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Review: Beats Flex Offer a Great Entry Point to Apple's Wireless Earphone Ecosystem for Just $50

citysnaps said:
Think about it... Apple knows most people have a Lightning - USB-A cable. For those that have already moved to USB-C, such as myself, Apple includes a Lightning - USB-C cable. Easy.

Life goes on.
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Yeah I have a mac mini so it wouldn't matter to me but imagine getting an iPhone and having no way to charge it.
I think its a cheap and cheesy move on Apples part. If you're a stockholder its great if not it does nothing
to enhance Apples image. All for an extra $5 in apples pocket.
But then there's the people who will buy Apples charger and and wireless headphones
after paying $1399 for the iPhone. again cheap and cheesy on Apples part if you ask me.
JMHO
 
Man, I badly regret ordering these. Got them delivered yesterday and have to say, they've been a massive disappointment. They sounded so bad that I didn't bother troubleshooting after they didn't connect to my macbook pro. Going to return them. I'd reckon Apple's wired earpods probably sound lot better to me. Didn't ever imagine the audio would be so bad.
 
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Jackie, yes, you're right, not the greatest audio. I think they are just a little bit improvement from the wired earbuds that came with my iPhone 11. But then again, I don't expect great audio for $50, so . . .

The 'can't connect to Mac' is a known problem, there's another thread that speaks to that.

My situation with sound is a little different from most. I have some hearing loss and usually need subtitles to listen to television. I have a HomePod, and although it's much better, I still need the subtitles because of frequent garbling when there is background noise in the soundtrack, such as a loud music score. So I bought these because they connect to the AppleTV and I find my hearing significantly improved. I don't use subtitles anymore, although there is a bit of garbling during high background noise. For $50, it's a great solution for me. Probably AirPods would be much better, but I don't want to spend that much money, and I worry about losing one, so the wired between buds is just right for me.

What did frustrate me is that you really have to search to tell the left side from the right side. So I cut out a small white sticker and wrapped it around the battery enclosure. Easy to tell now.
 
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iSayuSay said:
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.
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I’ve just received a pair of these today. They were a free gift that came with my Apple watch series 6. As they were free I’m not going to br very critical. They sound reasonable. I have AirPod pros which I use outside of the house and in the evenings when my kids go to bed. I’ve always been hesitant to use my AirPod pros during the day in the house when my kids are around as I fear that one or both will get lost. Outside and when they are in bed I’m fine. I’ve had airpods since the first gen in early 2017 and I’ve never lost one or come close to loosing them. The cable will be good for wearing around the house during the day. I did‘t realise how much the H1 chip has improved my experience. I went from Airpods 1 to 2 and then the pros. Even switching between my devices is a lot slower than my airpods pro were even before auto switching. I also miss auto switching now. Anyhow as I said they were free so I won‘t complain much.
 
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devonair said:
The price was low enough for me to add a set to my cart when I preordered my iPhone. I had previously owned a pair of BeatsX's that I was mostly happy with until the day they randomly stopped working just outside of the one-year warranty -- a flaw that I've come to discover is not that uncommon if you go by the complaints of other BeatsX owners online. The similarity between the X and Flex had me second guess, but if $50 gets me something that lasts a year and is more convenient (to me, at least) than Airpods, then I might not be so upset about spending another $50 next year if these crap out like the X's did -- especially if they update them with an H1 (or H2 by then?) chip.
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Oh man, I'm soooo glad that Apple has a very consumer-friendly return policy. The first time I tried these out I immediately knew that they weren't for me. They are simply too uncomfortable -- specifically the stiff ear tips and stiff cable. I'm sure this would get better with repeated use, but it just highlighted for me how much I prefer the design and feel of the original wired earpods. Maybe I'm just lucky to be one of the generic masses whose ears comfortably match what Apple was designing for with those OG headphones, but regular Airpods with a cheap silicon strap from Amazon has become my go-to solution for wireless headphones that have a neck strap. I was hoping the Flex's would be a way to not have to worry about a separate charging case, but I can deal with that minor inconvenience to have headphones that just feel more comfortable without a wire running down to my pocket. The after-market neck strap even holds the two ends together via built-in magnets when not using the Airpods, replicating much of the convenience of BeatsX/Flex headphones.
 
devonair said:
Oh man, I'm soooo glad that Apple has a very consumer-friendly return policy. The first time I tried these out I immediately knew that they weren't for me. They are simply too uncomfortable -- specifically the stiff ear tips and stiff cable. I'm sure this would get better with repeated use, but it just highlighted for me how much I prefer the design and feel of the original wired earpods. Maybe I'm just lucky to be one of the generic masses whose ears comfortably match what Apple was designing for with those OG headphones, but regular Airpods with a cheap silicon strap from Amazon has become my go-to solution for wireless headphones that have a neck strap. I was hoping the Flex's would be a way to not have to worry about a separate charging case, but I can deal with that minor inconvenience to have headphones that just feel more comfortable without a wire running down to my pocket. The after-market neck strap even holds the two ends together via built-in magnets when not using the Airpods, replicating much of the convenience of BeatsX/Flex headphones.
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What do you mean by stiff ear tips? Compared to the AirPods? The Flex have soft rubber tips, AirPods have hard plastic. ?

But I actually prefer AirPods style tips, don’t like in-ear. And that H1 chip would be nice for automatic device switching.
AirPods with 3rd party neck strap could work for me, except I’d be missing the Flex’s 12 hour battery life, the physical volume controls, and on/off button. And can’t beat that $50 price tag. Wish I could pay more for H1 chip and better sound quality and wish it had non-in-ear tips, but all in all my Flex does the job well.
 
When you have an iPhone 12, these headphones don't suit you at all. I'm talking about the appearance.
Better not to skimp on headphones.
 
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On my 2nd pair, these are solid with a good batterylife and fast charging. As for durability. I am still to find any in-ear headphones that last much longer then a year. Same with these (depending how much you use them) IF you are a light user then they will likely last you 2 years+

They are glued together with silicon glue that comes apart from oil in your skin (Failuremode) I am sure this is all intentional. I am re-gluing them and they should last longer. No mechanical failure, so they are solidly put together which is rare for in-ear headphones.

I would say 7/10
 
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