The Beats Flex Wireless are colorful, budget-friendly in-ears with a neckband cable. They have a minimalist design that feels comfortable and well-built for all-day casual use. Thanks to their W1 chip, they pair seamlessly with different Apple devices. As with most Beats Models, like the Beats Powerbeats Pro Truly Wireless, the Flex have a thumpy, bass-heavy sound profile. Ultimately, these wireless headphones are designed as a plug-and-play option for casual use, meaning they lack an EQ function to fine-tune audio to your liking.
Our Verdict
The Beats Flex Wireless are adequate for neutral sound. Their bass-heavy sound profile is well-suited for genres like EDM and hip-hop, but their underemphasized treble range veils vocals and dulls sibilants across all genres. Like most closed-back earbuds, sound feels like it's coming from inside your head, which doesn't feel natural or immersive. Their companion app is lackluster and doesn't have an EQ or presets to allow you to adjust their sound to your liking.
- Comfortable, stable fit.
- No adjustable EQ or presets.
The Beats Flex Wireless are very good for commute and travel. They're lightweight and can be worn comfortably around your neck. Since they're relatively small and have a flexible design, you can easily stash them in your pocket or bag without issue. They also have an 11-hour continuous battery life, enough for daily commutes. Unfortunately, they struggle to block the bass range from bus or plane engines during transit.
- Comfortable, stable fit.
- Good build quality.
- Struggles to cut down bass-range noise.
The Beats Flex Wireless are great for sports and fitness. They're well-built, have a comfortable fit, and stay in place during workouts. However, unlike other sports earbuds, they don't have stability fins or ear hooks. They also lack an IP rating for dust and water resistance.
- Comfortable, stable fit.
- Good build quality.
- No IP rating.
The Beats Flex Wireless are decent for office use. They're comfortable and have 11 hours of continuous battery life, which will last well through the workday. While they don't have active noise cancelling (ANC), they still passively cut down a fair bit of ambient chatter around you. They also don't leak a lot of audio, so you can listen at a high volume without disturbing coworkers.
- Comfortable, stable fit.
- Reduces mid-range noise like office chatter.
- No adjustable EQ or presets.
- No NFC or multi-device pairing.
The Beats Flex Wireless are Bluetooth-only headphones. While you can use them via Bluetooth on PCs, their latency is too high for gaming, so you'll notice delays with the audio.
The Beats Flex Wireless are Bluetooth-only headphones. You can't use them wired.
The Beats Flex Wireless are mediocre for phone calls. Their integrated mic makes your voice sound muffled and thin over the phone. It struggles to filter out background noise, even in moderate-volume environments. They can passively isolate you from a good amount of mid-range noise like conversations, but they don't do a very good job blocking out the bass range of rumbling engines.
- Comfortable, stable fit.
- Mediocre performing integrated mic.
Changelog
- Updated Sep 28, 2023: This review was updated for accuracy and clarity.
- Updated Nov 04, 2022: Updated review to ensure quality, consistency, and relevance in the current market.
- Updated Oct 19, 2021: Updated review for accuracy and clarity.
- Updated Jun 29, 2021: Converted to Test Bench 1.5.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
The Beats Flex Wireless come in four color variants: 'Black', 'Yuzu Yellow', 'Flame Blue', 'Smoke Gray', and the 2021 limited-release 'Fragment Black'. We tested the Yuzu Yellow variant, and you can see its label here. We expect all color variants to perform similarly.
If you come across another variant, let us know in the forums, and we'll update our review.
Popular Headphones Comparisons
The Beats Flex Wireless are simple, colorful in-ears with a neck cable design that are well-suited for a variety of uses. Unlike the Jaybird Tarah Pro Wireless or the Beats Powerbeats Pro Truly Wireless, they don't have ear tips or stability fins to help keep them in place, making them better suited for light exercise. For commuting and on-the-go use, the Anker Soundcore Life P3 Truly Wireless offer a comparable sound profile with a superior noise isolation performance, thanks to their ANC features. They also have a better built-in mic and noise handling performance, making them a more natural choice for taking calls.
Check out our recommendations for the best wireless Bluetooth earbuds, the best wireless earbuds for iPhone, and the best wireless Bluetooth earbuds under $100.
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 Flex Wireless and the Sony WI-XB400 EXTRA BASS Wireless perform similarly. The Beats are more comfortable, stable, and have a better build quality. They also isolate more noise and pair seamlessly with Apple devices. However, the Sony headphones have a better-balanced sound profile, which some users may prefer, and a longer continuous battery life of 19.5 hours.
The Beats Flex Wireless are better in-ears for their cost than the Beats Studio Buds True Wireless. While both headphones are comfortable, the Flex are more stable in-ear, have a longer continuous battery life, and have a W1 chip for seamless pairing to Apple devices. However, the Studio Buds have a truly wireless design, which some users may prefer.
The Beats Flex Wireless and the Sony WI-C310 Wireless are similarly performing headphones; you may prefer one pair over the other. The Beats are more comfortable, better built, and have a more stable fit. They also have a W1 chip, so you can seamlessly pair them with Apple devices. However, the Sony headphones have a better balanced sound profile, which some users may prefer, and longer continuous battery life.
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You can also discover how we produce recommendations like this one so that you can find the best headphones (or earbuds!) for your needs.
Test Results
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