Another cool feature is Audio Sharing which lets you share what you’re listening to with other Beats headphones or Apple AirPods. By bringing them near your Apple device, you’ll just need to tap the pop up to activate it, and each of you will be able to control your own volume. Beats really knocked it out of the park with the Power Beats Pro, its first fully wireless earbuds, and then again with the Beats Solo Pro – the company’s first on-ear noise-cancelling headphones. You’d expect the Beats Flex to follow the same trajectory, but in truth they are a different animal in terms of performance and audio quality.
While the name might imply workout-readiness, however, they’re not sweat-resistant. What they are is an excellent pair of wireless in-ear headphones backed by great design. They may be lacking in low end for users who prefer beats solo pro wireless bassier headphones, but the “average” listener can appreciate the overall balance offered here. The cost to sound quality ratio is very good with the Flex. My only other gripes with the Beats Flex are fairly small ones.
The Beats Flex are also compatible with Apple’s audio sharing feature, which lets any two W1 or H1-equipped headphones or earbuds listen simultaneously to content from an iOS device. Getting great sound from a set of earbuds depends a lot on how they seal against your ear canal. With four sizes of silicone tips to choose from, most people should be able to get a secure and comfortable fit with the Beats Flex. The default set of tips is the medium size, and these proved to be very comfortable for me.
Like many headphones, there may be a bit of a learning curve here while you get used to the physical layout of the buttons and the way the wire hangs around your neck/shoulders. As you can see, the affordable Beats Flex are pretty straightforward. While short on extras, connecting over Bluetooth is a cinch thanks to the W1 chip, and getting charged up fast is easy thanks to USB-C fast charging.
We think they’re more comfortable than the Beats Flex and more likely to stay snug in your ears. The last feature that’s worth pointing out is that the Beats Flex – like all W1 or H1 Chip headphones – will have iOS’s new audio beats studio3 sharing feature that allows you to share music between two pairs of headphones. It’s not a killer app by any means, but it is nice if you’re in a house with multiple Apple or Beats headphones and like to share music.