In what’s been one of the worst-kept secrets of the year — mostly because subtly putting a product into the hands of some of the biggest stars on the planet is no way to keep a secret — the Beats Pill has returned. Just a couple of years after Apple and Beats unceremoniously killed off the stylish Bluetooth speaker, a new one has arrived.
Available for preorder today in either black, red, or gold, the $150 speaker (and speakerphone, for that matter) rounds out a 2024 release cycle for beats that includes the Solo Buds and Solo 4 headphones, and comes nearly a year after the Beats Studio Pro.
The particulars for this Pill bring a “completely redesigned racetrack woofer” (that’s sort of how the speaker actually looks on the inside) “with stronger neodymium magnets.” Beats says that gives 28% more motor force and displaces 90% more air volume. And moving air is the name of the game when it comes to speakers. It’s also 10% lighter than the previous Beats Pill (never mind the Beats Pill XL). It comes with a removable lanyard, and anything not grille is covered in soft-touch silicone, which aids in the IP67 rating for water resistance.
The new Pill’s brains basically are the same as what’s in the latest round of headphones. That means it plays nicely with both Android and iOS, and can partake in the platforms’ separate “find my” features should your speaker go missing.
But what’s really exiting here — especially given the relatively low price — is that you can connect two Beats Pills as a stereo pair, which makes them mighty enticing for portable party speakers. Or if stereo just isn’t your bag, there’s an Amplify Mode that keeps them both in mono but makes for bigger sound.
Battery life is rated at a full 24 hours of continuous playback. And a 10-minute charge over USB-C (which also can be used for wired audio in addition to charging your dead phone) will get you another two hours.
That’s just the broad strokes. We’ve got a lot more in our full Beats Pill review — and you’ve got some time to pore over that while you wait for the June 27 shipping date.
