Beats is putting out a powerful new party pill.
The Beats Pill is making a pretty impressive comeback. The new iteration of the iconic little party speaker plays solo or in pairs, is incredibly durable, and has special talents. Plus, the new Pill isn't picky about connections.
Twelve years ago, Beats introduced the first Pill, and the portable Bluetooth speaker last received an upgrade in 2015 as the Plus version. Seven years later, it disappeared from the company's lineup, which has been owned by Apple since 2014. Few expected it, but the iconic party pill is indeed making a comeback - and it's a successful one, according to ntv.de.
Great Sound for Its Size
The pill shape remains, but otherwise, the new speaker has little in common with its predecessors. Apple has completely redesigned the interior. Instead of a pair, the new Pill now has a single tweeter, which has its own housing, separating its frequencies from those of the woofer. Both drivers are now slightly tilted upwards and have received further technical improvements, which greatly benefits the sound of the new Beats Pill.
For its size, the speaker delivers impressive bass that reaches relatively deep. However, it handles them in a very controlled manner and doesn't interfere with the tweeter's handling of mid and high frequencies. Distortion is rare even at higher volumes. Only when you turn it up all the way does the 680-gram party pill lose some control, especially with bass-heavy music.
Stereo Only in Pairs
All this happens in mono, of course limiting the speaker's capabilities. To enjoy stereo sound, you'll need to buy two Pills. As a pair, they can be quite impressive, for example, on nightstands on either side of the bed.
If the speakers are distributed throughout the room or even in different rooms, stereo doesn't make much sense. In that case, you can choose the so-called amplifier mode, where each Pill plays music synchronously but independently. However, they can only connect via Bluetooth, as the new Beats Pill is not a Wi-Fi speaker.
Good Speakerphone
But the speaker can be used as a speakerphone. In testing, this worked without any problems. Conversation partners can understand you well as long as you're not more than two meters away from the speaker and the environment isn't too loud. Music playback pauses automatically during calls.
You answer or end calls by pressing the middle button on the top of the Beats Pill once or twice. You also use this button to connect Bluetooth devices and control music playback. There are two separate buttons for volume control to the right of it.
Pressing the power button twice starts the digital assistant. This can be Siri or the Google Assistant. The Beats Pill connects with both iPhones and Android smartphones without favoring Apple devices. You can also use the app to find the speaker.
Spartan App, but Robust
Other than that, the Beats Pill app doesn't offer much in either case. The app is mainly used to conveniently switch modes when two speakers are connected. You can also allow a second Bluetooth connection or set what happens when you press the multifunction button once or twice during calls. There's no equalizer or other extras in the app.
This is spartan, but for a small portable speaker, it's not a big deal. What's more important is that the Beats Pill is tough. The ruggedly built speaker is protected against dust and water to IP67 standards and can withstand minor party mishaps or a sudden rainstorm. Its silicone coating is not only pleasant to the touch but also quite resistant to scratches and smudges.
Long-lasting
The battery also handles extended parties without issue. Beats claims up to 24 hours of playtime at 50% volume, with practical testing yielding nearly 20 hours. In a pinch, just 10 minutes on the charger can provide another two hours of party time.
The USB-C port on the back allows you to connect playback sources to listen to lossless high-resolution music. However, the difference from normally compressed MP3 songs is barely noticeable. A small, portable speaker can't truly deliver that level of sound quality. But it's handy that you can charge your smartphone via the same connection.
Conclusion
The Beats Pill, for its size, is a powerful portable Bluetooth speaker that impresses with great sound and long battery life. It's also robust and offers useful extras like a speakerphone function and the ability to pair two units together. However, it comes at a premium price, retailing for around 170 euros.
During the audio testing of the new Beats Pill, the single tweeter and the woofer demonstrated excellent performance. The tweeter handled mid and high frequencies with precision, while the woofer delivered controlled bass without distortion, even at higher volumes.
To conduct a comprehensive audio testing of the Beats Pill, connecting it to Wi-Fi and using it in Wi-Fi speaker mode would provide more flexibility and better stereo sound. However, the new Pill only connects via Bluetooth.
