Beats has been out of the speaker game for a long time. Its last speaker, the Pill Plus, was discontinued in 2022 after being introduced years earlier. Since then, Beats’ parent company, Apple, has focused on home speakers like the HomePod and HomePod Mini, ceding the portable market to brands like Bose, Sony, JBL, Anker, and countless others. But now, after a not-so-subtle celebrity teaser, the Beats Pill is back.
The 2024 revision, on sale today for $149.99, has a familiar design. But inside, everything changed and I was pleasantly surprised by how much the new pill could do. At its core, you get a mono Bluetooth speaker. And while there are always compromises in sound quality at this compact size – that’s just physics – it’s the extras and bonus features that really help the refreshed Beats Pill stand out from previous models.
This time the pill supports lossless audio playback via USB-C. You can use the same USB-C port to charge external devices, a convenience that many competitors also offer. There’s a detachable strap that makes the pill easy to carry, and the device is IP67 rated for dust and water resistance. Battery life has doubled to a maximum of 24 hours, and Beats still includes hands-free listening.
Like all of the brand’s recent headphones and earbuds, the Pill is designed to natively support both Android and iOS: on both platforms, you can use one-tap settings and Find My / Find My Device. There’s no hands-free “Hey Siri” voice commands, and don’t expect AirPlay integration, but Beats has ticked virtually every other feature I could ask for. As a result, the pill feels like its most focused product in a long time.
The pill comes in three colors – red, black or gold – with a metal grille and silicone wrapped around the rest of the speaker for extra durability. The top controls are nicely laid out, with a power button on the left, a center button for track control and volume on the right. All the buttons are easy to feel, even when you’re not looking at the pill, and very satisfying to click. Inside the cabinet is a redesigned bass and tweeter.
Beats marketing materials claim that the racetrack-style woofer is capable of 90 percent more air volume and stronger driving force compared to the Pill Plus, and that low-end distortion has been reduced. Both the woofer and tweeter have a 20 percent upward slope, allowing the sound to reach your ears more naturally when the pill is placed on a desk or table. While the Pill can’t do stereo output like the Pill Plus, the actual components have improved. If you want true stereo playback, you can wirelessly link two pills together. (The two can also be paired in regular mono listening mode if you want to use them in different rooms during a party.)
People generally use speakers like this for very casual, non-critical listening – whether at home, on the road or on weekend trips to the beach. And in most of these scenarios, the Beats Pill sounds perfectly fine. Not all tracks handle the mono mix with grace, so occasionally you’ll come across a track that leaves you wanting more. It’s just not as immersive. But mono is the norm among many speakers of this size. I was largely satisfied with the sound of the Pill. It’s clear, can be quite loud and is well tuned for today’s chart toppers.
If you want the best audio fidelity this speaker can offer, there’s always the USB-C connection option. I like the choice, although it may seem excessive for this class of speaker. Whenever a USB-C cable is plugged in, the pill determines whether to accept charge from that device (like a laptop) or supply it with juice instead (if it’s your phone). You can manually decide how to charge by pressing the power button three times. Double-pressing the button activates your phone’s chosen voice assistant, giving you access to Siri or Google Assistant; it’s just not hands-free like the HomePod or Nest Audio. I was pleased with the Pill’s speakerphone function. The Beats noise cancellation algorithm did an impressive job of isolating my voice from background noise during calls.
There really isn’t much to dislike about the remastered Beats Pill if you can get past its mono output – and I don’t think many people will have a problem with that. It performs well and will withstand all the outdoor adventures you take it on. The battery lasts a long time and you get a lot of bonus features in addition to Bluetooth playback. If Beats charged more than the $150 asking price, I’d probably recommend it less strongly. But as it is, I feel like there’s barely an Apple / Beats tribute at play here. The pill is more than competitive for what you pay.
Photo by Chris Welch/The Verge