Bose SoundLink Flex vs Beats Pill

Which Speaker Is Better?

Products

Bose SoundLink Flex
Beats Pill

Tested using Methodology v0.8

Updated Oct 31, 2024 02:49 PM

SEE PRICE
Walmart.com

Tested using Methodology v0.8

Updated May 29, 2025 01:54 PM

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Amazon.com

Our Verdict

Bose SoundLink Flex

Beats Pill

The Bose SoundLink Flex and the Beats Pill are similarly sized speakers with detachable carrying straps. In terms of performance features, there's not a whole lot to differentiate the two. They're neck and neck when it comes to volume, battery life, and portability, and even their default sound profiles are very similar. That said, the Beats has the ability to play audio via a wired source through the USB-C port and can even play back high-resolution content from a compatible streaming service. The Bose supports Bluetooth multi-device pairing though, so choosing between them may come down to which connectivity options you prefer. 

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Variants

  • SoundLink Flex (Black)
  • SoundLink Flex (Carmine Red)
  • SoundLink Flex (Chilled Lilac)
  • SoundLink Flex (Cypress Green)
  • SoundLink Flex (Stone Blue)
  • SoundLink Flex (White Smoke)
  • Pill (Champagne Gold)
  • Pill x Kim Kardashian (Dark Gray)
  • Pill x Kim Kardashian (Light Gray)
  • Pill (Matte Black)
  • Pill (Statement Red)

Check Price

Black
SoundLink Flex
Amazon.com
Champagne Gold
Pill
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Carmine Red
SoundLink Flex
Amazon.com
Dark Gray
Pill x Kim Kardashian
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Chilled Lilac
SoundLink Flex
Amazon.com
Light Gray
Pill x Kim Kardashian
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Cypress Green
SoundLink Flex
Amazon.com
Matte Black
Pill
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Stone Blue
SoundLink Flex
SEE PRICE
Walmart.com
Statement Red
Pill
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
White Smoke
SoundLink Flex
Amazon.com
 

Main Differences for
Music

Threshold 

0.10

Music 

6.3
6.4
No major differences between these speakers for music. See full list of tests below.

Full Comparison

Design

Style  

Style Photo  

RGB Lights  

No
No
Show Text 

Portability 
 

9.2
9.2

Dimensions Photo  

Volume 
 

57 in³ (942 cm³)
65 in³ (1,068 cm³)

Weight 
 

1.3 lbs (0.6 kg)
1.5 lbs (0.7 kg)

Power Source 
 

Battery & USB
Battery & USB

One-Hand Carry 
 

Yes
Yes
Show Text 

Build Quality 
 

8.7
7.9

Build Quality Photo  

Material Quality 
 

Good
Good

Water Resistance 
 

Submersible (IPx7)
Submersible (IPx7)

Dust Resistance 
 

Dust-Proof (IP6x)
Dust-Proof (IP6x)

Impact Resistance 
 

Yes (IK rating unspecified)
Unspecified

Floats In Water 
 

Yes
No
Show Text 

Controls 
 

8.4
7.9

Controls Photo  

Controls Photo 2  

Ease Of Use 
 

Okay
Great

Feedback 
 

Decent
Good

Music Play/Pause 
 

Yes (Physical)
Yes (Physical)

Call Answer/End 
 

Yes (Physical)
Yes (Physical)

Volume Up/Down 
 

Yes (Physical)
Yes (Physical)

Track Next/Previous 
 

Yes (Physical)
Yes (Physical)

Microphone On/Off 
 

Yes (Physical)
No

Additional Controls 
 

Yes
Yes
Show Text 

In The Box 
 

In The Box Photo  

Show Text 
Sound

Frequency Response Accuracy 
 

6.9
7.0

Frequency Response Graph  

See details
See details

Slope 
 

0.22
0.98

Std. Err. 
 

2.85 dB
3.17 dB

Low-Frequency Extension 
 

60.8 Hz
56.6 Hz

High-Frequency Extension 
 

15.6 kHz
19.6 kHz
Show Text 

Raw Frequency Response 
 

Raw Frequency Response Graph  

See details
See details

Binaural Recording @ 1m 
 

Binaural Recording @ 2m 
 

Soundstage 
 

5.5
5.8

Directivity Graph  

See details
See details

Directivity Index 
 

4.59 dB
4.10 dB

Stereo 
 

No (mono)
No (mono)
Show Text 

Dynamics 
 

6.4
6.4

Dynamic Range Compression  

See details
See details

SPL @ Max Volume 
 

87.5 dB SPL
86.1 dB SPL

DRC @ Max Volume 
 

3.02 dB
2.69 dB
Show Text 
Active Features

Battery 
 

6.7
6.8

Battery Life 
 

7.2 hrs
7.6 hrs

Charge Time 
 

2.7 hrs
3.5 hrs

Power Saving 
 

Yes
Yes

Charging Port 
 

USB-C
USB-C

Battery Powered 
 

Yes
Yes
Show Text 

Voice Assistant 
 

5.7
7.1

Alexa 
 

No
No

Google Assistant 
 

Yes (Requires Smartphone)
Yes (Requires Smartphone)

Speakerphone 
 

Yes
Yes

Siri 
 

Yes (Requires Smartphone)
Yes (Requires Smartphone)

Voice Assistant 
 

Yes
Yes

Voice Activation 
 

No
No

Microphone Mute 
 

No
Yes

Far-Field Performance 
 

Excellent
Excellent

Ambient Noise Performance 
 

Excellent
Excellent
Show Text 

App 
 

6.6
6.6

App Picture  

App Name 
 

Bose Connect
Beats

iOS 
 

Yes
Yes

Android 
 

Yes
Yes

EQ 
 

No
No

Stereo Pair Mode 
 

Yes
Yes

Party Mode 
 

Yes
Yes

Multi-Room 
 

No
No
Show Text 
Connectivity

Wired 
 

Aux Input 
 

No
No

USB Audio 
 

No
Yes

Other Ports 
 

No
No
Show Text 

Bluetooth 
 

8.0
8.1

Bluetooth 
 

Yes
Yes

Bluetooth Version 
 

4.2
Unspecified

Bluetooth iOS Latency 
 

236 ms
43 ms

Bluetooth Android Latency 
 

109 ms
111 ms

Bluetooth Range 
 

255.9 ft (78.0 m)
334.6 ft (102.0 m)

Multi-Device Pairing 
 

2 Devices
No
Show Text 

Wi-Fi 
 

0.0
0.0

Wi-Fi Version 
 

No Wi-Fi
No Wi-Fi

Wi-Fi Frequency Band 
 

No Wi-Fi
No Wi-Fi

Wi-Fi 
 

No
No

Apple AirPlay 
 

No
No

AirPlay Latency 
 

N/A
N/A

Google Chromecast 
 

No
No

Chromecast Latency 
 

N/A
N/A

Check Price

Black
SoundLink Flex
Amazon.com
Champagne Gold
Pill
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Carmine Red
SoundLink Flex
Amazon.com
Dark Gray
Pill x Kim Kardashian
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Chilled Lilac
SoundLink Flex
Amazon.com
Light Gray
Pill x Kim Kardashian
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Cypress Green
SoundLink Flex
Amazon.com
Matte Black
Pill
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Stone Blue
SoundLink Flex
SEE PRICE
Walmart.com
Statement Red
Pill
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
White Smoke
SoundLink Flex
Amazon.com
 

Bose SoundLink Flex

Beats Pill

Comments

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Bose SoundLink Flex vs Beats Pill: Main Discussion

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