If anything the brand has become more competitive, with a newly refined sound, cultivated in Cupertino. While these are a budget pair of earbuds , they still maintain that premium look and feel that you’d expect from the company. The rubber neckband feels sturdy while still being flexible, and the earbuds themselves are simple but stylish. The only complaint we have is that the neckband was a little too long for us, which meant it occasionally bunched up and pushed out the earbuds if we were wearing a big coat or scarf. 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.
There is, however, a connected tone, so at least you’ll know when they connect. There’s just a weird disconnect between turning them on and waiting for them to connect where it’s not clear if they’re actually on. Although there’s plenty of detail, until they’re turned up rather loud, the Beats Flex rather lack the dynamism and liveliness of more workout-orientated headphones such as the Adidas RPD-01. For Android users, it isn’t as easy, but the Flex work just like any other Bluetooth earphones and can be paired in the usual way. You can also download the Beats mobile app to enable faster pairing, check battery status and install firmware updates.
When you aren’t using them, you can magnetically click the two earbuds together. This pauses any music playing, but also saves battery life. The Beats Flex are a little less intuitive than Apple’s AirPods. Unlike the AirPods, there aren’t any sensors in the earbuds to detect when you take an earbud out of your ear. Playback will only pause itself if it detects that you’ve magnetically attach the two earbuds together. One advantage of the cable being made out of nickel and titanium is that it aligns around your neck, maintaining its elasticated curved shape.
The right controller handles power, while the left features a rocker button for volume control, the USB-C input, and a small button for play/pause or track skipping. The simplicity and low price are what makes the Flex so appealing in the first place, though. They’re a great upgrade from the normal wired earbuds that ship with many phones, like the standard EarPods that used to come with iPhones. If you’re still using an old set of wired buds, this is the best upgrade path for you (assuming you’re not willing to drop at least double the price on a set of true wireless buds, of course). They sound pretty good, are incredibly comfortable, and last about 12 hours on average. For a budget pair of earphones, a lot of thought has gone into the design.
The round and smooth pebble-like edges on everything is very Apple-y. Don’t get me wrong—there’s nothing amazing or standout about these earbuds. There is, however, automatic play/pause thanks to the magnets that keep the buds together when they’re not in your ears. But otherwise, they’re just a very standard set of wireless earbuds.
Apart from an aptX codec, the Flybuds C1 lack any other premium features or customization that you find on the Flex. Like all Apple headphones, the Beats Flex use SBC and AAC, the latter being a default Bluetooth codec. Multipoint for seamless switching beats studio3 between devices is possible thanks to the W1 chip, but only between Apple devices. On iOS, you can see a traditional pop-up animation with battery percentage. You can get a similar experience on an Android device if you download the Beats app.
At $50 (£50, around AU$70), you won’t feel bad if you lose them, and they offer most of the same features as other, more expensive Beats buds. They don’t have a deep in-ear fit, and the cable is lightweight and shouldn’t be tiring to wear. Unfortunately, the ear tips can fall out of your ears if they don’t form a good seal, but on the plus side, there are a few different sizes of silicone tips included so you can find the best fit for you. They’re comfortable, lightweight, and can be worn around your neck when you’re on the go.