Same price range of the Anker SoundCore Liberty Air and compared to the BeatsX they don't sound that good. I will assume the Flex will sound as good as the BeatsX.
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Review: Beats Flex Offer a Great Entry Point to Apple's Wireless Earphone Ecosystem for Just $50
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Same, a switch would be nice for that. But apparently they made the button more obvious, which should at least improve on the beatsX button quite a bit. It would always take me a few seconds to find the beatsX button by feel, and then it was difficult to know if I pressed it successfully. Worst button ever. They wanted it to have that streamlined look, but didn’t think much about usability.
That’s funny because the wire is exactly why I want the beats flex. As I go about my home all day (wfh) it lets me drop the earbuds out of my ears, do my thing, and put them back in quickly, no hassle, countless times a day. Having to carry a case with me, fish it out of my pocket, pull the earbuds out and stick each one in, put it back in my pocket—then the reverse—every time... that would get tiresome after probably the 15th time in one day. That might be fine if you only do it a handful of times per day, but I am doing it constantly. (And if you don’t put them in the case you only get 4 or 5 hours battery life, which is only about 40% the battery life of the flex.) Also for myself, I hate carrying things in my pocket. And sometimes I don’t even have pockets so that’s a big problem right there. The neck band also lets me change the volume remotely without speaking out loud to Siri, which can be undesirable in many situations. And all else being equal, touch controls are actually a worse experience than buttons in my opinion. People seem to think the neck band/wire is a big hindrance. I never even notice it, and forget it’s there all the time.
As far as sound quality and ANC, I’m sure you know there is a $200 price difference between the AirPods Pro and beats flex, so it’s bewildering why you’d ask why people don’t just go for the 5x more expensive headphones. That aside, I would probably pay for all the features if they were offered in the flex form factor. But for me, the headphones mainly fill a very utilitarian role, so great sound quality is not terribly important. I have different wireless headphones for when I need great sound, and they are quite a bit better than AirPods Pro.
Not Anker Soundcore definitely not sound quality. They are good for a Zoom call but for Music I had to mess with the EQ which has been off on my devices for a decade.
I appreciate the insight. Honestly, I was partially posting to see if anyone would have arguments for the flex. However, I believe you missed a key part of my original post: I was speaking about Jlab Jbuds Air ANC which retail for $69
Doubt I'll ever buy another Beats product. I owned the much more expensive BeatsX (pretty much look like these) and the on-off switch stopped working. It's not uncommon, according to search results. It's outside of warranty (of course).
The switch is also encased in a hard part of the headphones that can't be opened; it's the LAST place that I'd expect to see a failure vs. something in the ear pieces or the wires at a vulnerable spot. Anyhow, done with Beats.
The switch is also encased in a hard part of the headphones that can't be opened; it's the LAST place that I'd expect to see a failure vs. something in the ear pieces or the wires at a vulnerable spot. Anyhow, done with Beats.
Oh I thought you were describing the AirPods Pro and saying they were the same price as the jbuds. Not familiar with those. That’s a great price for what they appear to offer. Should be a good, very inexpensive alternative to the AirPods Pro form factor. But I will say, having used the W1 chip in the beatsX for awhile, then having to use regular Bluetooth headphones after my beatsX broke, that W1 chip is a godsend when switching between multiple Apple devices, which I do often. For use with multiple Apple devices, I consider it a requirement now. For a single device or non Apple devices, it’s not necessary.
I think most the people here who expressed interest in these are coming from owning at least one broken beatsX lol. Including me. They were apparently not great in terms of build quality, but when they did work, they offered great functionality, especially in the Apple ecosystem, and in a uniquely useful form factor. Because of that and because of the 1/3 intro price, I’m personally willing to give it another shot. But here’s to hoping the build quality is improved...
