This 1000 times over. Killing half the market. Time will tell if apple will honor warranty claims from exercise use.
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Hands-On With Apple's New BeatsX Earphones
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This 1000 times over. Killing half the market. Time will tell if apple will honor warranty claims from exercise use.
Okay, my own review of both the AirPods and the BeatsX!
AirPods
[UPDATE]
AirPods
After using the BeatsX for a week, and taking them on a run, I've returned them to Apple.
AirPods
- Love the design! Lightweight, slightly thicker than the EarPods, but do NOT fall out.
- The W1 chip is great at switching seamlessly between devices. I've gone from my rMBP to iPhone SE/Watch Series 1, and back, without issue.
- 'Remove to play/pause' works with iTunes & music Apps, but not Netflix on Safari.
- 'Double-tap for Siri' works with both iOS and macOS.
- While the case does, indeed, look like floss, it is remarkably sturdy in design. Truly, an Apple product.
- Audio seems a bit better than the EarPods, and they get equally as loud.
- OVERALL: Love 'em! So dope!
- The cords are, indeed, somewhat long, but I see why they were designed that way. It makes for a straight-down angle with the buds. Similarly, from the box, the buds-to-neckband cords take a bit of reshaping with your hands in order for them to NOT stick out at awkward angles.
- The variety of ear tips + different sizes of ear wings helps them stay in my ears without issue. I think they will be very customizable for most users.
- With the W1 chip, switching between devices was not as seamless as with the AirPods, but it was pretty quick nonetheless. Had a bit of an issue connecting to the Watch, despite them being connected to the iPhone, but that was remedied by cycling through Airplane Mode on the Watch.
- They seem to get loud enough for my tastes.
- NOTE: I have yet to workout with them. I like my earbuds to get LOUD when working out, and I don't sweat too much, so I suspect these will do. However, I won't know until I take them for a spin.
- OVERALL: Seem to work just fine! I think many people will like them!
[UPDATE]
AirPods
- Floggin' AMAZING! Had to pay 1.5x the normal price to get them (eBay + impatience with shipping = go figure.
), and they're worth EVERY DAMN PENNY! 'Nuff said.
After using the BeatsX for a week, and taking them on a run, I've returned them to Apple.
- Throughout the normal day, I found I had to place the buds in my ears just so in order for the cords to not stick out at foolish angles from my face; it took some shaping of the cables, as well as twisting slightly, in order for them to curve in under my chin before arcing back to the neckband. Relatedly, in 'necklace mode', the whole device was long (really long, to me, and I'm average height), and the magnets were just not strong enough, IMHO. Sure, the buds clicked together, but it was too easy to separate them.
- Now, I liked that they got louder overall than the Jabra Sport Paces that I had been using, but the BeatsX lacked any kind of bass, which was extremely noticeable at higher volumes, as well as right after using AirPods.
- Finally, on a 5K run, racing leeward was fine, but as soon as I faced windward, the neckband seemed unstable around my neck, as if it was going to fly off at any moment.
- OVERALL: These issues combined to make me return the Beats. Now, they're marketed as an everyday, during-the-day, set of earphones, and for some people they may be great. However, I think I prefer the over-the-ear style, with a small connecting cord behind the neck, which is exactly the design of the Jabras. My next thought is to try the PowerBeats3 (yay, W1 chip!), but I'm not about to drop $200 on them; if I find a great deal on CL or Ebay, I may give them a shot.
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The W1 chip works with any device actually. It's still Bluetooth at the end of the day. It's the bundled iCloud switching feature which requires the latest iOS / macOS software to work. People tend to lump these two features together, but they are actually two separate features.
I stopped by my semi-local Apple Store this morning and picked up a pair of black BeatsX earbuds they happened to have in stock. I wanted the gray, but the wait for those is 2-3 weeks, so black it was...
Once I got the correct size tiny eartips on (wondering about replacement eartips...) and turned them on, they paired up almost instantly to my iPhone. The fit is excellent and I don't worry about them falling out. I love the little magnet feature. The cord is a bit long around the collarbone area, but I've already adapted. The sound is very good for both music and podcasts (which is 99% of what I'll use these for), better than I expected based on some of the early reviews on MR.
iCloud pairing to my new MacBook Escape was very fast, likewise for our iPad Air2, and our 2014 Mac mini running Sierra. However, pairing to my 2012 Mac mini still running Yosemite 10.10.5 (due to core audio and plugin dependencies for Logic) had to be done the old school way -- as expected, no W1 chip magic on that Mac until I can get the OS upgraded. Other than that one computer, changing sources from my iPhone/iPad/Macs has been as frictionless as with our Solo3s.
