The BeatsX by Beats by Dre is a daring new product for what has rapidly turn out to be a conventional headphone maker. As an alternative of sticking to bass-heavy exercise earbuds or wildly costly over-ears, the corporate has crafted a brand new pair of musically inclined in-ears for anybody already sick of shedding their brand-new Apple AirPods. That being mentioned, the BeatsX borrows a lot from its predecessors – together with however not restricted to the flat, no-tangle cable and stellar compatibility with iOS units – whereas carving out its personal area of interest as one of many first balanced pair of headphones from the low-end loving firm.
[Replace: On the finish of 2017 the BeatsX are nonetheless the corporate’s flagship wi-fi earbuds. Not too long ago we reviewed the funds urBeats3, however should you favor your earbuds to be wi-fi, then the BeatsX and the PowerBeats 3 are you solely choices.
Of the 2, the PowerBeats are value contemplating should you primarily take heed to music within the gymnasium, in any other case the BeatsX are superior because of their extra comfy match. Try our information to the best wireless earbuds for our different prime suggestions]
However BeatsX has two methods up its sleeve that few headsets from Apple or Beats by Dre has had earlier than: Fast Cost, a characteristic which permits your new ‘buds to last as long as two hours off a single five-minute cost, and Apple’s new W1 wi-fi chip. We’ll discuss what the W1 does in specific element afterward within the assessment, however we’ll preface that dialog by saying that it vastly improves the BeatsX’s battery life and efficiency over Bluetooth.
One carry-over from earlier generations, nonetheless, is its pricing – the BeatsX will not be what we’d take into account an inexpensive pair of in-ear headphones. They value $149 / £129 / AU$199, which is a far bit costlier than comparable sounding wi-fi in-ear earbuds – together with our favourite pair of gymnasium buddies, the – however cheaper than different wi-fi headphones made by Beats, fortunately.
So, are the brand new BeatsX pound-for-pound the most effective headphone from Apple?
Design
As of late, in-ear headphones have taken one among three designs. They’re both absolutely wired in-ears that join the drivers to a three.5mm jack; two absolutely wi-fi earbuds that join to at least one one other by Bluetooth; or two earbuds related by way of a cable that wraps behind your neck. The BeatsX fall into the final class.
Having the 2 earbuds related by way of a cable may not sound like the best answer to some – afterall, a cable has the tendency to weigh the earbuds down – however it’s not with out its benefits. At the start of these is the truth that they’re tougher to lose than absolutely wi-fi earbuds. The second is that the wire between the 2 buds can present a house to in-line controls and a battery, permitting the headphones to last more between fees and assist you to talk with Siri.
The in-line controls listed here are simply the best way we like them: fundamental however efficient. You need to use them the increase and decrease the amount, pause the music, skip tracks and rewind. There’s additionally a built-in microphone that you should utilize to make calls – one thing we’ll contact on later within the assessment.
Should you’re afraid the cable may really feel uncomfortable, allow us to allay your fears – the BeatsX is completely probably the most comfy pair of wi-fi in-ears we’ve ever worn. It conforms naturally to the neck because of the flat cable, and don’t actually get in the best way.
The answer right here is to hold a lot of the weight within the thickest a part of the cable that sits round your neck, leaving two smaller cables with earbuds hooked up to run as much as your ears. This method helps the BeatsX sit snugly within the ear with out providing you with the sensation that they’re about to fall out. As for the in-ear match, Apple ships every bundle with 4 completely different eartips and two units of wings that assist maintain the headphones in place whilst you’re understanding.
Talking of exercises, the BeatsX is water resistant, however not absolutely waterproof. In observe which means you’ll be able to take the BeatsX with you on a sweaty journey to the gymnasium with out fearing for his or her security … so long as you keep away from taking them into the pool. Once they’re outdoors of your ear and loosely hanging in your chest, the earbuds will snap collectively because of built-in magnets that assist maintain the wires from getting tangled – a neat, novel characteristic if we’ve ever seen one.
If you wish to match your BeatsX to your gymnasium bag, the headphones are available in 4 colours: Black, White, Gray and Blue. Whereas a pair of black headphones may take advantage of sense given the quantity of sweat, mud and dust they’re prone to entice in your bag, we are able to’t assist however really feel significantly interested in the Gray and Blue variants – the black sheep of the group.
Design-wise the BeatsX have three benefits over the AirPods. First off, they’re a lot tougher to lose. Second they’ve an extended battery life – about eight hours on the BeatsX in comparison with the AirPods’ six. And, lastly, the 4 units of eartips offer you a better probability of discovering the precise match in comparison with the AirPods’ one-size-fits-all method.
Efficiency
Name us no matter title you want – low-cost, frugal, thrifty – however we count on loads by way of sound high quality from a $149 pair of headphones. And whereas the BeatsX hits a number of of the precise notes – particularly by way of reaching tonal stability – it’s not fairly pitch-perfect for the value.
However earlier than we hammer dwelling the place BeatsX goes off-key, let’s concentrate on the excessive notes. The sound high quality is definitely comparatively clear for a pair of in-ear drivers. You received’t discover shimmering highs and glowing mid-ranges right here, however the sound is much from flat or hissy. What was extra shocking was the general stability Apple achieved right here – mids, highs and lows are on the identical keel. Highs and lows might’ve been much more pronounced than they’re – however we by no means thought we’d dwell to see a Beats pair of headphones taking the center floor.
