Beats' $50 Flex are its cheapest wireless earbuds ever

Just in time for the arrival of the EarPods-less iPhone 12, Beats is getting ready to launch a new product that's bound to turn some heads (sorry, had to do it). The $50 Flex, which will ship starting October 21, are the company's cheapest wireless earbuds yet — but don't let that price tag fool you into thinking they lack quality. Inspired by the Flex-Form cable design of the more expensive BeatsX ($100), the Flex is a pair that features a 12-hour battery life, a completely revamped acoustic driver and microphone that Beats says will offer "impressive sound performance," and USB-C charging.

More bang for your buck — A big selling point of Beats' Flex will be the benefits that come with making use of Apple's W1 chip, which will let people seamlessly pair their earbuds to their iPhone or iPad, and take full advantage of features like "Audio Sharing" with others who have another set of Beats or AirPods. The USB-C "Fast Fuel," meanwhile, will give you around 1.5 hours of audio playback with a quick 10-minute charge — similar to what higher-end, truly wireless earbuds like the Powerbeats 4 and Powerbeats Pro.

With about four hours more of battery life compared to the BeatsX, combined with the features mentioned above, the $50 Flex is going to be hard for anyone to ignore, especially those who don't need earbuds that are water-resistant or fully wireless. As for the audio itself, according to Beats, they sport a "proprietary layered driver with dual-chamber acoustics to achieve rich, balanced sound with outstanding stereo separation." The company adds that this upgraded driver has an "advanced digital processor" that can fine-tune whatever you're listening to provide sounds with "accurate bass, precise mids, and low distortion" on every frequency.

Colors – We'll have to wait to make a judgment on the audio quality of the Beats Flex, but for now we know they'll be available in four different colors: Beats Black, Yuzu Yellow, Smoke Gray, and Flame Blue. You can place an order for the first two as of Tuesday, October 13 on Apple's site, with shipping happening on October 21. That said, if you're into the looks of the Smoke Gray and Flame Blue variants you'll have to wait until next year, as those won't be hitting stores until "early 2021."

We'll have more on the Beats Flex soon (we got a review pair in), but for now, here's a closer (and stylish) look at them.