Here is another pair of Bluetooth headphones, this time from the company Beats, as they look to achieve a smaller form factor than the Powerbeats3 headphones. The Beats X headphones skip the bulkiness and catch up to the rest of the industry (many other notable companies have already had similar style products for the last year or so).
With the new design, all the bulk near the ears (hooks) in the old models have been spread out across the cable. Now you have a simple footprint with just a bud that slides into your ear vs a giant hook that goes around it. This also helps keep the weight down so there is less pull on your ears.
It forms well around the neck to keep them in place and the two buds snap together when not in use, with a magnet to assist in this endeavor, creating a loop.
There are three sections throughout the cable where all the hardware and battery is spread about. The left side has two and the right has one. The one on the right section features a button to power the headphones on and off with. The left section is split into two sections. The top one mimics the location of the one on the right and features a lighting input for charging the headphones with (you can see Apple’s handy work with these headphones). The bottom one on the left is your remote with volume options and a universal-like button for controlling the play/pause of your music, as well as triggering your voice assistant.
Looking back at the lighting cable, this is where you can see the effects of Apple buying out Beats. This more than likely would have been a USB-C connection (if they wanted fast charging, like so) if this never happened. However, we can’t have that, can we? A universal connection on an Apple product? Not if they can help it! Thankfully, it does come with a cable, adapting it to regular USB. This way it will work on any normal wall charger. Of course, it doesn’t come with the wall charger itself.
If you are familiar with the Beats line of headphones, you can imagine what to expect when popping these into your ears. They aren’t audiophile by any means at all, but they have more than enough power for the average user.
The quality doesn’t quite compare to over-the-ear models (let it be Beats or another formidable brand), but does quite well for small little buds. We have listened to buds that provided a better range for sure, but it seems Beats went with a finer tuned direction with these, which doesn’t sound bad at all. If you ask me if I’d rather go with these for the luxury of wireless vs one of my favorite wired buds, I would say no. I can find wired buds that are superior in sound for sure. The triple driver earbuds from 1MORE, for example, leave these in their dust, and only cost $99.
They aren’t bad though and you can find them for a decent deal at places like Amazon (currently, only $119). You have 4 color options to choose from, including black, white, gray and blue. Pretty much typical when it comes to your average color choices and covers most anyone’s interests.
You get up to 8 hours of continuous listening on a single charge. Assuming you match the charging cable included, with a fast-charging wall adapter, they charge back up relatively quickly, allowing you to get back to listening after a minimal wait time.
Bluetooth pairing seems to be pretty decent. I could get about 20-30 feet away from the phone without dropping the signal. They will work with any device that supports Bluetooth connectivity. If you are using an iPhone, they connect the exact same way as Apple’s AirPods, which really makes things quicker and more reliable than your typical Bluetooth connection (or so it seems), and you can keep tabs on battery life.
Our Conclusion
They sound pretty good. They fair well with competition as long as you buy them on sale and provide plenty enough battery life to get you through the day (which is always a plus). I prefer a number of wired models over these, but if wireless is what you are shooting for, they sound pretty nice. When going for something that is “not audiophile” in quality, I’d prefer something a little more bassy (but that’s just me).
Our Rating | Average Price* $119-$149 |
*Average price is based on the time this article was published
Additional Images:
Specifications:
Connections and Expansion
• Bluetooth®
• Wireless
Power
• Rechargeable Lithium-Ion
Other Features
• Bluetooth®
• With Remote and Mic
• Inline Call and Music Controls
• Inline Volume Control
• Noise Isolation
• Stereo Bluetooth®
• Charge via Lightning cable
• Flex-Form Cable
What’s inside?
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