Low-cost wireless earphones Beats Flex are a compelling alternative to EarPods: Product Review

Apple's "Beats by Dr. Dre" was a huge success with the brand's first fully wireless earphone "Power Beats Pro" and then again with the brand's first noise-cancelling headphones "Beats Solo Pro". I got it.

However, it's unclear if the recently released wireless earphones, the Beats Flex, will follow the same path. This product is completely different in terms of performance and sound quality.

The surprise of "Beats for 5,400 yen"

Beats Flex is the successor to the 2016 neckband earphones Beats X. The big difference is the price, which is only £ 49.99 (Japanese price is 5,400 yen excluding tax), which is an obvious low-priced model.

It's amazing that Beats made such cheap earphones. The BeatsX was about £ 130 (¥ 14,800 excluding tax in Japan), which was about £ 80 (¥ 9,400) higher than the Beats Flex.

Considering that Apple has stopped including earphones in the iPhone, it is significant to release low-priced earphones. It's a very attractive option for casual music enthusiasts looking for an alternative to EarPods, which is cheap and of reasonable quality.

@vervegirlmag Wow! That sounds soo cool, what kind of things do they do?

— E✨ Sat Dec 08 19:36:34 +0000 2012

The Beats Flex and Beats X look very similar at first glance. The two earbuds are connected by a long cord, which is turned around the back of the neck when worn. It's not a heavy design, but it might be a little strange to walk around with a slightly clunky Nitinol (a nickel-titanium alloy) cable around your neck like a necklace.

The advantage of Nitinol cables is that they are flexible and maintain a curved shape that follows the shape of the neck. This keeps the volume control, large battery unit, and multifunction buttons around your chest. It's good that the cable doesn't get entangled even if you pack it in your pocket.

And thanks to this big battery unit, the Beats Flex can be used for 12 hours in a row. Charging is via USB-C, so the product comes with a short USB-C charging cable. However, like the iPhone 12, it doesn't come with a charger, so if you don't have one, you'll need to buy one. There is also a function that allows 1.5 hours of playback with a 10-minute quick charge.

Difficult to adjust fit

The big problem with the Beats Flex is the fit. There are four types of eartips available, including a double flange type and a larger size, but most users want any eartip to fit comfortably.

But that's not the case. If anything, it's loose and easy to come off. Therefore, you need to try the included eartips to see which eartips fit your ears and then push them firmly into your ears. When not using earphones, the left and right earbuds can be attached with a magnet. This will automatically pause and reduce battery consumption.

That said, it's not as intuitive as Apple's AirPods. Unlike AirPods, it doesn't have a sensor that can detect when it's removed from your ear. Playback is stopped only when it is detected that the earbuds are attached to each other with a magnet.