Apple Beats Flex review: Frankenstein’s creation

It’s like listening to music on cassette tape compared to a vinyl record. Budget buds do make sense, however, considering that Apple no longer bundles in a free pair of headphones inside the box with its new iPhones. These are very much for the casual listener on the hunt for a cheap – and decent – EarPods replacement. Range was solid in my testing, as is to be expected thanks to the W1 chip.

Rather surprisingly, they charge via USB-C, not Lightning, as has been the norm with recent Beats products and battery life is impressive. When fully charged, Beats claims the Flex will deliver up to 12 hours of playback and you can also get 90 minutes of usage from a mere 10-minute charge when the battery gets low. 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. You can buy the Beats Flex in black, blue, yellow and grey.

beats flex review

As recently as 2017, one could argue that most true wireless in-ear designs were beyond the budgets of many music-loving commuters. However, a less fancy neckband design offered a wallet-friendly and still wireless solution. When walking down the street, I didn’t notice any cable noise or pulling from the neckband.

However, they still offer more than other wireless earbuds at this price range. Magnetic earbuds also serve as a feature, primarily for pausing your playback or answering phone calls.Another thing users mention is that the battery likes to swell and burst open the control module. The Beats Flex are Apple’s latest neckband Bluetooth earbuds, and bring many of the fancy features of beats studio3 its AirPods to headphones costing just one third of the price. The Beats app gets zero promotion, and for good reason, as it has very few features. There are only two toggle controls, which are tied to automatic playback and call management. Besides that, you can rename the buds, register them online, view the battery level indicator, or experience a quick tour of the controls.

The design is clever, the materials miraculous, and the price tag palatable. They’re feature-rich, pack generous battery life, and paired with the right device and right selection of music feel like a steal for fifty sheets. If there’s one thing you expected to remain intact when Apple bought Beats in it was the asking price of its products, but actually that’s not how it’s played out.

You’ll be able to shout out voice commands and take care of common tasks like setting up calendar invites or voice-to-text friends with ease. In terms of style, these are some of the most attractive beats studio3 buds in any price class or category, thanks to Beats’ portfolio of bold, eye-grabbing colors. Flame Blue and Yuzu Yellow will definitely be the two most popular options for ornate music listening.