Beats Pill Speaker Review 2024: An Upgrade in All Areas

Beats last came out with a Bluetooth speaker in 2015, so you’d be forgiven for thinking that the brand might have moved on from speakers altogether. As it turns out, Beats wasn’t done with this market—and we’re the luckier for it. The 2024 entry from Beats is known simply as the Pill, a new and improved version of its previous offering, the Pill Plus. In addition to the name, there are other clear similarities between the two speakers, from the cylindrical shape to the button controls, but these hide the fact that the 2024 Pill is a much more powerful animal. With this product, Beats is truly competitive in the portable Bluetooth speaker market.

A good portable speaker can really enhance day-to-day experiences, no matter what you’re listening to or where you’re listening from. While I enjoy listening to music in my living room on my Google Home, I’ve been looking for a good portable speaker that can move around with me. Of course, I’m not trying to subject the general public to my curated playlists, but I have been looking for a speaker I can take with me to the park, the beach or on a trip. It should look good on my shelf but also be able to handle the great outdoors, all while playing high quality audio. I was excited to see if the Beats Pill could deliver – and was more than satisfied with the results.

Unboxing and first impressions

The Beats Pill is a larger-sized portable speaker, but I found the packaging to be nice and compact. The simple white box has a clear image of the speaker inside, which I received in the brand’s ‘Statement Red’ shade. In fact, as soon as I opened up the box I found that the exterior image is almost exactly to-scale, which is useful for prospective shoppers. Inside the packaging, Beats has included the speaker body, a lanyard you can slip around your wrist for easy transport, and a short USB-C cable. I liked that there were no unnecessary accessories or small pieces that might get lost.

Looking at the Pill itself, I immediately appreciated the vibrant red color (also available in black and gold) that covers every inch of the speaker, including the lanyard. Much like its namesake, the speaker is long and ovoid in shape; it’s noticeably more curved than the 2015 Pill Plus, as well as being larger yet lighter. The front side is entirely made up of a speaker grill, which angles upwards so as to direct audio upwards when placed on a table or other low surface. The signature Beats ‘b’ logo is centered on this grill, with minimal other detailing on the speaker. The rest of the device is covered in a soft silicone that feels pleasant to the touch and there are tiny feet on the underside that keep the curved body standing in place. Buttons lie on the top surface and are almost invisible against the same-colored silicon, but are substantial enough when pressed.

All in all, the speaker was a little larger than I expected but it looked and felt high quality.

Beats Pill speaker pros and cons

Beats Pill speaker price

The Beats Pill speaker retails for $149.00 and is available directly through Apple, the parent company of Beats by Dre. Alternatively, it can be found at major retailers like Amazon, Best Buy, Target, and QVC. Since it is a popular tech gift idea, I would expect to see discounts around the holidays.

Key features

USB-C connectivity

As an Apple-owned company, Beats has followed Apple’s lead when it comes to chargers and connectors. This means that while the Pill Plus from 2015 had a Lightning connector, the 2024 Pill utilizes USB-C – which is great news for both iOS and Android customers. Playing audio through a USB-C connection, as opposed to Bluetooth, will increase the fidelity of whatever you choose to listen to, although most users probably won’t need this higher quality. The USB-C port also allows you to connect to all kinds of devices and either receive a charge from that port or send a charge through it. Since the Pill can hold up to 24 hours of battery life, this is a great way to supply extra juice to a dying smartphone if you’ve taken your speaker on the road. It’s also an easy way to gain power if your outlets are all full. You can manually switch between charging directions by triple-tapping the power button.

Pairing mode

One of the key limitations of most portable speakers is that they are reduced to playing music through mono mode, which is a less expansive experience than stereo mode. For more casual listeners, mono mode won’t be a significant hindrance to their audio enjoyment, but Beats still offers the ability to achieve stereo sound through its Pairing feature. With Pairing, you can connect two Pill devices and position them in a room for a more comprehensive stereo experience, which is great for video content or a more three-dimensional music experience. The Beats Pill can remember multiple Bluetooth connections, so you won’t need to choose between a second Pill or a smartphone. If you don’t want Stereo Mode but simply want greater power, you can set the Paired Pills to Amplify Mode for double the audio.

IP67 rating

Portable speakers are no use if they can’t stand up to outdoor conditions. The Pill Plus wasn’t verified for water resistance or other durability certifications, so Beats knew it had work to do on this next iteration – and it delivered. The Pill is IP67-rated for dirt, sand, and water, so you can comfortably take the speaker to the park, beach, and beyond. The speaker can even survive a short dunking in water, which gives significant peace of mind; if you accidentally leave a Pill outside in the rain, there should be no permanent damage.

Is it for you?

