In this price range, we’re starting to see a few interesting true wireless options, some of which are even gym-friendly with water-resistant builds, like the $60 EarFun Air or the $35 Tribit FlyBuds 3. For the price, however, the Beats Flex deliver a commendable user experience and solid audio for anyone who wants added bass depth with balance. Everyone knows the audio brand Beats, first created by beats flex review Dr Dre and later sold on to Apple, it’s one of the top dogs in music listening tech. Their devices take some of the top spots across all types of headphones from the best true wireless earbuds to the best noise-cancelling headphones. In the past, products like the Beats Powerbeats Pro and Beats Studio3 Wireless have impressed us here at T3, but you’re looking at spending upwards of $150 on those.
We don’t love them as much as the top-tier AirPods Pro or even the Powerbeats Pro, but if you just bought a new iPhone and want a pair of affordable Beats earbuds to go with it, the Flex could fit the bill. The Beats Flex headphones are a slightly weird product in this way, because even at their price point, there are actual true wireless buds that you can buy. And naturally enough, Apple has a number of actually wireless buds at beats studio3 higher prices that you could also aspire towards. Inside the Beats Flex is Apple’s W1 chip, and it’s great to see this handy piece of silicon at the heart of these cheaper earphones. Bring the Beats Flex close to an iPhone and – as you do with AirPods – you’ll get instant pairing across all your connected devices. Don’t expect fancy new features like auto-syncing or Spatial Audio as neither of them are supported by this chip.
No matter what operating systems run your life, you won’t have any issues with playback or connection stability. In order to switch between devices, you will have to take the time to enter your phone’s Bluetooth settings. You must manually disconnect from the current device, before connecting to the desired device. This isn’t an issue if you live in the Apple ecosystem thanks to the W1 chip, but for the rest of us, that time adds up quickly. At this price, the Beats Flex is a fine deal as they offer a lot of the features found on the AirPods, minus the true wireless design.
The UrBeats are wired in-ears which is opposite to the Flex wireless earbuds. You can activate Siri with remote talk in these earphones. Bluetooth 5.0 integration also makes it simpler to pair with android smartphones. The app for android provides additional features, including instant pairing, firmware updates. Beats has redesigned the inline control a bit in Flexes. There are a round multifunction button and a volume rocker on the left side.
At the other extreme, the high-end delivers clean vocals, though again some of the sparkle that pricier headphones serve up wasn’t quite there. The most welcome surprise was to the midrange, where Beats’ earbuds deliver an unexpected level of detail. When you remove the headphones from your ears, a magnetic system “sticks” them together, back to back, and automatically pauses music playback, which beats solo pro wireless is very convenient. You have to fumble a bit at first to find the playback and volume controls on the case, but you get used to it quickly. However, we would have liked the cable between the two boxes to be a little longer, especially if it rests on a jacket and not directly on the neck. My one minor complaint is that the play/pause button is pretty hard to feel out blindly with your thumb.
The end result is a pair of ‘buds that’s really good to listen to day-in and day-out. All of your favourite playlists and tracks will be as enjoyable as they should be. It’s not bass-heavy, and it doesn’t distort or over accentuate the harder-hitting treble sounds. A quick 10-minute charge will give you an hour and a half of music. So the battery is okay but you will have to charge them up quite often. The W1 chip makes these headphones worth every penny, hands-down.
The boosted bass response is noticeable in the song No Fear No More by Madeon. When I sit in my quiet room, unencumbered by external noise, the bassline sounds overpowering. This makes sense because bass notes are tuned to sound twice as loud as low-midrange notes. However, it plays to my advantage when I walk to the grocery store because I can more easily keep tabs on the main beat. My ears work best with the double-flanged tips, but your mileage may vary. As long you don’t plan on working out with this, the fit shouldn’t pose much of an issue.