As long as you grab the earbuds the right way, their flat cables keep themselves out of your face. The earbuds themselves are the same size as the BeatsX, though Apple claims there’s a new proprietary layered driver inside. Inside the box, you’ll find the Beats Flex, a USB-C to USB-C charging cable, three sizes of silicone eartips , and some paper documentation including the de rigueur Beats sticker. Still, the overall performance the Beats Flex gives you should warrant a higher price, so consider these buds an uber-generous offer from the trailblazing audio brand.
While they’re stable enough for light exercise, they don’t have ear tips or stability fins to help keep them in place, unlike the Jaybird Tarah Pro Wirelessor the Beats Powerbeats 4 Wireless. Their companion app also doesn’t offer a lot of extra features either. Apple rates the Beats Flex as being capable of up to 12 hours of battery life, and if you’re using them with an iOS device – or via the Android Beats App – you can track that usage and power draw over time. One of the advantages that a neckband style set has over true wireless buds is that there’s logically a lot more space to put batteries into the Beats Flex, and Apple has clearly taken advantage of this.
True wireless devices have no cables connecting any part of the device together. This is an important distinction as some wireless earbuds have cables connecting the two earbuds together. These in-ears are pliable, lightweight, and barely noticeable when you sit with them around the back of your neck. And that’s always been the joy beats flex review and convenience of any neckband earbuds worth their salt. You should be able to wear them around your neck all day, without noticing them, then pop one or both in when you want to listen to music or make a call. Apple’s W1 chip connects your Beats Flex to Siri, so you can ask about the weather or the time, get directions, and more.
The right-side housing includes just a single button along the edge that’s easy to identify by feel, and that’s the power/pairing button. Pressing and holding the button will turn Beats Flex on or off, and activate pairing as needed. If you’re using beats flex review them with an iOS device, you’ll get quick pairing functionality by simply bringing Beats Flex close to your device after initially turning the earphones on. In terms of on-board controls, what you’ll use the most is located on the left side.
They just feel flat, and that’s consistent across genres. Sometimes you can hear ample boom, others it can get lost from one song to the next. More atmospheric indie rock bands that create songs that have a lot of dimensionality don’t have that airy quality on the Flex. Artists like The Appleseed Cast that usually layer textures beats studio3 of drums, guitars, synths and more lack that carefully constructed spatial component on the Flex. Where the real functionality comes into play is in Apple’s W1 chip. It’s the older sibling to the more powerful and faster H1 chip found in the AirPods Pro and recent Powerbeats models, but it’s still a smoother operator.