As discussed last week when it comes to skincare, one of the main elements that prohibits people from buying good headphones or other music tech is price point. We’ve written about Sonos’ recent collaboration with Ikea to help affordably bring great speakers into your home, and the artist-centric collabs of brands like Skullcandy, but this week Beats By Dre announced their most affordable headphone to date: Beats Flex.Â
Modeled after my current headphone of choice for daily use, the BeatsX, this new model replaces the old one at a fraction of the price. I’ve personally never been a fan of Airpods, because I don’t like the fit and I would lose at least one of them in less than a week, so the presence of a cord to connect both sides, even though the headphones are bluetooth, has been a major selling point for me. Now, the new, lower price will be another.
I’d previously recommend Skullcandy at $69.99 to friends who weren’t happy about spending a couple hundred on wireless headphones, but at $49.99, Beats Flex now has them beat. Plus, Skullcandy have the same issue as Airpods in the end — one of these earbuds is going to get lost. In true Beats fashion, the new model will come in four colors: Black, yellow, light blue and smoke grey. The first two colors will be available next week, October 21, and the latter two are coming in 2021. Though blue and grey are the colors I prefer for myself, classic black will be a fine alternative to add to my Christmas shopping list.
Reasons I’ve preferred BeatsX in the past also include a quick-hit charging option, a couple minutes of charging restores the headphones to over an hour of use. In the new model, a 10 minute charge gives Beats Flex 1.5 hours of battery life, which is the perfect alternative when you show up to the hiking trail and realize your headphones are completely dead. When fully charged, the headphones yield 12 hours of battery life, which is enough juice to keep me going through even the most long, hectic work day.
Like most new Apple products, the headphones are USB-C, so they take the same charger as my iPhone 10, which makes charging them convenient as well. I haven’t tried the headphones yet, but I’ve signed up to get a new pair as my BeatsX are a few years old and showing wear and tear on the older white color. If you use headphones frequently for working out, and sweating a lot, maybe opt for the black color instead of one of the lighter ones.
Or, if you want to splurge, the fully wireless Powerbeats Pro are always an option. Instead of fitting like a bud in your ear, they have over ear wings, making them much more comfortable in my opinion, and more secure for higher impact activities like running. But the price point is a much steeper $250, which is a good comparison to show just how economical the new Beats are comparatively. During a year when almost everyone I know is struggling financially, but spending more time outdoors and/or listening to music than ever before, it’s nice to see a big company like Apple adjust their pricing accordingly.
Check out Beats Flex here.
