Beats Flex Review: How Good Do Apples Sub-$50 Headphones Sound?

Again, the best sound is experienced outside of music, with Beats’ drivers emphasizing vocals to hear dialogue better. I loved using these buds to take in my daily dose of political news via CNN clips, along with other YouTube content I normally binge during downtimes. Even poorly recorded podcasts like The Game Informer Show received a boost in clarity. Beats keeps the full plastic construction intact, along with the tangle-free wire and magnetized earbud housing, all of which still feel premium. You’ll notice the inline mic and multifunctional button on the left module have been modified for enhanced usability; no more pulling the mic close to your mouth on phone calls. We’re testing with an older iPhone 8 running on the most recent iOS update and find the promised auto-pause functionality when the buds’ magnets click together a little hit and miss.

In claim of accidental damages, you need to pay an additional fee for repairing service. Flex earbuds are compatible with any Apple device that is synced to iCloud. You can also use them with windows ten and android smartphones. Your earphones are now ready to set up with your devices again. These headphones don’t have any official IPX ratings for water and sweat resistance.

The signal was strong, despite some typical Bluetooth distortion fuzzing up the edges of words. Before that, I was PCMag’s lead audio analyst from 2006 to 2011. Even though I’m a freelancer now, PCMag has been my home for well over a decade, and audio gear reviews are still my primary focus. Prior to my career in reviewing beats solo pro wireless tech, I worked as an audio engineer—my love of recording audio eventually led me to writing about audio gear. We gathered all the best Beats headphones currently available in one place so that you don’t have to. Our detailed summaries should help you narrow down your research on finding the best Beats headphones.

A pill-shaped grille covering the microphone can be seen here. My discussion on the sound profile of Flex wireless headphones ends here. The soft flex form cables rest around the back of your neck.

These are minor foibles when you consider what an otherwise excellent product the Beats Flex are. With excellent sound quality and battery life, plus a very reasonable asking price, they emphatically deliver in all the areas that matter the most. If you’re an iPhone user, in particular, they offer an experience you simply won’t find anywhere beats flex review else at this price. Besides their great sound quality, I also found it quick and easy to achieve a secure fit with the Beats Flex thanks to the relatively small driver housing surrounding the silicone tips. If you’ve struggled to achieve a good seal with other models of earphones that have larger housings, these are well worth a try.

Plenty of far more expensive neckband earphones fail at this basic test. Upgrade your lifestyleDigital Trends helps readers keep tabs on the fast-paced world of tech with all the latest news, fun product reviews, insightful editorials, and one-of-a-kind sneak peeks. If you need longer battery life, Sony makes several behind-the-neck models with 15 to 20 hours of battery life, like the bulkier C400 and the WI-C310. At 0.66 ounces, the Beats Flex is lightweight and isn’t cumbersome to wear around the neck when not in use. Your ears won’t feel weighed down when sporting them during exercises.

beats flex review

While you will get similarly priced earbuds with better sound quality, Beats Flex are still worth considering if you like natural tuning. Beats Flex are the cheapest Beats headphones, with a balanced sound and a W1 chip for seamless pairing with Apple devices. 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 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.

According to some others, it happens when the wires pull away at the mic. If Apple didn’t focus on Beats, they might have done something more profitable. It’s a mistake in a way that it couldn’t do what they wanted it to do . But it provided a lot of what is behind the current Apple Music Product, which has been reasonably successful.

The circular one controls the playback and calls Siri the voice assistant, the on/off button is for power and pairing, and the rocker is to adjust volume. These earphones have Apple’s W1 wireless chip, not the newer H1 or U1, which also acts as a way for iPhones to precisely track the location of devices. This will no doubt prove to be an excellent addition to a pair of future Apple or Beats headphones, letting you find exactly where you left them. For the price, the Beats Flex are a good value that Apple owners, in particular, should strongly consider if they’re looking for a great alternative to buying a set of true wireless earbuds. Until now, the most affordable set of Beats wireless headphones was the $100 BeatsX. As you might expect from an Apple product, using them with an iOS device has its perks.

If you’re hoping to use these wireless earbuds for running or for other workouts, but you’re worried about them getting wet, then you should consider the JAM Audio TWS Athlete instead. Not only are they water-resistant but they also have ear hooks that keep them firmly in place – so they are actually more secure than the Beats Flex. No matter how much or how little you spend on a pair of headphones, losing one of them is a complete hassle and potentially a waste of money. Not everyone likes worrying about always keeping track of those tic-tack sized earbuds that can get lost just about anywhere because they’re so dang small and not connected to anything else. The W1 chip also means you can use Audio Sharing, the feature that makes it possible for two people to listen to the same device with their own pair of Apple headphones.