The smarts that come from the W1 chip is great to have at this price and the sound quality is ok, if a bit flat. 3Testing conducted by Apple in August 2020 using preproduction Beats Flex and software paired with iPhone 11 Pro Max units and prerelease software. (This isn’t really about comfort, but whatever.) It’s also a simple sort of app—there’s no EQ or customizable controls, really.
The microphone clarity is also great, but it lacks the noise-reducing and voice isolating qualities of the more expensive PowerBeats. In a relatively quiet environment, your phone calls will sound great. Today, we have millions of users a month from around the world, beats solo pro wireless and assess more than 1,000 products a year. In terms of battery life, Beats claims around 12 hours and I have been getting just below this – around hours. That’s more than you’d get from AirPods, but of course they benefit from having a charging case included.
But, because a significant part of that weight rests on your strong neck and shoulders, they feel very lightweight. So, you’d expect Beats to have put more battery power in there, and you’d be right. Once you get close to a quarter of an ounce in each ear, they start to feel heavy and uncomfortable.
The sound is our favorite quality of the new Beats Flex. There’s not a ton of frills, but they do what they need to pretty well. There’s supposed to be an auto-play/pause feature when the buds snap together with their built-in magnets, but it didn’t work on our pre-release version. Apple’s built-in W1 chip makes for quick-and-easy pairing and syncing with iPhone.
AptX HD is an audio codec for Bluetooth devices that is developed by Qualcomm. Bluetooth is a wireless technology standard that allows data transfers between devices placed in close proximity, using short-wavelength, ultra-high frequency radio waves. With a longer battery life you have to charge the device less often. This type of device allows you to listen at lower volume levels, causing less ear fatigue as you don’t have to crank up the volume to overcome background noise. Water-resistant devices can resist the penetration of water, such as powerful water jets, but not being submerged into water.