The earbuds’ housing is relatively small and unintrusive. Its smooth surface prevents the in-ear headphones from poking into your ears. Since the cable likes to twist, it’s sometimes difficult to locate the on-device controls. You’re constantly brushing the modules with your fingers searching for the correct button. The Flex earbuds are well designed with a balanced fit featuring two pods either side of a flat, semi-flexible cable that rests on the back of the neck. The earbuds are then connected to the pods via further flat, flexible cables.
We think they’re more comfortable than the Beats Flex and more likely to stay snug in your ears. The last feature that’s worth pointing out is that the Beats Flex – like all W1 or H1 Chip headphones – will have iOS’s new audio sharing feature that allows you to share music between two pairs of headphones. It’s not a killer app by any means, but it is nice if you’re in a house with multiple Apple or Beats headphones and like to share music.
The Beats Flex are also compatible with Apple’s audio sharing feature, which lets any two W1 or H1-equipped headphones or earbuds listen simultaneously to content from an iOS device. Getting great sound from a set of earbuds depends a lot on how they seal against your ear canal. With four sizes of silicone tips to choose from, most people should be able to get a secure and comfortable fit with the Beats Flex. The default set of tips is the medium size, and these proved to be very comfortable for me.
Beats has also included magnets inside the buds to ensure they stick together. It says this makes them more secure and, once snapped together, they also auto-pause the music for longer battery life. Beats Flex wireless earphones are compatible with Android devices and easily connects via Bluetooth. With the Beats app, available for download beats solo pro wireless in the Google Play Store, you’ll get features like quick-pairing, device status (i.e. battery levels), and firmware updates. And the USB-C charge connector provides a single charging solution across both Android and Apple platforms. The controls on the neckband end-caps are not the most intuitive, but they’re easy enough to get used to.
Like many headphones, there may be a bit of a learning curve here while you get used to the physical layout of the buttons and the way the wire hangs around your neck/shoulders. As you can see, the affordable Beats Flex are pretty straightforward. While short on extras, connecting over Bluetooth is a cinch thanks to the W1 chip, and getting charged up fast is easy thanks to USB-C fast charging.
One downgrade from the X to the Flex is the quick charge. Midranges are slightly different too, and they do have a marginally weaker sound to them particularly if you throw a busy track at them with a lot of activity. The real challenge here for me has been more in the ongoing comfort arena, because I found that more than a few hours with a cable pushing against my neck just a bit annoying. Pairing the Beats Flex is a pretty simple process, and rather predictably, it’s weighted towards users of Apple devices. If you’ve got a current model iPhone, simply powering up the Beats Flex should be enough to bring up a pop-up window inviting you to pair as needed. Apple does provide support for Android users who will need to pair through their device’s Bluetooth menu, along with an Android Beats app that handles pairing with a single touch and allows for firmware upgrades.
Another cool feature is Audio Sharing which lets you share what you’re listening to with other Beats headphones or Apple AirPods. By bringing them near your Apple device, you’ll just need to tap the pop up to activate it, and each of you will be able to control your own volume. Beats really knocked it out of beats solo pro wireless the park with the Power Beats Pro, its first fully wireless earbuds, and then again with the Beats Solo Pro – the company’s first on-ear noise-cancelling headphones. You’d expect the Beats Flex to follow the same trajectory, but in truth they are a different animal in terms of performance and audio quality.
Getting confused while finding a top-rated noise-canceling headphone is quite obvious, especially when the market is flooded with this type of headphones nowadays. Both the two earphones have class 1 Bluetooth for extended range and Fast Charging feature. Powerbeats High Performance is more comfortable and stable as they have adjustable, secure-fit ear hooks. They have IPX4 ratings too; they are resistant to sweat and water splashing. However, AirPods may be lost easily in your bags as these tiny earbuds don’t have any cable attached to them. I am going to compare the Flex earbuds with Beats X, AirPods, AirPods Pro, Powerbeats Pro, Powerbeats high performance, and urBeats 3 one by one.