Indeed, when it comes to instrument separation, I’m not sure I’ve heard anything quite like it in a pair of headphones at this price. That’s quite the feature list for a pair of budget earphones but, arguably, the most impressive attribute of the Beats Flex is their sound quality. Find the best wireless earbuds under $50 for sports, commuting, or daily listening. You don’t have to spend a lot of money for a decent pair of earbuds. For under $50, you can’t expect them to shower you with features. However, they still offer more than other wireless earbuds at this price range.
The audio quality is great, and the battery life is solid. My one criticism is that the neckband design does seem a bit outdated in 2020, but for some folks, this design is just more useful. Battery life is important for wireless headphones, and doubly so for banded headphones like these that don’t come with a charging case. Apple claims on its website that you get up to 12 hours of listening time, and our own testing mostly matches up with those claims. We got a little less than that on average, but we’re also usually listening to music at full volume because we hate our eardrums.
The Beats Flex Wireless and the Sony WI-XB400 EXTRA BASS Wireless are similarly performing headphones, and depending on your usage, you may prefer one pair over the other. The Beats are more comfortable, stable, and have a better build quality. They also isolate more noise and have a W1 chip so that you can seamlessly pair them with Apple devices. These headphones have a comfortable fit and have over 11 hours of continuous battery life, which should last through long days at the office.
A small left side indicator, a grill for a microphone, and a play/pause/skip button. Both earbuds also stick together with the help of magnets. That gives them additional functionality you can adjust in settings. First of all, Beats Flex have 3 different physical buttons built into the 2 control modules.
The USB Type-C features reversible plug orientation and cable direction. Devices with neodymium magnets are lighter and more powerful than those which use ferrite magnets. The waterproof depth rating indicates how well the device is protected against water ingress and water pressure. Devices beats solo pro wireless which can withstand more water pressure are better for swimming or diving. I would like to receive news and offers from other Future brands. Against Apple is going to trial over claims the company has overcharged App Store users because of its dominant position in the iOS app market.
The only significant shortcoming considering their low price is that the Flex don’t come with any waterproofing. That’s likely a deliberate decision so that they don’t cannibalise the sales of the pricer Powerbeats and Powerbeats Pro, which are squarely aimed at the fitness market. They’re billed as a Class 1 Bluetooth device, meaning they’ll deliver a range of at least 20 metres, and that seems to be in keeping with what I’ve experienced. If you need longer battery life, Sony makes several behind-the-neck models with hours of battery life, like the bulkier C400 and the WI-C310. There’s some added thump to the drum loop, and the sub-bass synth hits that punctuate the beat are delivered with power and depth—these earphones will not disappoint lovers of boosted bass.
They’re light, as you’d expect from a pair of wireless earbuds, weighing in at 0.66 ounces. There is no bulky carry case to drive that figure up, which is both a positive and negative depending on your point of view, as you also don’t have anywhere convenient to store them when not in use. 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.
And despite not carrying an IP rating for dust or water protection, a source at Beats tells me the Flex are in fact quite capable of dealing with a sweaty workout. The USB-C charging port is waterproof and the controls have all been beats solo pro wireless sealed against moisture. Positioned on the left earbud wire, it was ideally located to capture speech. The Beats Flex are almost as good, but the location of the mic on the Flex neckband does result in slightly worse quality.
As long you don’t plan on working out with this, the fit shouldn’t pose much of an issue. For daily chores and errands, the Beats Flex is perfectly fine, but it doesn’t have an official IP rating to protect against water damage. While these wireless neckbuds work well with Android, you’ll really get the best value if you pair them with an iOS device. On-device controls allow you to adjust volume, manage music, take calls and activate your voice assistant. You can leave the earbuds dangling from around your neck, wearing them like a pendant.