears until they run out of battery. This is very much a personal thing though, and if you’re fine with in-ear buds these will likely be ok for you too. What I do like though is that when you’re not wearing the buds, they clip together magnetically and hang down by your chest meaning they’re always within easy reach. I would say the design is better for gym-goers and runners as there’s less chance of a bud accidentally falling out, however the lack of any sweat resistance disappoints in this regard. Beats has a reputation for doubling-down on the low end, but the Beats Flex are actually a lot more balanced. You don’t get the heavy punch that more expensive earbuds can deliver, but the bass is measured and precise, without getting flabby.
Since they’re fairly small in size and have a flexible plastic and silicone design, you can easily stash them in most pockets or bags without an issue. They have an 11-hour continuous battery life, which should be enough for daily commutes. Unfortunately, they struggle to isolate bass range against noise like bus or plane engines. The people I talked to said I sounded clear and the noise reduction outdoors in noisier environments was good. You can answer and end calls with the button on the left module, where there’s also a rocker switch for volume control. While playing music, tapping the universal control button twice skips tracks forward.
Once you get used to wearing the buds, finding the controls becomes second nature. It took me a bit of time to get accustomed to how high up the controls are, but once I figured it out, it was smooth sailing from then on out. There was a time when the name “Beats” meant “these headphones have way too much bass.” That time has come and gone , with the Flex going lighter on bass than most other Beats I’ve heard recently. Whether you’re looking to buy your first pair of Bluetooth earphones, then, or you’re the type of person who regularly breaks or loses them, you really can’t go too far wrong with the Beats Flex. They offer unbeatable value for money and should really make you question whether you need to spend more. The only significant shortcoming considering their low price is that the Flex don’t come with any waterproofing.
The boosted bass response is noticeable in the song No Fear No More by Madeon. When I sit in my quiet room, unencumbered by external noise, the bassline sounds overpowering. This makes sense because bass notes are tuned to sound twice as loud as low-midrange notes. However, it plays to my advantage when I walk to the grocery store because I can more easily keep tabs on the main beat. My ears work best with the double-flanged tips, but your mileage may vary. As long you don’t plan on working out with this, the fit shouldn’t pose much of an issue.
At the other extreme, the high-end delivers clean vocals, though again some of the sparkle that pricier headphones serve up wasn’t quite there. The most welcome surprise was to the midrange, where Beats’ earbuds deliver an unexpected level of detail. When you remove the headphones from your ears, a magnetic system “sticks” them together, back to back, and automatically pauses music playback, which beats studio3 is very convenient. You have to fumble a bit at first to find the playback and volume controls on the case, but you get used to it quickly. However, we would have liked the cable between the two boxes to be a little longer, especially if it rests on a jacket and not directly on the neck. My one minor complaint is that the play/pause button is pretty hard to feel out blindly with your thumb.