Beats by Dre

The Powerbeats (4th Generation) Review (and Some “Beats by Apple” History)

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PXL_20201214_215959075.NIGHT@0.5xSimilar packaging to the Powerbeats Pro

PXL_20201214_215400370.NIGHT@0.5xBlack Box Now

PXL_20201214_215438056.NIGHT@0.5xThe red Powerbeats looking good

PXL_20201214_215534910.NIGHT@0.5xEverything else in the box

PXL_20201214_215549240.NIGHT@0.5xOnly tips and a black Lightning cable

PXL_20201214_215629546.NIGHT@0.5xFlimsy fabric pouch

PXL_20201214_215714882.NIGHT@0.5xBeats sticker and literature

The AirPods Max came out today. But unless you already have a pair on the way, you will likely be waiting until March 2021 for a pair since both the online and retail are fully sold out. What should you buy if you need to find a pair of iOS friendly headphones for your loved one this Christmas?

Let me tell you a story.

Some history

A long time ago, there was a headphones brand by the name of Beats by Dre. They were very popular among the youth and those who value the looks of a headphone over the actual sound. Any self-respecting audiophile or wannabe stayed far away from them.

Then in May 2014, Beats by Dre became “Beats by Apple” (Apple purchased them).

For a long time since the purchase Beats just kept doing its own thing, as the Apple then was mainly interested in what is now Apple Music.

Then in 2016, with the release of the iPhone 7, Apple removed the 3.5mm headphone port from the iPhone. On top of the AirPods they introduced at the same iPhone 7 event, Apple also mentioned that a bunch of Beats headphones will be introduced and updated with their W1 chip that was powering the first generation AirPods.

Those Beats headphones were the Beats Solo 3, the Beats Studios 3, the Powerbeats 3, and something new in Beats’ lineup – the BeatsX.

The BeatsX

The Beats Solo 3, Beats Studio 3 and the Powerbeats 3 were, as far as anyone could tell, still tuned by Beats, and they, well, continued to sound like shit headphones muddy with too much bass. The BeatsX, however, was an entirely different animal. It sounded exciting, with a decent sound stage, and pretty well instrument separation. There was bass, but it was just the right amount, and the mids and highs were pretty balanced. As it was reviewed as a tech accessory, some in the tech world just dismissed it as another Beats headphone. To some others, the Beats X was the successor to the famous ADDIEM, the Apple Dual Driver In Ear Monitors, also known as the Apple In-Ear Headphones with Remote and Mic. Everything released by Beats after the Beats X eventually received the same high level of sound tuning.

What Apple is not

Many people are mistaken about Apple. The arseholes out there think that Apple is an arrogant company that makes overpriced lousy products that only people who were hypnotised by the Steve Jobs Reality Distortion Field bought. The PC die-hards think of Apple as another PC company that sold overpriced assembled PCs on commodity hardware and they only achieved the success they have because their computers are made of aluminium and/or white plastic.

What Apple is

Apple is an audio company. And they are one of the best audio companies. Apple did not just start making audio products in 2016. There were the iPods, the iPod hifi, and hell, remember the iSub (later part of Harmon Kardon Soundsticks)? People who were aware of this history were afraid that Apple’s audio quality would go down the drain through the Beats acquisition. In reality, the opposite happened. Beats by Dre is shit. “Beats by Apple” is genuinely a very good audio company.

That is a lot of words unrelated to the actual Powerbeats headphones review.

PXL_20201214_215823704.NIGHT@0.5x

The (new) Powerbeats

The Powerbeats (4th Generation), was released earlier this year, during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. It did not garner much attention, for the world today likes to focus on “true wireless”, whatever that means. Most people had other issues to deal with then too. The Powerbeats Pro, released one year before, was universally well received for having both passive sound cancellation and the best sound in Apple’s headphone lineup then (this was before the AirPods Pro existed).

The easiest way to describe the Powerbeats is that they are “Powerbeats Pro with a wire”.

PXL_20201214_215846805.NIGHT@0.5x

“Powerbeats Pro with a wire”

There are many in the audiophile world who will put the sound of the Powerbeats Pro above that of the AirPods Pro, so you know that the Powerbeats have really good sound. From my testing that sentiment is generally accurate, even if I prefer the AirPods Pro overall for various reasons (ANC, easier to seal).

Powerbeats, very affordable

The Powerbeats also happen to be the most affordable pair of headphones with the H1 chip in Apple’s line up (even cheaper than the AirPods second generation). This means that it has auto device switching with firmware 3A283, like the AirPods and AirPods Pro. If you have multiple iOS devices, you already know how magical this feature is. Beats branded products are also easily available with decent discounts, unlike the Apple branded AirPods. They are often on Amazon US for only 99.95USD, 50USD off their usual retail price. Plus they come in colours other than just white.

For the smaller price tag, the Powerbeats took features off the Powerbeats Pro. There is a wire across the two headphone pieces, so it is not “true wireless”. There is no wireless charging case to top up the battery charge when they run out of power. The “case” they come with is a cheap looking fabric pouch.

That is about it. And they are 100USD cheaper than the Powerbeats Pro’s retail price.

The potential issues

However, there are two points you must consider before you decide to purchase the Powerbeats. Like the Powerbeats Pro, it has the ear hooks, which makes wearing the Powerbeats uncomfortable for some people, especially over long periods. And like the Powerbeats Pro, the “buds” are angled at a specific angle that will make it difficult for some people to get a proper seal with the rubber tips. A bad seal results in bad sound. If you do not have a problem with the Pro’s fit, you will not have a problem with the Powerbeats either.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the Powerbeats are a superb buy. If you have a loved one on iOS but who has yet to make the jump to wireless headphones, the Powerbeats will be a good choice of present this Christmas.

