The Beats X headphones offer all the cool connectivity functionality of the Apple AirPods in a more conventional form factor.
R
Pros
- Big bass as you’d expect
- Comfortable fit with multiple tips
- Quick charge feature is great
- W1 chip connectivity is super easy
- Bluetooth range is great
Cons
- Awkward fit with shirt collar
- Lightning charger means Apple focus
- Bass might drown things
- Magnetised fit out of ear doesn’t stop the music
Beats X are the Apple-owned company’s attempt at a lightweight in-ear listening experience with good battery life and, in hallmark Beats style, plenty of bass to boot.
Beats X headphones review: A new design
- Wireless Bluetooth connectivity
- Flexible cable that sits around your neck
- Various sized tips to fit various ears come in the box
Sporting a brand new design, the Beats X feature two small earpieces that are connected via a cable that sits around your neck. That cable features the battery and power switch on the right side, and a physical remote control on the left all wrapped in a bendy rubberised cable.
This means there’s a bulge to the cable which keeps it sat in place around the next. However, it’s worth noting that if you wear shirt collars you’ll be forced to decide whether you wear it under or over the collar – these in-ears are designed for casual attire only really.
The in-built remote has three buttons and gives you the usual array of quick controls when listening to music or taking a call, and is certainly easier than having to worry about shouting instructions to Siri as you do with the completely wireless and remote control-less Apple Airpods.
To accommodate a better fit, the headphones come with a range of different ear tips in the box that can be easily swapped out according to the size of your ear canals. There are even a couple of tips for those who need extra help with ear tips staying in their ears.
When the earpieces aren’t in your ears they are left to dangle around your chest. To keep them somewhat in control, the backs of the earpieces feature magnets so the two earphones clip together in one. It keeps them safe and out the way, but doesn’t automatically stop the music when they are magnetised together – now that would have been a nice touch.
When worn, the Beats X certainly don’t turn as many heads as the polarising design of the AirPods, but they are comfortable. These aren’t designed to be distinct running headphones, but we found they easily coped with a short run or general exercise. You’ll have no problem on the commute.
Beats X headphones review: That W1 chip
- Apple’s W1 quick-connection chip
- Bluetooth connectivity
Like the Solo 3 Wireless and the Apple AirPods, the Beats X headphones feature Apple’s W1 chip which makes connecting them to your Apple iPhone, iPad, MacBook, or Watch incredibly simple.
Get them out of the box, turn them on, and then wave them nearby your iPhone and you are instantly prompted to connect the two together. Once paired with one device, they’ll appear as a profile on all of your other Apple devices, as long as you are signed into your iCloud account.
The W1 connectivity approach is an Apple-only feature, although the Beats X do work with Android and any other Bluetooth device, such as a Windows laptop. It’s simply a case of connecting via Bluetooth as you usually would.
Beats X headphones review: Battery and range
- 8-hour battery life per charge
- Long range Bluetooth connection
Being so small you aren’t going to get a month’s commute from a single charge from the Beats X. However, you will get around eight hours before you need to top up again.
Furthermore, in a nod to making sure you’re on the road again at a moment’s notice, the Beats X headphones feature a quick charge feature, as so many battery-powered headphones do. This means you’ll get two hours of playback from just five minutes connected to a power supply.
That said, the bass, from such small earphones, is great – often exactly what people will be looking for from in-ears. Slam on some Dre and it’s sublime. But then you kind of expect nothing less from Beats: if it can’t cope with Dre then these probably aren’t your kind of earphones anyway.
But it doesn’t have to be just Dre. The Beats X cope well with most male vocals from Phil Collins to Mura Masa. It’s only when you start focusing on female vocals paired with a heavy bass line – like Garbage or Florence and the Machine, for example – that the ‘phones start to drown things out with the low-end.
The Beats X headphones offer all the cool connectivity functionality of the Apple AirPods in a more conventional form factor.
The neck-resting design is ideal for all-day wearing, while having somewhere to rest them when they aren’t in your ears. That said unless you are a t-shirt and hoodie kind of person you might still feel uncomfortable with this “high-tech tie” fighting with your shirt collar.
If you like bass, the Beats X certainly deliver, even given their small form factor.
Beats X headphones on Amazon $89.99
