Beats Flex review: Wire aside, better sound than the AirPods for only $50 - CNET

While they're "wired-wireless" headphones, the second-gen BeatsX sound better than the AirPods and have better headset performance for voice calls.

With the new iPhone 12 models no longer including wired EarPods headphones in the box, the Flex instantly becomes an affordable, Apple-friendly wireless alternative to the AirPods, which start around $130 for the standard version with a wired charging case?

The good news is they sound better than both the original BeatsX and standard AirPods.

They also work well for making calls and have better battery life than the original.

While the Beats Flex looks similar to the BeatsX, there are a couple of notable design changes.

As a result, the earphones feel better balanced and you don't have that impulse to pull the microphone closer to your mouth when you're making calls.

(The Flex sounds better than those models and it has better voice calling capabilities and battery life. But the Jaybirds, despite having larger buds, do fit better.) .

The Beats Flex has Apple's older W1 chip, not the H1 found in the second-gen AirPods, AirPods Pro and the Beats Solo Pro.

It also allows you to switch between Apple devices, check battery status or use Audio Sharing with a friend using Beats or Apple headphones (with the W1 chip).

The Flex sounds better than the BeatsX and the standard AirPods: You get a little cleaner sound and more bass than the AirPods, mainly due to the Flex's noise-isolating design.

I don't know if the Flex quite measures up to the AirPods for making calls but it's close