Pros
-Very good sound quality (way better than the cheap Beats Flex, which is just acceptable)
-Sweat-resistant
-Very affordable for Apple’s line up
-Comes in colours other than White (like the superb Red in this review)

Cons
-Earhooks are annoying
-Some ears might find it hard to get a decent seal on (resulting in bad sound)

Beats Flex Review – The Easiest EarPods Replacement to Recommend, Especially During a Pandemic

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Beats Flex in black

With the removal of the Lightning EarPods and power adapter comes a reduction in pricing for some of Apple’s accessories, namely the fore-mentioned Lightning EarPods, the 20W USB-C power adapter (also the 5W USB A power adapter for the same 29 Singapore dollar price, which is a shitty deal) as well as the introduction of Beats’ lowest priced product ever, the Beats Flex.

One look and anyone with even the slightest knowledge of Beats’ product lineup will be able to tell that this is a updated version of the original Beats X, the same wireless IEMs that debuted together with the original AirPods at the same event where Apple announced the iPhone 7. That Beats X was a lot more expensive, coming in at 198 Singapore dollars when it debuted three years ago. Over the years it went down in price, with the latest pricing around 99 US dollars.

What about the Beats Flex then? It is priced at 74.95 Singapore dollars (around 50 US Dollars), about 1/3 of the Beats X’s original price, with several changes;

  1. Longer battery life (from 8 hours to 12)
  2. Charging port downgrade from Lightning to USB-C
  3. Slight overall downgrade in build materials, including the flex cable
  4. Different drivers, different sound tuning

Beats Flex packaging

An extension in battery life is always a plus, especially since the Beats X were known to suffer from battery issues after a year of usage. Hopefully these are better.

Port wise, USB-C ports are filmsy and generally easier to break than the better constructed Lightning ports, and shoddy USB-C cables can damage your port over time, or even cause household fires (do your research), but, they are a lot cheaper to manufacture than Lightning ports. To bring about such a decrease in price an overall decrease in build cost is definitely needed, and the charging port is one of these easiest things to cheap out on. It is fine, even if the USB-C cable is likely to be one of the most rare cables in most households unless you are an Android fanboy (but Android fanboys will likely consider 74.99 dollar wireless IEMs to be way too expensive for them, they generally go for no-name knockoffs), the included cable seemed to be build well enough to not cause any issues. Or you can use your iPad Pro/Air power cable.

Sound wise, the Flex do not sound the same as the Beats X. I must profess that I am no expert, but I do own a few dozon pairs of expensive wired IEMs and have dabbled in them since more than a decade ago. The Flex’s soundstage does not seemed to be as wide as that of the Beats X, but instrument seperation is spot on and the overall balance of the sound is good, with no muddy bass like that of the old Beats. For the money the sound of the Flex is really good, if you want any better you probably will have to spend at least twice the amount.

One important thing to take note, the Flex has the same tips as the original Beats X from what I can tell, and they are slightly too stiff for some people. If you experience a less than ideal, tinny/weak sound from your Flex, you probably have an less-than-ideal seal. Try pushing the tips VERY slightly inwards to see if the sound improves, if so, it’s probably a good idea to get third party tips that fit you better.

Like the Beats X, the Flex has the W1 chip, and features all the smarts the Beats X and the original AirPods have, pairing with one Apple device will auto-populate all your Apple devices (same Apple ID) with the same pairing, removing the need to re-pair your Flex with each device. It does not have the H1 chip though, so no automative device switching for you.

Now, for the more important part, my personal use case for the Flex.

Ever since some time last year I have not been using my blue Beats X at all, because, AirPods Pro.

The AirPods Pro simply is the one device that replaces a bunch of IEMs and headphones for me, and while it might not be the first noise cancelling IEMs on the market, it is simply, the best IEMs for everything. It replaced all my wireless IEMs, my QuietComforts, and even my spare AirPods that I use for indoor skyping and FaceTiming.

But since COVID-19 struck, I have not been out much (being out of work), and generally stay at home unless I have something absolutely urgent that I need to do outdoors. For these urgent outdoor trips, I just totally hate to bring my AirPods Pro out. In these days of being suspicious 24/7 of the cleanliness of your hands, unless I am sure I have washed my hands every time I touched a surface when I am outside my home, I will refuse to touch my AirPods Pro, even if it just involved pressing the tip to pause or change to transparent mode. Furthermore, since they are so small, the chances of them falling off and touch the absolutely disgusting singaporean outdoor ground when you try to do a “half touch” to avoid prolonged exposure to your fingers to the Pro’s surface are much higher.

With the Beats X, and now the Flex, whenever I need to speak to someone, I can just use the back of my palms to nudge the cables to pull the buds out of my ears, and because it is a necklace type, and the buds are magnetic, they just fall off my ears, hit each other, and stick together, all without my palms touching any part of them. I will then stop the music with my phone (I disinfect the phone throughly once I get home). The Flex is easier to clean and cheaper to replace even if I accidentally damaged it during disinfection, so I have no qualms cleaning it with harsh chemicals.

This is why the Flex is now my main pair of IEMs for outdoor use, and I intend to purchase another pair when the new ones in the colour I love is released some months later.

The Beats Flex is likely the easiest pair of EarPods replacement to recommend to your non-techie friend when he/she finds out that his or her new iPhone 12 does not come with any EarPods, the price is right, the support is good (by Apple), what more can you ask for?

YES MORE COLOURS DEFINITELY. But Blue is only coming early 2021. Damn you Beats.