If someone starts loving features such as Audio Sharing, or the general fit and aesthetic of the Flex, perhaps that’ll lead them to eventually upgrade to its top-of-the-line pairs. And if not, the Flex is good enough to stand on their own, even if their sound is average and they don’t come with more premium features such as noise-cancellation. Beats Flex are a great match for Apple Watch SE, iPhone SE, or even those times when you misplace beats studio3 your AirPods and really don’t want to drop a couple hundred dollars on wireless headphones. Finally, the microphone is positioned inside the case, far enough from the mouth, but still allows to obtain good sound quality for phone calls. The Beats Flex’s Apple’s W1 allows for seamless pairing with Apple devices. And like Apple AirPods, they support Audio Sharing so you can listen with a friend who also has Beats headphones or AirPods.
The vocals are delivered cleanly and clearly, though some sibilance is added to the mix. The earphones are compatible with Bluetooth 5.0 and support AAC and SBC Bluetooth codecs, but not AptX. A Class 1 Bluetooth rating means they support connections up to 300 feet, which is well beyond the typical 30-foot range you get with most Class 2 Bluetooth devices.
It is inserted in the ear canal itself and blocks out a lot of environmental noise. It has stronger bass tones and is unlikely to fall out of the ear. Water-resistant devices can resist the penetration of water, such as powerful water jets, but not being submerged into water. These earbuds come with wingtips that can be attached for a more secure fit. Wingtips come in handy for sports and other physical activities.
The inside of the left pod has the mic and a multi-function playback and voice assistant button. Nick Pino is the Senior Editor of Home Entertainment at TechRadar and covers TVs, headphones, speakers, video games, VR and streaming devices. He’s written for TechRadar, GamesRadar, Official Xbox Magazine, PC Gamer and other outlets over the last decade, and he has a degree in computer science he’s not using if anyone wants it. Surprisingly, though, we didn’t find any of that to be a deal-breaker. The W1 Chip is less advanced than the H1 but it still gets the job done, and the semi-wireless form factor is manageable if a little unwieldy. 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.
Beats Flex use pretty stiff ones, which can be a problem if you don’t store the earbuds carefully. Sure, Beats Flex still have a bit of bass emphasis, but it’s hardly distracting. New Beats products are now better built, almost all come with the H1 or W1 chips, and most importantly, they don’t have obnoxiously bloaty bass anymore.
They are significantly cheaper than their predecessors and Apple’s AirPods, but little has been sacrificed in sound or function. The headphones have simple pairing, seamless switching and a strong Bluetooth connection. They work just as well with Android devices, thanks to the Beats app, as they do Apple ones. The Beats beats solo pro wireless app on Android offers many of the same features as available on an iPhone, including assistance with pairing and battery status popups, as well as handling updates and various settings. In the world of true wireless Bluetooth earbuds, the older-style neckband models typically occupy the cheaper end of the market.