Also, the range is amazing compared with any "normal" Bluetooth headphones/earbuds/speakers I've ever used. As in: "stays connected to my iPhone two houses down the street" amazing.
One weirdness is with the Beats Updater version 3.1.0; the BeatsX do not connect via USB. Instead, a message says, "Update Unavailable. Your product software is invalid. Please contact support immediately for more details." That said, the only thing I've ever used the Updater software for was to rename our Solo2/Solo3 headphones, and these were named "John's BeatsX" as soon as I first connected them with my iPhone, so not a big deal for me. But I do wonder how someone would rename theirs if they decided to. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Anyway, overall I'd give these a solid 9/10, would definitely buy again.
Once I got the correct size tiny eartips on (wondering about replacement eartips...) and turned them on, they paired up almost instantly to my iPhone. The fit is excellent and I don't worry about them falling out. I love the little magnet feature. The cord is a bit long around the collarbone area, but I've already adapted. The sound is very good for both music and podcasts (which is 99% of what I'll use these for), better than I expected based on some of the early reviews on MR.
iCloud pairing to my new MacBook Escape was very fast, likewise for our iPad Air2, and our 2014 Mac mini running Sierra. However, pairing to my 2012 Mac mini still running Yosemite 10.10.5 (due to core audio and plugin dependencies for Logic) had to be done the old school way -- as expected, no W1 chip magic on that Mac until I can get the OS upgraded. Other than that one computer, changing sources from my iPhone/iPad/Macs has been as frictionless as with our Solo3s.
Also, the range is amazing compared with any "normal" Bluetooth headphones/earbuds/speakers I've ever used. As in: "stays connected to my iPhone two houses down the street" amazing.
One weirdness is with the Beats Updater version 3.1.0; the BeatsX do not connect via USB. Instead, a message says, "Update Unavailable. Your product software is invalid. Please contact support immediately for more details." That said, the only thing I've ever used the Updater software for was to rename our Solo2/Solo3 headphones, and these were named "John's BeatsX" as soon as I first connected them with my iPhone, so not a big deal for me. But I do wonder how someone would rename theirs if they decided to. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Anyway, overall I'd give these a solid 9/10, would definitely buy again.
Did you test your Beats X for call quality? I am curious to know how good they are to do conference calls. Especially their background noice reduction while talking with others. Really appreciate if you can give me your feedback. Thanks!
How is the volume range on them? Is the first bar really loud? Can you turn them down to a quiet level without muting them?
First full days use of BeatsX... it started well with with a couple of hours use on the train, good sound and I liked the lack of cables dangling down to my iPhone as they always seem to get snagged up on something.
Then about 5 hours spent doing something else with the phone in my pocket and the BeatsX in "necklace mode" around my neck.
Then back on the train and within 30 minutes, the BeatsX died.... out of battery. No music until I got home.
Now I didn't actually check the battery status when I started using the BeatsX again but I'd assumed that when they aren't being used, battery drain would be fairly minimal, even when connected by Bluetooth.
I'll need more time using them to experience what the real world battery use is like compared to the "8 hours" on the marketing material but I hope I don't have to keep on turning them on and off again to save battery.
Then about 5 hours spent doing something else with the phone in my pocket and the BeatsX in "necklace mode" around my neck.
Then back on the train and within 30 minutes, the BeatsX died.... out of battery. No music until I got home.
Now I didn't actually check the battery status when I started using the BeatsX again but I'd assumed that when they aren't being used, battery drain would be fairly minimal, even when connected by Bluetooth.
I'll need more time using them to experience what the real world battery use is like compared to the "8 hours" on the marketing material but I hope I don't have to keep on turning them on and off again to save battery.
FWIW the Lightning charging port on the iPhone 7 is able to hold up to the new water/dust resistance ratings. I'd imagine this one would be fine.
There is no "necklace mode" electronically speaking. You have to turn them off when not in use.
Also, I would try to get a lightning to lightning cable. This would be great for a quick charge from a phone in such situations.
That's why I'm thinking of buying the AirPods, or the Aftershokz bone conduction headphones. Aside from the comfort problem of long-term isolated ear canals, I also want to be able to hear ambient sounds sometimes. I want to be able to hear traffic when I'm riding my bike, work colleagues when they walk into my office, and gym partners when I'm working out. The AirPods also have the nice mono feature — take one out, and the other one switches to mono. So, over the course of a day you could listen at times with the left ear, at other times with the right, and at other times with both.