This just occurred to me. There was a rumor awhile ago of an airpods X that was to replace the beatsX. I wonder if that might still be the case. Maybe it will be a high end (pro) version of the flex, with the H1 chip and spatial awareness and all that jazz, that will be released alongside the rumored airpods studio. Just a thought.
What are you even talking about? Apple has released iPhones in all these colors at various points....
It’s not cheaper, actually $20 more, but a user above made this recommendation:
I’m not familiar with these, but I just looked it up and seems like a pretty good feature set for the price, especially the 10 hours battery life of the headphones alone (without the battery case). That’s with ANC turned off though, not sure how long when turned on. And they’re true wireless.
Darth Tulhu
macrumors 68020
Your mileage may vary, but JLab Audio has a set for $30. I haven't used them, I use the cheaper (~$17) wired version, but they sound good and it's easy for me to listen and control my music and take calls and the like.
To everyone's that complained about the (ugly) colour, they come is 4 different colours including black.
I hope that they are better build than the beatsX. Like many, mine stopped working after like 12-18 months. Hopefully after I complained Apple gave me a new pair but still...
I hope that they are better build than the beatsX. Like many, mine stopped working after like 12-18 months. Hopefully after I complained Apple gave me a new pair but still...
My experience has been similar- have had them for several years, work well, sound decent, no problems. I did upgrade to the Powerbeats Pro but keep the BeatsX in my gym bag as a backup.
For me it wasn’t the battery duration (I wish). One day they would just stop turning on, and they would flash red/white. Apparently is a common battery problem.
There’s a temporary reset fix I tried every time, but at best it extended their life by a couple of weeks.
Apple replaced them FOC every time, though, so no complaints in that regard.
Another option for the issue I had is seemingly to open it and replace the battery yourself (it involves soldering) so I always avoided doing that and tried taking it to Apple first.
Many people will buy something like Beats Flex exactly because of the wire. It's harder to lose, you don't have to worry about one of the buds flipping off your ears and goes down the sewer. There's also battery life factor, 12 hours in something that's small and compact as the Flex is amazing! AirPods can barely survive 4 hours before it needs to be put back in the case, and that's even before the battery degrades.
There's also quirks when it comes with true wireless. You open the lid, yet one or both of the buds could be dead, disconnected or runs of of battery because it didn't sit properly within the case. Happened to me a few times with the AirPods Pro. Quirks that wouldn't happen on a single piece, single battery, neckband style wireless earphones.
Though I think the old W1 chip is a bummer. It should've used H1 chip because I use "Hey Siri" a lot.
I don't know for sure, but I don't think it would fit, the speaker housing is redesigned with a more rounded and smooth contour and the earfins sit exactly on top of that. So 99% sure they wouldn't fit properly.
I purchased a pair of these in the Beats black colour today. First preference would be flame blue. They sound impressive from reading up on them. These will be my main backup pair, stored in my car for the odd occasions I leave home without my AirPods Pro. It is inconvenient having to use wired EarBuds as I like to place my phone down on a table and wander around the lunch room / café untethered plus the EarBuds sound rather nasty after becoming accustomed to AirPods Pro. Although the Beats Flex have no active noise cancellation, the correctly sized eartips properly sealed I found are a key factor to effective noise cancellation and music immersion. Apple has created a Beats App for Android that will carry some of the functionality like battery level, across to Nokia phones so I'm excited about that as there is no Android App for AirPods Pro.
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wow. I still have my original beat x from when apple bought the company. No issues at all.
So, my curiosity is would they be able to connect to Apple TV, 4th Gen?
Edit: I went ahead and ordered them, talking to a Beats Sales Team member. He looked through the documentation and it 'suggests' that yes, you should be able to stream from Apple TV to Beats Flex. I'll find out for sure on Friday . . .
Edit 2: So, I got them on Wednesday, and they're everything they're supposed to be. Yes, they stream from the Apple TV, and switching between my iPhone and the ATV is quick and easy. I'm happy with them!
