Of course, there are still some features only reserved for Apple users, like Apple’s easy pairing feature, and Audio Sharing. Magnets that hold earbuds together can also pose a minor cosmetic problem. After constantly clapping the buds together, you might create scratches. Of course, that’s only cosmetics and doesn’t impact performance. Furthermore, every wired headphone’s weak point are strain reliefs.
Magnetic earbuds make listening that much easier by automatically playing music when they’re in your ears and pausing when they’re attached around your neck1. There’s one thing to note, though, as Apple doesn’t make any mention of IP rating for water or sweat-resistance – and none of its promotional photos for the Flex shows them being used for exercise either. So the emphasis here seems to be more on general use when you’re out and about during the day, rather than on sport or exercise.
The Flex are Beats most affordable earphones to date, and they’re ever so close to being considered a bonafide bargain. Hilda Scott uses her combined passion for gadgets and bargain shopping to bring you the best prices on all things tech. She has a bachelor’s degree in film and media studies from Hunter College and 11 years of tech and entertainment journalism. Her work has been featured on Tom’s Guide, iTechPost, Examiner.com, Parlemag, Enstars, and Latin Times. When she’s not scouting for the best deals, Hilda’s catching up on her favorite TV shows and pro-wrestling matches. Thanks to the Apple W1 chip, Beats Flex integrates nicely with iPhone/iPad offering a quick, one-touch setup and seamless interaction within iOS.
Beats Flex sound quality will not blow anything out of the water but with the price of A$79.95, its combination of sound, design, and comfort combined makes it a good value, wireless earphones from Beats. If you are looking to replace your Apple EarBuds without paying too much, Beats Flex makes a great choice. Don’t get me wrong—there’s nothing amazing or standout about these earbuds. There is, however, automatic play/pause thanks to the magnets that keep the buds together when they’re not in your ears. But otherwise, they’re just a very standard set of wireless earbuds. To replace the BeatsX wireless neckband earbuds, Beats Flex is an even more paired down set of basic headphones.
But the multifunction button that controls play/pause, track skip forward/back, call answer/end, and accessing Siri has only a tiny amount of travel and virtually no click. On tracks with intense sub-bass content, beats solo pro wireless like The Knife’s “Silent Shout,” the earphones deliver some serious low-frequency thump. At top, unwise listening levels, this track doesn’t distort, and at more moderate volumes, the bass is still powerful.