The Beats Pill+ is a small, portable Bluetooth speaker. It has a sturdy build, though it doesn't have an advertised rating for dust or water resistance. Its sound profile is boomy, and the overemphasized treble range may make higher frequencies sound bright or piercing. However, it can play stereo content without downmixing it into mono. Unfortunately, it's not compatible with voice assistants.
Our Verdict
The Beats Pill+ is middling for music. Its boomy sound profile can make vocals and lead instruments muddy, while the overemphasized treble makes higher frequencies sound bright or piercing. It also struggles to reproduce a thumpy low-bass, which is disappointing for fans of bass-heavy genres like EDM. Unfortunately, there's no EQ to let you tweak its sound profile. Thankfully, this speaker can play stereo content without downmixing it to mono, so you feel immersed in your music.
- Able to play stereo content.
- No EQ.
- Lacks low-bass.
The Beats Pill+ is sub-par for watching videos and movies. It has an overemphasized treble range, so dialogue may sound sharp or piercing. It also lacks low-bass, so you don't feel the deep thump and rumble in action-packed movie scenes. Fortunately, its Bluetooth latency is low with iOS and Android devices, making it suitable for watching videos. However, some apps compensate differently for latency, so user experience may vary.
- Low latency over Bluetooth.
- No EQ.
- Lacks low-bass.
The Beats Pill+ is decent for playing podcasts. You can pair up to two devices at a time, which is useful if you want to switch your audio source frequently between your phone and laptop. It's also quite portable, and its battery lasts just under eight hours. Unfortunately, its boomy sound profile can muddy vocals and dialogue, while the overemphasized treble can make sibilants sound bright or sharp.
- Supports multi-device pairing.
- No EQ.
This speaker doesn't have voice assistant support.
The Beats Pill+ is reasonable for outdoor use. Its sound profile is fairly boomy, which may please fans of bass-heavy music like EDM or hip-hop. Although its battery lasts just under eight hours, that's still long enough to use it outside for most of the day. Unfortunately, it doesn't get very loud, and it doesn't have an advertised rating for water or dust resistance, which we don't currently test for.
- Able to play stereo content.
- Small and portable design.
- Doesn't have an advertised rating for water or dust resistance.
Changelog
- Updated Aug 15, 2024: We've added a comparison between this speaker and the Beats Pill in Soundstage.
- Updated Aug 21, 2023: Updated the Portability picture for greater clarity and consistency between reviews.
- Updated Feb 25, 2021: Review published.
- Updated Feb 23, 2021: Early access published.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
The Beats Pill Plus comes in three color variants: 'Black', 'White', and 'Red'. We tested the 'Black' variant, and you can see the label for the model we tested here. We expect all variants to perform similarly in tests.
If you come across a variant not listed here, let us know in the discussions so we can update our review.
Popular Speaker Comparisons
The Beats Pill Plus is a portable Bluetooth speaker. Its sound profile is fairly boomy, and its treble is overemphasized, so higher frequencies might sound bright. Fortunately, It can play stereo content without downmixing it into mono. Although it feels solidly built, it doesn't have an advertised IP rating for dust or water resistance. Unfortunately, it's not compatible with voice assistants.
See also our recommendations for the best Bluetooth speakers, the best cheap speakers, and the best Bluetooth speakers for bass.
The Beats Pill is the updated, 2024 version of the Beats Pill+. While there have been some upgrades in terms of performance and features, there have been some omissions with the newest iteration too. The 2024 variant has more balanced sound, a better build quality and support for voice assistants via compatible smartphones. It also charges via USB-C (as opposed to Lightning) which will be a bonus for many users. That said, users that like to hear stereo separation in their music will be disappointed that the new pill only supports mono playback. It also lacks Bluetooth multi-device pairing, which will be frustrating if you like to take turns DJing.
The Beats Pill+ is a slightly better speaker than the JBL Charge 4. The Beats can play stereo content, unlike the JBL. However, the JBL is a better-built speaker with longer battery life, lasting over thirteen hours on a single charge. It also has slightly less compression than the Beats at max volume.
The JBL Flip 5 is a better speaker than the Beats Pill+. The JBL is a better-built speaker with an IPX7 rating for water resistance. It also has a more balanced sound profile. However, the Beats can play stereo content, and its latency over Bluetooth with iOS devices is lower, making it more suitable for watching videos. That being said, some apps compensate differently for latency.
The JBL Xtreme 2 is a better speaker than the Beats Pill+. The JBL has voice assistant support, although it relies on your smartphone's voice assistant. It's also a better-built speaker with an IPX7 rating for water resistance, though we don't currently test for this. Thanks to its better-balanced sound profile, vocals and lead instruments are reproduced more clearly. However, the Beats has a punchier high-bass, which may please some fans of bass-heavy genres like EDM.
Test Results
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