Beats Beats Flex vs Beats Powerbeats (2020)

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Beats Flex compared with Powerbeats (2020)

	BeatsBeats Flex	BeatsPowerbeats (2020)
Overview
Released
Released	October 2020	March 2020
Sound
Type
Type	In-ear	In-ear
Noise cancelling
Noise cancelling	No	No
Bluetooth codecs
Bluetooth codecs	SBC and AAC	SBC and AAC
Chip
Chip	Apple W1	Apple H1
Drivers
Drivers	Layered drivers with dual-chamber acoustics and pressure-relief microvents	–
Audio features
Audio features	Apple Audio Sharing; magnetic auto-play and pause; no active noise cancellation (TechRadar)	SBC and AAC Bluetooth codecs (SoundGuys); no active noise cancellation or automatic ear detection (Tech Advisor)
Battery
Listening time (maker's claim)
Listening time (maker's claim)	Up to 12 hours	Up to 15 hours
Battery life detail
Battery life detail	Rechargeable lithium-ion battery; Apple's playback test used 256 Kbps AAC tracks at 50% volume	Apple's retained Powerbeats AMBUSH colour-edition release confirms the shared 15-hour listening claim
Fast charging
Fast charging	A 10-minute USB-C Fast Fuel charge gives up to 1.5 hours of playback	Lightning Fast Fuel charging; Apple's retained Powerbeats AMBUSH release says up to 1 hour from a 5-minute charge, while SoundGuys reports 1.5 hours
Design
Water and sweat resistance
Water and sweat resistance	–	IPX4
Bluetooth
Bluetooth	5.0	5.0
Two devices at once
Two devices at once	No	–
Controls
Controls	On-device playback, call, volume and voice-assistant controls	Playback, track, call and volume buttons on the right earbud; power button on the left; hands-free Hey Siri with compatible Apple devices
Microphones
Microphones	Built-in microphone with wind reduction	Dual beam-forming microphones and a speech-detecting accelerometer
Fit and ear tips
Fit and ear tips	Nitinol Flex-Form neckband cable; four ear-tip sizes; magnetic earbuds	Adjustable ear hooks joined by a round cable; four ear-tip sizes
Dimensions
Dimensions	16 mm height; 18.6 g for the complete earphones and cable, rather than one earbud	–
Water resistance detail
Water resistance detail	No water or sweat resistance rating published	–
Works with
Works with	Apple W1 and Class 1 Bluetooth; Apple Find My and Beats app for Android; Bluetooth 5.0, SBC and AAC codecs and no simultaneous Bluetooth multipoint (SoundGuys)	Class 1 Bluetooth and Apple H1 pairing; Audio Sharing with compatible Apple devices; Bluetooth 5.0 identified by SoundGuys and Tech Advisor
Colours
Colours	Beats Black and Yuzu Yellow at launch; Smoke Gray and Flame Blue followed in early 2021	Black, White and Red at launch (MacRumors); later AMBUSH Glow edition with a glow-in-the-dark finish and ripstop pouch
In the box
In the box	Earphones, four sizes of ear tips, USB-C charging cable, Quick Start Guide and warranty card	Earphones, four ear-tip sizes, Lightning to USB-A charging cable and carrying pouch; AMBUSH edition uses a ripstop pouch