Apple has today released its long-awaited Beats X earphones in the UK, five months after their unveiling. The £129.95 Beats X, designed by Dr. Dre, have up to eight hours of battery life and are available in four colours: white; blue; grey and black.
Apple is also offering three months of free Apple Music with a selection of its music accessories, including the Beats X. The “flex-form” cable that links the magnetic earbuds let them sit around your neck without the fear they’ll fall off at a moments notice, a concern that still hangs around the Apple AirPods.
While the Beats X earphones were delayed, the AirPods became went on sale in December 2016 making them the first Apple product with the W1 chip technology to hit the shelves.
The Apple W1 chip is used in both the Apple AirPods and Beats X, supposedly making the wireless devices easier to use than rival products. This is, in part, due to the automatic pairing function. Once connected, the W1 chip works in Apple music devices to pair with any product signed into an iCloud account. The W1 chip means the Beats X earphones work with any compatible devices – including Android phones or Windows PC’s. This one-step pairing system has been a central focus of Apple’s campaign for the Beats X.
At £159, the AirPods offer more than a 24-hour charging life with the included Apple Charging case.
Read more: Apple’s AirPods are selling surprisingly well
On a single charge, the battery life is around five hours. With a design that is totally wireless, the AirPods won’t get tangled but they can be easily lost – with nothing to physically connect them to your phone or person, except their fit inside the inner-ear. While the Beats X don’t have a charging case like the AirPods, a five-minute charge gives you two hours of battery life.
Apple claims the Beats X audio is apparently clearer than former over-ear models designed by Dre. The Beats X focus on bass-centric beats for improved clarity and, what former products lacked in terms of noise-isolation, the latest design by Dre is said to be able to adjust to the frequency of music and background noises to offer a crisper sound.
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