Although I was initially thrown by the larger size of the Pill, I quickly came to appreciate its great audio quality, stylish look, and impressive battery life. In fact, the larger size accommodated a more powerful sound and yet was light enough to throw in a tote bag for outdoor lounging. Compared to other speakers in its price range, the Pill supports a really dynamic audio experience – you can even feel the bass coming from the woofer – and I found that it was more than sufficient for a range of different music styles. Add on a few thoughtful details, such as USB-C connectivity, one-touch Bluetooth connection, and speakerphone capabilities, and I am sold. This is a great splurge for yourself or gift for people who have everything. Beats may have taken its time on this speaker, but it was time well spent.

Beats Pill speaker performance

Sound

A portable speaker is never going to offer the most three-dimensional listening experience, but the Beats Pill does an impressive job all the same. This model has been redesigned with a racetrack woofer that pushes 90% more air to achieve a fuller bass while minimizing low-end distortion. When it sat on my desk, I could feel the little pumps of air blasting from the grill in a pleasant, immersive way. Beats has also updated the tweeter to better produce midrange sounds, creating crisper audio that I appreciated on every track I played. Mono mode unsurprisingly offers a less dynamic sound than listening to high-quality stereo speakers, but the drop in quality wasn’t significant enough to impact my enjoyment. Should I have been more bothered by this or wanted an even more superlative experience, I appreciate that Beats has its Pairing Mode feature.

Battery life

Since speakers are often used for ambient listening, they need to be able to power hours of music without interruption. With up to 24 hours of battery life (depending on the volume you deploy), the Pill is impressive. When listening at home, I would often keep it plugged in just to ensure it was ready to go for impromptu excursions, but this was unnecessary. On the few days I forgot to do so, I could still enjoy hours of listening without any sign of battery fading. In fact, days went by without me seeing the battery alert. Should you be caught out without charge, the Pill can receive two hours of battery life from just 10 minutes of charging time, so you’ll be ready to go in no time. I usually find that brands oversell their battery life, but that hasn’t been the case here.

Bluetooth range

I accidentally discovered just how powerful the Pill’s Bluetooth range is when I wandered away to buy ice cream during an afternoon in the park - and the speaker just kept going. With Class 1 Bluetooth connection, the Pill can support the greatest range of connectivity of any Bluetooth device: up to 100m. While I wouldn’t recommend walking that far away from your $150 speaker, this is ideal for use at parties or if you’re with a large group; should things get spread out, the music experience won’t be interrupted.

Ease of use

I like how subtle the control buttons are on the Pill, but they can be a little tricky to figure out. The key buttons of power, volume and play/pause are clear, but beyond that it isn’t very intuitive which buttons do what. When you turn the speaker on, it immediately goes into pairing mode, which makes it easy to set up an initial connection. But I struggled to get the speaker back into pairing mode so I could connect my laptop, because it would automatically reconnect to my smartphone each time. Eventually I switched off the phone’s Bluetooth altogether and it was easy to switch between devices once that initial pairing was achieved. I had to google some of the other controls, such as tapping the power button quickly for a battery check, but these were then easy to remember.

Design and build quality

Like Beats noise-canceling headphones, the Pill looks good. With its rounded shape and uniform bold colors, the Pill resembles its namesake but not in a gimmicky way. It looks expensive and sleek, especially since the control buttons are embedded in the top surface and the signature “b” logo has been moved onto the face of the grill; the Pill Plus hid it on the top. The angled grill is also a stylish choice as well as a functional one. Not only does the music travel upwards, but it looks more modern. Yes, the Pill is larger and bulkier than many of the portable speakers in the market, but this version is still more lightweight than the Pill Plus and doesn’t feel impractical to carry about. The attached lanyard is a useful detail that ensures easy transportation; you could attach it to a backpack for a hike and enjoy music on the go.

While the tiny feet on the underside of the Pill are effective at keeping the speaker in an upfront position, I wish there were other ways to stand up the speaker. It does feel a little precarious and limiting to rely on just those four feet. I would also be wary of leaning this speaker against a surface, lest it fall and land on the grill, which is more susceptible to damage. However, the silicone material feels great to hold but is also surprisingly durable, as I found when my cat accidentally knocked the speaker off a shelf.

Final verdict

The Beats Pill is worth the wait. This new speaker offers a powerful audio experience for its size and looks good while doing it. The Pill is competitively priced and is a marked upgrade on its former iteration, offering new IP67 ratings for durability and a more powerful bass. While I wish the controls were a little more intuitive, the basic functions are easy to use and the battery life ensures that you can listen to your favorite albums for hours on end. Add USB-C compatibility, the option to pair it with another Pill for stereo mode, and the speakerphone functionality, and I think it’s hard to find a better option in the market right now.