They have wires connecting the earbuds to each other but Bluetooth to the phone. It goes without saying, but at this price the Beats Flex also doesn’t offer noise cancellation, either. He currently focuses on audio, reviewing the most coveted headphones in the market for both Tom’s Guide and Laptop Magazine. Beats’ upgraded mic array does provide improved voice calling, though the Beats Flex’s call quality remains a level below any of the Powerbeats models and the BeatsX.
The volume rocker on the top of the left pod is handy for quick adjustments. The earbuds can magnetically link together when you’re not using them. Apple says none of this data could be used to personally identify you. You beats flex review can use these headphones wirelessly with Bluetooth-enabled PCs, but can’t connect any other way. These are the settings used to test these headphones, and our results are only valid when using them with this configuration.
Following its acquisition of Beats, Apple has put its own stamp on the hugely-popular headphones and portable speakers. Flex wireless earbuds have no fancy noise-cancellation tech inside of them to block out unwanted noise. However, they can provide passive noise isolation, which is above average. This sound reduction is achieved from the tips and earpieces physically blocking your ear canal.
This includes a fashion-forward design with personalized fit, lengthy battery life, strong mics for effective call quality and Siri use, and exceptional connectivity on both iOS and Android. You just have to be aware that while audio is decent, there are other better-sounding, feature-laden models available at the same price point. When finding the right tracks, these buds showed me the type of sound quality Beats set out to engineer. Pull up The Police’s “Roxanne” to hear what I’m talking about. The staccato guitar chords hit their mark and will instantly stimulate rhythmic foot taps, while the steady hi-hat and Sting’s isolated vocals are reproduced superbly. I was also impressed by well how the Beats Flex handed the synth basslines on Frank Ocean’s “Swim Good” and opened up the soundscape for the singer to flex his harmonizing talents.
Considering the brand and the price, Beats Flex are made quite well. The plastic feels hard and of good quality, with all the pieces tightly glued together. You shouldn’t experience any problems during regular use, where the neck band doesn’t move much. You can hear instruments and effects slightly out of your head. While the MiniDSP H.E.A.R.S measured a considerable boost in the bass, it isn’t so bad. The Bluetooth connectivity was actually very strong – I wander away from my phone a lot and they stayed connected even when I was in a different room.
They just feel flat, and that’s consistent across genres. Sometimes you can hear ample boom, others it can get lost from one song to the next. More atmospheric indie rock bands that create songs that have a lot of dimensionality beats flex review don’t have that airy quality on the Flex. Artists like The Appleseed Cast that usually layer textures of drums, guitars, synths and more lack that carefully constructed spatial component on the Flex.
The Beats app for Android lets you check battery level and adjust settings. The Flex are the first Beats earbuds to use a USB-C connector. These headphones aren’t compatible with the Xbox consoles. The Beats Flex are Bluetooth-only headphones, and you can’t use them wired. While you can use them via Bluetooth on PCs, their latency is likely too high to be recommended for gaming. We purchase our own headphones and put them under the same test bench, so that you can compare the results easily.