As iPhone boxes no longer contain Apple’s wired EarPods earphones, Apple subsidiary Beats has introduced $49.99 Beats Flex earphones.
Beats Flex earphones are Beats most affordable premium wireless earphones to date. The earphones leverage the flexible and convenient design of BeatsX, and boast tremendous improvements, including magnetic auto-play/pause earbuds, a 12-hour battery life, a new acoustic driver and upgraded microphone for impressive sound performance, and USB-C charging. Beats Flex delivers a high-quality sound experience for a fraction of the cost of its predecessor, making it the perfect gift for anyone you know this holiday season.
Beats Flex will come in four stylish colors — Beats Black, Yuzu Yellow, Smoke Gray and Flame Blue — with Beats Black and Yuzu Yellow available for pre-order beginning today at apple.com.
“I’m excited to announce that Beats is launching its most affordable product ever— packed with incredible audio technology from Apple,” said Oliver Schusser, vice president of Beats, Apple Music, and International Content, in a statement. “This will allow even more music fans around the world to experience the quality sound and design Beats products are known for.”
Sound
Beats Flex employs a proprietary layered driver with dual-chamber acoustics to achieve rich, balanced sound with outstanding stereo separation. Laser cut micro-venting and an optimized driver angle ensure ear pressure relief and accurate sound delivery. Additionally, an advanced digital processor fine-tunes the audio for accurate bass, precise mids, and low distortion across the frequency curve.
Design
Whether you want to listen to music, take a call, or scroll your social feed, Beats Flex will be there when you need it. Made of durable Nitinol material, the Flex-Form cable is extremely lightweight and nearly unnoticeable while wearing around your neck.
Magnetic earbuds make listening that much easier by automatically playing music when they’re in your ears and pausing when they’re attached around your neck. When not in use, they easily coil up into your pocket or purse, tangle-free. And with four eartip options, you get a personalized, secure fit for optimal sound and comfort.
Technology
With Class 1 Bluetooth technology, Beats Flex offers extended wireless range and fewer dropouts. An advanced built-in microphone helps reduce wind noise for elevated voice clarity and call performance. On-device controls allow you to adjust volume as well as manage music, take calls, or activate voice assistant.
The Apple W1 chip seamlessly integrates Beats Flex into your world of Apple products. Simply power on and hold near your iPhone or iPad for one-touch pairing. From there, your Beats Flex is ready to be used with any Apple device that is synced to iCloud so you can seamlessly switch between products, check battery status, or use Audio Sharing.
Audio Sharing lets you wirelessly share audio with your friend using Beats Flex and another pair of Beats headphones or AirPods.3 From a song, to a podcast, or even a movie—some things are better together. Now you can easily share whatever you’re listening to on an iPhone, iPad, or Apple TV and each control your own volume. Simply bring the second set of headphones near your Apple device and connect with a tap.
Battery Life
Beats Flex upgraded, all-day battery boasts up to 12 hours of listening time. If you need a little extra power, 10-minute Fast Fuel charging with the included USB-C cable gives 1.5 hours of playback when battery is low.
With USB-C charge, Beats Flex provides a single charging solution across both Apple and Android platforms. Android users can also download the Beats app from the Google Play Store to get additional features like quick-pairing, device status (i.e. battery levels), and firmware updates.
Environmentally Friendly Packaging
Beats Flex’s packaging uses the least amount of plastic of all Beats packaging to date and is made up of 87% fiber-based materials. All the wood fiber in the packaging comes from recycled sources or responsibly managed forests, and the product tray is recyclable with paper.
Pricing and Availability
Beats Flex (49.99 USD) is available to order today in Beats Black and Yuzu Yellow at apple.com, with availability beginning October 21.
MacDailyNews Take: Strong pricing means Beats Flex will move many, many units.
Interesting. I have a pair that of bluetooth headphones that look EXACTLY like that that have been great (not a name brand). I bought my mother a pair of Sony headphones that again look EXACTLY like that. She really likes the headphones. I wonder if the design was purchased if it was an “accident.”
The Beats Flex are the same exact design as their previously released Beats X. Sound quality may be different but the form factor is nearly identical.
I love the design and had a pair of the predecessor but once I had AirPods – there was no going back.
Yeah, I have a pair of Airpods now too… they are great. Although, at least for me, they could fit in my ears a bit better (to be fair, for one size fits all, they fit pretty well).
I’m probably buying this lower cost compromise between AirPods and wired headphones. I think it’ll work well with my running.
Strange that they don’t use the lightning connector
I had a very similar set of Beats a few years ago. Worst Apple product I’ve ever had the displeasure of owning – by far. The power button on the first ones failed after a couple of months. Apple sent a poor-condition refurb as my warranty replacement – after several weeks w/o headphones. The replacement ones lasted about 9 months, and the power button failed just after the original warranty ended. Apple wouldn’t do anything at that point, though they clearly were peddling a defective product.
No more Beats for me.