The Beats BeatsX Wireless are neckband headphones well-suited for sports. Their rubberized design is lightweight and flexible, making them easy to store when you're on the go, whether you wear them around your neck or folded in your pockets. They've also got a well-balanced sound profile, and their added touch of bass will please fans of EDM and hip-hop alike. However, Android users may feel snubbed as these headphones are optimized for iOS devices. Their battery life might not be anything to write home about either, but they have an impressive charge time of just under an hour, so you're not without headphones for too long.
Our Verdict
The Beats X Wireless are decent for mixed-use. Their flexible neckband design makes it easy to take these headphones with you, whether in your pocket or around your neck. Although they don't significantly reduce low noises like vehicle engines, they perform much better at blocking out the chatter in offices or cafes. These headphones are also stable enough to wear while working out. They deliver a well-balanced sound that casual listeners can enjoy. However, fans of neutral sound may find the soundstage to be too shallow and small compared to open-back headphones.
- Portable and stable design.
- Impressively quick charge time.
- Very low leakage.
- The neckband design might not be comfortable for all users.
- Extremely limited app support only available on iOS.
The Beats X Wireless are okay for neutral listening. They have a fairly well-balanced sound profile with a touch of extra bass. However, the underemphasized treble produces a dark sound lacking detail. The passive soundstage is poor as these headphones are in-ear and closed-back.
The Beats X Wireless are decent for travel. They passively block out a lot of noise, although they do a better job of reducing speech than bus or plane engines. Their four included sets of ear tips help you find the best fit for you if you want to listen to music for a long time. Their sleek, rubberized design is also flexible enough to put into most pockets when you're on the go. Unfortunately, their 6.5 hours of battery life might not be enough to get you through a long train ride or road trip. Luckily, they quickly charge in less than an hour.
The Beats X Wireless are good for sports and fitness. Their flexible, rubberized design makes them easily portable, while their wireless design reduces the chances of you snagging your cords while you work out. They also come with several ear tips and stability fins, so you can find a comfortable fit that shouldn't fall out. However, the neckband design can be more of an annoyance if worn during vigorous movements like sprinting.
The Beats X Wireless are alright for office use. While lightweight, some users won't find the rubberized neckband design comfortable. On the upside, they come with four sets of ear tips so that you can find the best fit. In an office setting, these headphones also do an excellent job of reducing background chatter. If you need more noise isolation, you can crank up the volume without worrying too much about your colleagues hearing your music as they barely leak sound. Their continuous battery life might not get you through your 9-5 shift in one charge, but they have an extremely quick charge time.
The Beats X Wireless aren't recommended for wireless gaming. They aren't compatible with PS4 or Xbox One, and while you can connect them to a Bluetooth-enabled PC, their latency is likely too high for gaming.
The Beats X Wireless are Bluetooth headphones that you can't use wired.
The Beats X Wireless are okay for phone calls. Although you should still be understood by whoever's on the other end, your voice sounds thin and muffled. The mic also has problems separating speech from background noise which can be problematic if you're taking calls in a noisy office. On the upside, its passive noise isolation helps reduce chatter so you can focus on your phone call without hearing too many distractions.
Changelog
- Updated Feb 12, 2020: Converted to Test Bench 1.4.
- Updated Nov 21, 2019: Converted to Test Bench 1.3.1.
- Updated Nov 21, 2019: Converted to Test Bench 1.3.
- Updated Feb 16, 2018: Converted to Test Bench 1.2.
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Popular Headphones Comparisons
The Beats BeatsX are wireless headphones best suited for sports and physical activities. Compared to other neckband headphones, they're very flexible, which makes them easier to store. Although their battery life is less than other wireless headphones, they've got an impressive charge time of under an hour. Unfortunately, they don't have a true companion app: their pop-up feature offers only battery information, and it's only available to iOS devices, meaning that Android users might find their experience with these headphones lacking.
If you like the neckband look, check out our recommendations for the best neckband headphones. If you're looking for more wireless recommendations, try the best wireless earbuds for iPhone and the best wireless earbuds for running and working out.
The Beats Flex Wireless are better in-ears for most uses than the Beats BeatsX Wireless. The Flex are more comfortable, feel better built, and have a longer continuous battery life. They also have lower audio latency on iOS and Android. However, the BeatsX are more stable in-ear come with a case. They also have a better-balanced sound profile with less bass boost, which may be a better choice if you don't listen to a lot of hip-hop or EDM.
The Beats BeatsX Wireless are better headphones than the Jabra Elite 45e Wireless. Their design blocks as much noise passively as the Jabra Elite 65e, which greatly surpasses the isolation performance of the Jabra. The sound quality of the Beats is also more neutral, but you can’t EQ it to your liking. On the other hand, the Jabra have better wireless range, and if comfort is the most important factor when you’re buying headphones, the Jabra are more comfortable.
The Beats Powerbeats Pro Truly Wireless are slightly better sports headphones than the Beats BeatsX Wireless thanks to the very stable ear-hook design. They are also noticeably more comfortable to wear for long listening sessions. Both headphones sound very similar and most people won’t notice the difference. However, the BeatsX provide a better airtight fit, which isolates better against ambient noise. On the other hand, you get about twice the battery life on the Powerbeats Pro, which is very impressive for truly wireless headphones.
The Sony WI-C600N Wireless are noise cancelling in-ears, but the Beats BeatsX Wireless actually block out more noise passively. The Beats also feel more secure inside the ears, which is better for sports. Their neckband design is quite similar and malleable. Sound-wise, they are quite similar, but you can EQ the Sonys inside their app, which the Beats are lacking. On the other hand, the Beats take a very short amount of time to fully charge and could have better performance with iOS devices thanks to the W1 chip.
Our How We Test Headphones article takes you behind the scenes in our lab. You'll learn how we choose and purchase products and dive into the details of our review philosophy, from testing and scoring to writing and editing.
You can also discover how we produce recommendations like this one so that you can find the best headphones (or earbuds!) for your needs.
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