In this post you can find my, kind of lengthy, review of the Beats X.
I also included a TL;DR at the bottom for people that don’t care about this piece of poetry I just cranked out of my head during the last 30 minutes
I usually listen to music for 3-5 hours per day, long commute to school, but never felt the need to get anything better than those 30$ in-ear earphones because due to my frequent use they would never survive longer than a few months anyway. It wasn’t until Jaybird announced the first BlueBuds before I was interested in bluetooth earbuds at all but because of the technology being so new and me being so broke I skipped them and later releases. Expensive earbuds lost my attention again, until Apple decided to throw out their Beats X way, like seriously way, before they were ready in september. I gotta defend myself, I had problems with wired earbuds before, like hearing noises through the cable while walking, probably because I bought those cheap unshielded ones, or the cable just straight up limiting your movement while in use.
So anyway I saw the Beats X and thought that they are perfect for me since they have:
Small driver housing
A cable connecting them because I wouldn’t want to loose my earbuds
Somewhat normal looking, although the loop they make is a bit strange
They are designed to work with iPhones because of that fancy W1 chip
THEY ARE SYMMETRICAL for the love of god
So I decided to buy them, note that I made that decision in november but after I realized that Apple just used them so the lack of a 3.5mm jack on the iPhone 7 seemed like a smaller deal that it actually is, I had to wait quite a while until they were available.
Soooo To keep it short they didn’t not showed up until motherfin february and I still think that the announcement during the keynote was a big mistake.
Anyway now that I had them for more than a month, I think it’s time to review them so I and you can find out if they are worth it.
The title said that the X’s are 120$ and I was as surprised as you when I found out, that the 3 months Apple Music trial that comes in the box, can be redeemed in form of an iTunes credit for 29.98€, and I guess it’s the same with dollar.
For the unboxing, well it’s an Apple product so the unboxing process is very nice and appropriate for earbuds with a price tag of 150$. They come included with a wide variance of eartips to fit your ears, even those funky double sealing once that kind of look like you put a screw in your ear canal and also with ear-fins and a short USB Type A to Lightning cable. Anyway how are the Beats X in a daily usage ?
Well for me they work quite well, the battery has only died once on me and that was because I forgot to charge them overnight but because I always carry a powerbank on me I could use the really useful Fast Fuel feature which loads 2 hours worth of listening in just 5 minutes of charging. The pairing process is, thanks to the W1 chip, flawless on iPhones but I also used them with my laptop and they paired just fine minus the somewhat magical feeling you get when the little paring screen pops up. The sound they produce is still a little beatsy but I personally think that they are far from earlier Beats products and only lack ever so slightly at the mids.
The only problems with them I sometimes get is that the, otherwise very nice clicking, in-line remote doesn’t work when you press it for the first time from time to time. But since it only occurs from time to time and only for the first press during the usage I think it’s not the worst. Also the carrying case that comes with them is just not good, since you need to fold them in a very specific way to even fit them into it, and even when you fit them correctly they are not protected 100% since the case is open at the top. What I would love is a shorter cable since even for a tall guy like me it is making that loop which I personally think is not the most aesthetically pleasing form in the world.
Other than that and the infamous stupid way they charge, very apple like though looking at you magic mouse 2, I really like my Beats X and for me personally they are worth the steep price Apple or Beats is asking for them.
TL;DR
PRO:
Work exceptionally well with Apple products but just as normal with other devices
The 150$ price tag really is 120$ + 30$ App Store credit
They just work, when you need them and thanks to magnetic backs they don’t disturb
Battery life is more than enough for me personally + Fast Fuel is amazing
Don’t look like you jammed toothbrushes into your ears
CON:
Well they are still 150$
In-Line remote sometimes bugs during first use after power up
The cable loop they force form is not the prettiest
They charge really awkward because they are so stiff
The carrying case is not closed and can only hold them when folded correctly
Beats X are neither water resistant or water protected, you gotta pay more for that
SUMMARY:
Although it may seem like the Beats X are bad earbuds, the cons I listed really are minor details in an otherwise very well made product, which I would absolutely recommend to a friend of mine or buy again.
I hope you enjoyed this pretty spontaneous review I just wrote and didn’t encounter to many errors, if so please have mercy since english isn’t my native language.
I would love some feedback if you have some for me