Beats Pill review: Much easier to swallow this time

Beats has been out of the speaker game for a long time. Its latest speaker, the Pill Plus, was discontinued in 2022 after being released years earlier. Since then, Beats parent 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 conversation celebrity teaser campaignthe Beats Pill is back.

The 2024 redesign, 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 was capable of. Basically, you’re getting a mono Bluetooth speaker. And while there are always tradeoffs in sound quality in this compact size – that’s just physics – it’s the extras and bonus features that really help the updated Beats Pill stand out from previous models.

This time, the Pill supports lossless audio playback over USB-C. You can use the same USB-C port to charge external devices, a convenience also offered by many competitors. There’s a detachable lanyard 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 even includes speakerphone functionality.

Like all of the brand’s recent headphones and earbuds, the Pill is designed to natively support Android and iOS: on both platforms, you can take advantage of one-tap setup and Find My/Find My Device. There are no hands-free “Hey Siri” voice commands and don’t expect AirPlay integration, but Beats checked off just about every other feature I could ask for. As a result, the pill appears to be the 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 durability. Top controls are well laid out, with a power button on the left side, a center button for track and volume controls on the right. All the buttons are easy to feel, even when you’re not looking at the pill, and have a very satisfying click. Inside the cabinet there is a redesigned woofer and tweeter.

Beats’ marketing materials claim that the racetrack-style woofer is capable of 90% more air volume displacement and stronger driving force compared to the Pill Plus and that bass distortion has been reduced. Both the woofer and tweeter have a 20% upward tilt that allows sound to reach your ears more naturally when the Pill is positioned on a desk or table. Even though the Pill can’t produce stereo like the Pill Plus, the actual components have improved. If you want true stereo playback, you can connect two Pills wirelessly. (Two can also be paired in normal 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 seems perfectly fine. Not all tracks handle the mono mix gracefully, so occasionally you’ll find a song that leaves you wanting more. It’s just not that engaging. But mono is the norm among many speakers this size. And for the most part, I’m pleased with the pill’s sonic performance. Of course, it can go up quite a bit and is well-tuned for today’s chart-toppers.

If you want the best audio fidelity this speaker can offer, there’s always the option to connect it via USB-C. I like being able to choose, even though it may seem like overkill for this class of speakers. Whenever a USB-C cable is plugged in, the Pill determines whether it should take charge from that device (like a laptop) or supply power to it (if it’s your phone). You can manually decide the charging direction by triple tapping the power button. Double-pressing the button activates your chosen voice assistant on your phone, so you can access Siri or Google Assistant; it’s just not hands-free like on a HomePod or Nest Audio. I was pleased with the Pill’s speakerphone functionality. Beats’ noise suppression algorithm did an impressive job of isolating my voice from background noise on calls.

There’s actually not much to dislike about the remastered Beats Pill if you can get past its mono output – and I think many people will have no trouble doing so. It works well and can withstand any outdoor adventure you take it with you on. The battery lasts a long time and you get a lot of extra features in addition to Bluetooth playback. If Beats were charging more than the $150 asking price, I’d probably be less effusive in recommending it. But as it stands, it looks like there’s barely an Apple/Beats tax at play here. The pill is more than competitive for what you are paying.

Photography by Chris Welch/The Verge