Beats Flex Review

The Beats Flex are the antithesis to the new-fangled wire-free headphone world we've found ourselves. Instead of going all in on weird bean shapes and high-end features like noise-cancelling, they're a much more affordable pair of traditional wireless buds.

At $79, the biggest question surrounding the Beats Flex is "do they sound any good?". After all, $79 is fairly inexpensive in a world where you're dropping a minimum of $249 on a pair of AirPods. Fortunately, the answer is mostly yes. The Beats Flex are a little tinny, frequencies can get muddled on occasion, and there's not enough sub-bass, but otherwise, they're solid for the money. There's clear highs and enough low-end to provide a bit of energy. In terms of an everyday pair of earbuds, you can do a lot worse.

While the Beats Flex are wireless buds, they still have a neckband style wire connecting each end. While I don't mind neckband style designs, the sheer length of the Beats Flex is awkward. Comical, even. Maybe I'm just not tall enough, but the Beats Flex make me feel self-conscious when I wear them. There's just too much cord. I would have preferred a shorter length neckband, as with the Powerbeats.

Aesthetics aside, I found the Beat Flex fit well. The in-ear style buds are comfortable and block out a decent amount of outside noise. The chain bounces around a bit if you're exercising, but I didn't have issues with the buds popping out of my ears.

At the same time, the Beats Flex may not be your best option for workouts. The buds don't have any official IP rating, which means they're technically not sweat or water-resistant. I haven't had any issues using them at the gym so far, but the super sweaty may not want to risk it.

When it comes to smarts, the Beats Flex are on the more basic side of the spectrum. They won't automatically turn off if you're not listening to them, and they won't pause your music or podcast when you pull them out of your years unless you clasp the magnetic ends together.

Unlike most earbuds these days, you won't find any tap or gesture controls. Instead, there's a multi-function button on the neckband that can be used for pausing, skipping, or returning to a previous track.

The neckband also houses a USB C port for topping up the Beats Flex. This also marks the first time Beats have charged over USB C, rather than Lightning, which will be a welcome change for those with an Android smartphone. In terms of battery, you can expect a more than reasonable 10 hours of battery per charge.

With Beats being owned by Apple, the Beats Flex naturally work best with other Apple devices and can quick pair as with AirPods. They'll also work with Android devices, and there's a dedicated companion app.

If you need a cheapish pair of wireless headphones - especially for an iPhone 12 given they no longer include bundled buds - the Beats Flex are a reliable set. You could do much worse.

Alex Choros

Managing Editor + Group Telco Editor | X | Instagram | Threads | LinkedIn

Alex Choros is the Managing Editor of WhistleOut Australia and an award-winning journalist. He's been writing about consumer technology for over a decade and is an expert on the Australian telco sector, to the point where he knows far too many phone and internet plans by heart. In addition to leading the WhistleOut editorial team, Alex is responsible for ruining the office Sonos with his troubled taste in music.

Read full bio