The place the ‘telephones falter is when it comes time to seal sound out. Even with a seemingly hermetic seal, we might nonetheless hear a lot of the dialog happening round us. We weren’t anticipating a -level of noise-cancellation, however we don’t assume it’s not an excessive amount of to ask for some passive noise-cancellation.
That being mentioned, no less than the BeatsX doesn’t leak sound. Regardless of taking part in music at an ear-damagingly excessive degree, nobody within the automobile was any wiser which responsible pleasure music we have been listening to on the time. (In case any of you’re studying, it was the soundtrack to the film Whiplash.)
Should you’re in search of a ton of bass, although, and we are able to’t consider we’re saying this, you received’t discover it on this pair of Beats – Ranges by Avicii was comparatively tame, whereas Little Black Submarine by The Black Keys lacked that punch and panache we’ve heard whereas utilizing different pairs of cans. To most audiophiles on the market, this information received’t upset you. However for the individuals used to a pair of Beats sounding like the within of a woofer, you may be a tad upset.
What we actually would’ve preferred although was extra readability. Nothing sounded uninteresting or drab, however there was a particular lack of vitality right here. By way of high quality we’d put them proper alongside the – a stable, middle-of-the-road pair of in-ear headphones from 2016.
As we talked about at first of the assessment, the BeatsX will also be used to area calls and pull up Siri. Utilizing the BeatsX as a Bluetooth headset is a surprisingly simple affair with one click on on the in-line distant to reply calls and two clicks to hold up. By way of name readability, everybody we spoke to mentioned we sounded clearer whereas utilizing the BeatsX headphones than we did utilizing the microphone, if barely quieter.
W1 Chip and battery life
Whereas we’re not main followers of Apple’s propagation of unusual, new, proprietary expertise (cough, Lightning Cables, cough), we do have a keenness for the brand new W1 Chip. It’s, undoubtedly, the brains behind the wi-fi operation contained in the BeatsX. It helps the the headset sync up seamlessly to iOS units and helps protect battery life.
Unusual, sure, however it’s supremely simple to make use of. Holding an unpaired BeatsX subsequent to iPhone brings up a immediate asking you should you’d prefer to pair the headphones. Click on sure and it’ll pull your title out of your cellphone – in our case, renaming itself “Nick’s BeatsX”.
So far as we are able to inform, this works with any variety of iOS units together with Apple Watch and iPads – although it didn’t pull up a immediate on our barely older Macbook Professional.
For Android customers accustomed to utilizing NFC to pair their units, this may not be a ground-breaking characteristic (few issues that come from Apple are). However for iOS customers used to struggling to pair headphones, we admire the usability enhancements the W1 Chip brings.
By way of battery life, the W1 additionally provides a je ne sais quoi that helps squeeze additional efficiency from built-in batteries. The Apple AirPods, which additionally use the W1 Chip, final for about six hours between fees, whereas the the BeatsX goes on for about eight hours earlier than it must refuel. Our testing confirmed that it may possibly final barely longer than the eight hours it’s rated for, however that quantity could drop down after a sure variety of Fast Cost periods.
Talking of Fast Cost, the characteristic labored precisely as anticipated, offering roughly a 25% cost in 5 minutes or much less. Now, you’re pressured to make use of a Lightning Cable to cost the headphones as an alternative of one thing a bit extra common like USB-C, however so long as you don’t thoughts maintaining a brand new cable with you your headphones can keep charged always.
We preferred
Whereas we nonetheless wouldn’t use the phrase fashionable to ever describe in-ear headphones, the BeatsX makes a reasonably compelling case to get us to begin. That mentioned, no matter you make of the design’s aesthetics, it’s nonetheless extremely comfy to put on for lengthy durations at a time. The Eight-hour battery life is conducive to longer listening periods plus, while you run out of juice, it simply takes a couple of minutes to spice up the headset again to 25%.
We disliked
On the debit aspect, whereas sound high quality is respectable and nicely balanced for a Beats branded headphone, it’s nonetheless not the place we’d need it for the value tag. There are merely better-sounding choices on the market that value much less. Whereas the headset does an honest job of stopping the music you’re listening to from escaping, it doesn’t do a terrific job of maintaining exterior noise out. Lastly, whereas we didn’t thoughts carrying round a Lightning Cable to cost the headphones in the course of the assessment, Android and Home windows cellphone customers may not be as receptive to including one other wire to their baggage.
Remaining verdict
The BeatsX caters to 2 completely different however generally very a lot the identical camps. First, it would nearly definitely resonate with the exercise crowd who’re in search of a solid-fitting pair of in-ears that sound respectable and received’t weigh them down. However second, and extra surprisingly, the headphones may even attraction to your commonplace music listener – the form of individual simply in search of a pair of in-ears for an extended commute. There are some apparent points with sealing out noise right here, however these aren’t unforgivable contemplating an honest trade-off by way of battery life and glorious iOS integration. Should you’re in search of a no-fuss pair of earbuds and don’t thoughts dropping some money on them, the BeatsX are for you. Should you’re an inexpensive, frugal or thrifty audiophile like we’re, nonetheless, there are larger high quality choices on the market for much less.