Can I Use A 20W Charger For My Beats Flex?

With so many devices and their charging cords, it is easy to lose track of which chargers work with your Beats Flex.

Before you go using random chargers on your Beats Flex, you need to know which wattages are compatible.

Can I use a 20W charger with my Beats Flex?

The Beats Flex come with a 20-watt, USB-C charger. Other chargers compatible with the beats flex include the 30-watt MacBook Air or iPad charger. Using a charger with more wattage could damage the Beats Flex’s battery. Once fully charged, the Beats Flex last for 12 hours of listening time.

While you might assume that a charger with more wattage will charge your headphones faster, it can actually decrease their battery life overall. 

Keep reading to learn more about how to properly charge your Beats Flex.

What Charger do I Use for My Beats Flex?

When you purchase a pair of brand new Beats Flex, it comes with a USB-C to USB-C charging cord. 

You will need to use a different USB-C charging box. 

This box needs to be a 20-watt charger.

While the Beats Flex will work best with a 20-watt charger, most boxes will work. 

As you read earlier, a charge with more than 30-watts could damage the headphones.

While this is true, the Beats Flex have a power adapter built into them. 

This adapter limits the amount of power the headphones take in, preventing the batteries from overheating and getting damaged.

In other words, no matter what charger you are using, the Beats Flex will always charge at the same rate. 

However, the speed at which the Beats Flex charge will be impacted if you’re using a charger with less than 20-watts.

When charging your Beats Flex with a 10-watt charger, for example, the headphones don’t receive enough power to charge at their normal rate.

If possible, use the USB-C to USB-C charger provided with your headphone purchase. 

However, if you purchased your headphones used or were given them by a friend, you might not receive the standard charging cord.

In this case, any 20-watt USB-C to USB-C cord will work.

You can also use a USB-C to USB cord. 

In general, the charging cords and boxes included with the purchase of an iPhone, iPad, or MacBook Air are compatible with your Beats Flex.

Can I Charge my Beats Flex with My Phone?

So what happens if you need to charge your Beats Flex on the go? Could you charge your Beats Flex with your phone? So long as you have a cord compatible with your phone, you should be able to charge your headphones using the device.

If you have an Android device, then the included USB-C to USB-C cord will work. 

However, if you use an iPhone, you’ll need a USB-C to lighting cable.

These cords are included with the purchase of newer iPhones and iPads.

In most cases, your phone needs to be unlocked to charge the Beats Flex. 

You may also need to click a button giving the phone access to the headphones charging.

According to Wired, iPhones and Androids put out 5-watts of power.

In other words, it can be assumed that charging your headphones with your phone will take four times as long as it would with a standard 20-watt wall charger. 

In most cases, this isn’t the best option; however, it will work if you need to charge your Beats Flex for an emergency.

How Long Do Beats Flex Take to Charge?

No matter what you’re charging your Beats Flex with, you probably want it to get done fast.

The sooner your Beats are done charging, the sooner you can use them again. 

So how long should you wait for your Beats Flex to charge?

Once the Beats Flex are fully charged, they last for up to 12 hours of listening time.

However, Beats offers a quick charge feature, allowing you a short amount of listening time when you need it most.

When you charge your Beats Flex for 10 minutes, they can last up to an hour and a half. 

This is perfect for business calls on the go.

While Beats doesn’t disclose how long it takes to charge the Beats Flex from dead to full, we can use the quick charge numbers to estimate the total charge time.

Using these numbers, it takes approximately 80 minutes for your Beats Flex to charge from dead to full.

Remember, this number increases significantly when charging with a low-watt device, such as a smartphone. 

If you’re charging your Beats Flex with a smartphone, it will take around 320 minutes. 

In other words, it will take more than five hours for your Beats Flex to charge this way. 

Additionally, if your phone is not at a full battery, it will likely die before the Beats Flex have time to reach full charge.

However, if you only want a quick charge, it will take 40 minutes to charge using an iPhone. 

Using your phone is clearly not the most effective way to charge your Beats Flex.

Other Battery Health Tips

If you want your Beats Flex battery to last the full 12 hours as long as possible, there are several steps you can take.

It might surprise you to hear that charging your Beats Flex to 100% battery can actually lead to battery deterioration.

The more a battery deteriorates, the shorter it will last while being used.

Additionally, leaving your Beats Flex on the charger after they have reached full capacity could lead to battery deterioration.

When your headphones reach the desired percentage, unplug them.

Make sure you get as much out of your Beats Flex battery life by turning them off when they aren’t in use. 

Another method is to listen at a lower volume level.

The lower the volume, the less power your Beats Flex have to put out. 

Not only will adjusting the volume extend your headphone’s battery life, but it will protect your hearing! Your hearing is much more valuable than the Beats Flex. 

After all, you won’t need the headphones if you lose your hearing.