Personally, I thought the buds staved off excessive sweat well during cardio workouts. But the other reason why the Flex buds are an important product is, well, Android. Instead of using Apple’s proprietary Lightning connector for charging, as many Beats headphones have since the acquisition, the Flex have a USB-C port. Beats’ Android app has already been updated to support them.
As it happens, quite a bit, and yet almost nothing — they certainly stay true to the roots of what the Beats X are and that is a damn good thing. Be sure to follow us on Twitter for the latest deals and more. Sign-up for our newsletters and have our best offers delivered to your inbox daily. Digging out a set of EarPods from the bottom of an old iPhone box – where, I’d wager, most end up staying – I was struck by just how much better the Beats Flex sound. They’re the cheapest point of entry into Beats ownership, the $49.99 price tag half what the old BeatsX would’ve cost you.
Fortunately, Flex is a budget pair of Beats that pack the premium audio quality you’d expect from Apple and Beats, but for a fraction of the price of AirPods. However, they are missing a handful of the features we’re used to seeing from Beats and they have a semi-awkward neckband design. Thankfully like the more recent Beats earphones and headphones, the Bass isn’t overpowering and you can get a nice, decent balance but still can feel that Bass. However, the Flex isn’t able to deliver that nice, punchy ‘oomph’ compared to the other Beats earphones I’ve tried. The first impression of wearing the Beats Flex and testing it with some music was just okay – compared with the Powerbeats Pro, or even the Powerbeats 2020. Note that I’m also get used to listening to the awesome sound quality from the recent Jabra Elite Active 75t before switching over to review.
Bluetooth signal has also been steady; dropouts tend to be less of a problem for neckband earbuds. They’re mostly made of silicone and plastic, which makes them very flexible. They also feel durable enough to survive a couple of accidental drops. However, the ear tips seem like they could easily rip, and they don’t have an IP rating beats studio3 for dust and water resistance. They don’t have a deep in-ear fit, and the cable is lightweight and shouldn’t be tiring to wear. Unfortunately, the ear tips can fall out of your ears if they don’t form a good seal, but on the plus side, there are a few different sizes of silicone tips included so you can find the best fit for you.
If you’re using something else, then the pairing process is simple. All you need to do is hold down the power button, and wait for the headset to enter pairing mode. From there just look through Bluetooth settings in your source device, and select the Beats Flex. No matter what operating systems run your life, you won’t have any issues with playback or connection stability.
Beats assured me that the Flex earbuds have passed the company’s usual set of reliability tests. Design is definitely a huge positive as these wireless earphones feature a loop which goes around the back of your head that means you can’t drop or misplace a ‘bud when you pop it out of your ear. Instead, they simply dangle around your neck on the thin cord.
If someone starts loving features such as Audio Sharing, or the general fit and aesthetic of the Flex, perhaps that’ll lead them to eventually upgrade to its top-of-the-line pairs. And if not, the Flex is good enough to stand on their own, even if their sound is average and they don’t come with more premium features such as noise-cancellation. Beats Flex are a great match for Apple Watch SE, iPhone SE, or even those times when you misplace beats studio3 your AirPods and really don’t want to drop a couple hundred dollars on wireless headphones. Finally, the microphone is positioned inside the case, far enough from the mouth, but still allows to obtain good sound quality for phone calls. The Beats Flex’s Apple’s W1 allows for seamless pairing with Apple devices. And like Apple AirPods, they support Audio Sharing so you can listen with a friend who also has Beats headphones or AirPods.