BeatsX Review

When Beats first unveiled the BeatsX headphones it’s fair to say we were a little excited.

The PowerBeats3 Wireless headphones are already arguably our favourite pair of in-ear wireless headphones because they offered the perfect balance of cost, incredible battery life and genuinely impressive sound quality.

The idea then of having a pair of headphones that offered all these qualities in an even smaller package was tantalising to say the least.

So did they live up to the hype?

For starters there’s the design. Beats have absolutely knocked it out of the park with the BeatsX in that arena. They’re incredibly minimalist, 1000-miles from the loud products that the company used to fire at us.

Instead they’re about simple, clean lines and a single small logo on each earbud. Glance and you’ll barely notice that what you’re looking at are a pair of Beats headphones.

The design cashes in on a new trend for wireless headphones which is to place both the battery and much of the electronics in the neckband, thus allowing a lighter earbud that should in theory feel more comfortable.

There’s an in-line remote and a single Lightning port which is how you charge them. Yes these are the first non-Apple products that use Lightning as their main charging method.

The main neckband is soft, ultra-flexible and feels relatively comfortable around the neck. We found they worked best when you’re wearing sports clothing, anything more formal than that and you end up having an argument with your own clothes about where they should rest.

In most cases we ended up burying them inside our shirt line so the headphones were directly laying between our skin and the shirt. When we tried to rest them on the outside they would move too much, or start to pull.

So how do they sound? Well this is where the BeatsX falter a tad. The sound is indeed impressive but honestly we found it lacking when compared to Beats’ other wireless headphones, the PowerBeats3.

There’s a slightly uneven balance between the bass and treble that keeps them from reaching greatness.

Huge tracks like Moderat’s Bad Kingdom require a perfect balance between a bassline that’s as floor-shaking as it is punchy and a treble that can cut through without sounding too shrill.

While the bass is absolutely fearsome, the treble is what suffers here; it’s just a tad too aggressive and it’s something we found in other tracks as well.

When you consider the sheer size of these earphones what Beats has achieved is nevertheless impressive. They do sound great, just exactly as great as you’d expect, there are no surprises here. Sound isolation is extremely impressive too.

Compare them to what can easily be considered a rival product like the Airpods and the choice for us is easy: They sound better than the Airpods, have a better battery life and they actually look universally stylish so there’s none of that Marmite effect that you have with Apple’s own earphones.

Who should buy the BeatsX?

These are great everyday wireless earphones. They’re better (and cheaper) than the Airpods in our opinion and look better too. Thanks to their design they’re also incredibly portable too making them perfect multi-purpose buds for both the office and the gym.

Who shouldn’t buy the BeatsX?

So if sound quality is of higher concern we’d recommend the PowerBeats3. Yes they’re more expensive but they cost the same as Apple’s Airpods and are, in our humble opinion, better than both the Airpods and the BeatsX. Of course the design isn’t to everyone’s taste so there’s always that to consider.

BeatsX are available now for £129.99

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