Comfort is great, and you can wear them all day long without experiencing fatigue. However, the fit isn’t ideal, as earbuds quickly pop out during light sports activities. Speaking beats solo pro wireless of chips, despite having one, a companion app for Android gives you the ability to check battery status percentages and lets you customize features, just like on an iOS device.
But you can fold and then keep them in your pocket without any worries, as they are flexible enough. For Android users, pairing is simple enough and you get an app for managing any firmware updates and viewing battery life, to help bring feature parity between Android and iPhone users. There are magnets built into each ‘bud which work alongside sensors to automatically play and pause your music when every you snap them together or pull them apart. Similarly, if you’re wearing the Flex around your neck and you get a call on your phone, you can simply unsnap the ‘buds and answer the call.
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. However, that costs A$329 so it’s not really a fair comparison with Flex’s A$79.95. Apple’s solution to not including headphones with the new iPhone seems to be the Beats Flex. 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.
There’s no app for iOS because the features offered here are native on iOS thanks to the M1 chip in the Flex. The buds are light, there’s plenty of length to the connected cord so it doesn’t constantly pull on the buds, beats solo pro wireless and even the controls on either side are lightweight enough that I don’t even notice them. Overall, these are probably some of the most comfortable neckbuds I’ve worn in … well, as long as I can remember, really.
For example, iTeknic IK-BH001 manage to have 24 hours in a similar form factor. Earbuds lack an official IPX rating or sweat resistance, meaning that even a sweaty workout can pose a problem. You feel a slight pressure in your ear canals upon inserting them. However, they stay comfortable afterward and don’t cause any more annoyance. Besides small, medium, and large tips, you also get one double-flanged pair.