Edit: I went ahead and ordered them, talking to a Beats Sales Team member. He looked through the documentation and it 'suggests' that yes, you should be able to stream from Apple TV to Beats Flex. I'll find out for sure on Friday . . .
Edit 2: So, I got them on Wednesday, and they're everything they're supposed to be. Yes, they stream from the Apple TV, and switching between my iPhone and the ATV is quick and easy. I'm happy with them!
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I hope where you are your car never gets hot. Heat will quickly destroy the headphones battery!
I used my beatsX with my Apple TV 4K, so I don’t see why the flex wouldn’t work with the 4th gen.
There definitely is a point for me -- I already have multiple pairs of true wireless, including PowerBeats Pro and Master & Dynamic MW07 -- but neither of these fit the use case of a neckband wireless solution for me, personally, and a neckband wireless with a W1 chip so that super-convenient Apple ecosystem usability and at $49 was an immediate buy for me (due for delivery tomorrow).
True wireless are great for working out (how I use them) and definitely prefer that to something bouncing around my neck for that use case, but they are completely wrong for my everyday usage outside of the gym, which is to have connected earphones "at the ready" that don't require either constant wear in my ears or else storage in a case or pocket and fumbling for them in a pocket or something when I need them, which I cannot stand.
I do not want them in my ears constantly because I sit at a desk most of the day where I have on my head large, wired, over-the-ear headphones (sometimes planar magnetics) plugged into an audio interface or amp connected to my computer, and so obviously, I don't want an AirPod or some other true wireless bud in there with my big headphones on top.
In this latter use case, the neckband are there reliably ready for me to pick up in case I need to answer a call directly from my phone (say if I am not at my MacBook where I can answer from my computer), and don't require me to fumble to pick up a true wireless bud out of a case or pocket to stick it quickly in my earhole -- instead, I merely grab buds around my neck and put them in my earholes after removing my headphones.
And, when I get from my desk and am walking around the office or home, or running a quick errand, again, they are there for me ready to access quickly if I want to catch a podcast or make or take a call -- without having their constant presence in my ears if I'm not actively using them, which again, is what a true wireless requires of me, or else storage in a case I have to fumble with to use.
I'm tickled pink they cost $49!
It's the wire and neckband that precisely triggered my purchase, as I already have true wireless (PowerBeats Pro and Master & Dynamic MW07, just to name two of the multiple pairs I have) and love those for what they are, but they do not meet my needs for everyday usage when I don't want them stuck in my earholes constantly or having to fumble to get them out of a case when I need them quickly.
I live off of neckband wireless every day (Jabra Elite 75e, KEF Porsche Design MOTION ONE, among others) because they are perfect for my non-gym or non-running use (I prefer true wireless for that), being unobtrusively worn around my neck and ready to "pick up" quickly and not requiring me to fumble in a pocket or else were the earphone constantly, which is what true wireless require of me.
I neither want constantly a true wireless bud stuck in my ear nor to have to fumble to get them out of a case to use them when I need to answer a call or listen to something -- that's clumsy and not at all convenient!
The fact that these are $49 and have the W1 chip (yes, older but still benefitting from Apple ecosystem conveniences like easy use with my iPad, iPhones, and Macs) means they will likely replace my other neckbands as my primary "everyday," general purpose wireless earphones.
I'm 100% with you -- I have more expensive wireless headphones (Master & Dynamic MW60, Beyerdynamic Amiron Wireless, among others) when I want higher-fidelity wireless sound, and like you, the wire (and neckband) is precisely why I want the Flex -- they fit the "drop and forget them" use case I use my current wireless neckbands for, no fumbling with case and attendant hassles, but unlike my current neckbands, they have the Apple convenience of W1.
I only want true wireless in other scenarios, for example, gym and running where that style excels, but like you, I am constantly answering calls, making calls, or otherwise using my neckband earphones and the longer battery life and ultimate convenience of not having to fumble with little true wireless buds and a case -- just perfect.