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Interesting. I was leaning towards the AirPods for the gym, because they'd allow me to have distracting conversations without having to pause the music. I hear the AirPods don't isolate you, and if the conversation starts to get serious, you can take one of them out, and the other switches to mono.
I wonder if I return these after redeeming the 3 months of free apple Music will they deduct it from the return. I'm going to give these another couple of days of use but as of right now the AirPods are much better for my daily activities. The BeatsX do have better sound quality but the charging case for the AirPods is worth the price alone. From my experience so far there is no way I'm getting 8 hours of battery usage out of the BeatsX. I wanted to keep both but I won't get my money's worth out of keeping both.
I asked what happens if you return something after you've redeemed a code and the person at the Apple Store said they just back your redemption out. So yes, they are tied and they will know and you will lose the free 3 month free music gift if you return them.
Is there definitive word on whether these are sweat-resistant? CNET's hands-on (https://www.cnet.com/products/beatsx-earphones/preview/) claims they are, as well as a few other outlets.
I haven't seen definitive proof yet, but I suspect they are.
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'Necklace mode'. Good one! Like a standby mode, maybe?
Call quality seemed fine, no issues being heard on a call. I haven't had a reason to try them on a conference call yet, sorry.
This is somewhat subjective without a decibel meter (and how well you seat the earbuds in your ear canal), but IMO the volume ranges all the way from quiet in a quiet room at minimum to uncomfortably loud near maximum, both with the iOS Music app playing mastered-for-iTunes content and various voice podcasts with the Overcast app.
If it helps, I have tons of Bluetooth audio devices and know exactly what you are getting at, and I'm not unhappy with how quiet the BeatsX go before muting. But you have a 14 day return window with Apple if you aren't satisfied.
They say specifically "up to 8 hours". I don't know if you'll get there if you run them at high volume, for example, but I do know that you'll need to manually power them off in "necklace mode" or the battery will drain. I have no idea why that doesn't power them down (would be a cool feature), but there is the tiniest little bluish-white light on the power switch that you'll want to check if you're not going to be using them.
You can also swipe to the left from Control Center to check the battery level, or (my favorite) add the Battery widget to your Today View to check if they're on as well as % power remaining.
One other thing I keep with me is a small USB battery to top up my phone if the need arises, 5 minutes of which would've topped off your BeatsX for an extra ~two hours.
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A few more hours with the BeatsX and here's my opinion (Compared to the Powerbeats3):
Once you get the cord to lay the way you want (it is a tad long), using the smaller piece to keep it snug in your ear and the medium tips, I find the BeatsX more comfortable.
I was disappointed with the highs and mids at first (bass is great), the BeatsX seem to "open up" the more I listen to them. Battery life is pretty good and I LOVE the convenience of charging with a lightening cable (I don't carry a micro USB in my car for example).
I used compy tips with my powerbeats3 but I don't like them with the BeatsX, the OEM tips are fine. Both pairs sound very similar, the powerbeats3 might sound a TAD better (iPhone 7 with no EQ). Both get plenty loud for me.
In the end, I think I like the BeatsX better, I don't get too sweaty working out and these are more comfortable (not as big and bulky on your ears). I really wish I would have put an order in for Airpods, I want to try them but I hate waiting
Once you get the cord to lay the way you want (it is a tad long), using the smaller piece to keep it snug in your ear and the medium tips, I find the BeatsX more comfortable.
I was disappointed with the highs and mids at first (bass is great), the BeatsX seem to "open up" the more I listen to them. Battery life is pretty good and I LOVE the convenience of charging with a lightening cable (I don't carry a micro USB in my car for example).
I used compy tips with my powerbeats3 but I don't like them with the BeatsX, the OEM tips are fine. Both pairs sound very similar, the powerbeats3 might sound a TAD better (iPhone 7 with no EQ). Both get plenty loud for me.
In the end, I think I like the BeatsX better, I don't get too sweaty working out and these are more comfortable (not as big and bulky on your ears). I really wish I would have put an order in for Airpods, I want to try them but I hate waiting
For some reason, I expected to be able to connect my BeatsX as an audio output for my Apple TV 4, but no dice. I could've sworn I had done this one with the wireless Solos, but I guess I must've dreamed it?
Go with a set of headphones that are sweat proof like the Jaybirds. http://www.jaybirdsport.com/freedom...DLIvjDHPueZd0wCYEibBkQWRvlADYuyA95xoC5Izw_wcB
You can pair them with your tv. You just have to do it the old school way. It doesn't take advantage of the W1 chip features.