A bunch of bells and whistles without Apple tax

Beats has finally realized that it used to make speakers, too. The Apple-owned audio brand released its last speaker, Pill+, about a decade ago and recently released its successor, the Pill, in June.

The Pill is priced at $150, and during my testing for this review, I couldn’t resist comparing it to the recently released $130 Sony Ult Field 1. It has the same pill-shaped design, a mono output system, and a mid-range price point aimed at non-audiophiles who want decent, room-filling sound for picnics, hikes, or solo listening.

Beats Pill review: Design

Wouldn’t be my first choice for a hike.

In terms of design, you can tell that Beats tried to maximize the portability of the Pill. It’s built with plenty of shock-resistant rubber and silicone, and has a long strap that you can attach to your backpack when you go hiking. The Pill is also IP67 certified, which is the highest dust resistance and almost the highest water resistance (IP68 is the highest). It ticks all the boxes and is sufficient even for the average consumer who wants to take big sound in a small package to places like the beach or the park.

But if you’re someone who takes their speaker everywhere (me), you’d probably prefer to take the Ult Field 1 on an adventure. It’s also IP67-rated, but looks significantly more rugged and has an overall sturdier chassis. I like that the Type-C charging port is covered with a rubberized flap to keep water out, whereas the exposed USB-C port on the Beats Pill would make me a little concerned if I’m at the beach or pool.

Both speakers include a carrying strap, but Sony does it much better. The Ult Field 1’s carrying strap is much thicker, looks more durable and sturdy, and also offers an additional loop along the speaker body that also serves as a handle when you take it on the go. The Ult Field 1 is also significantly lighter at 650g compared to the Pill, which weighs 680g.

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Beats Pill review: Battery life

Twice as much as a speaker of this size.

However, design may be the only area where the Pill beats the Ult Field 1. In terms of battery life, the Pill lasts a whopping 24 hours, while the Field 1 gives up after 12. I used the Pill sporadically over a couple of weeks for this review and haven’t had to charge it yet. It also has a few extras that other speakers in this price range—the Ult Field 1 and Sonos Roam 2—don’t offer. You get lossless audio over a USB-C connection, so you can enjoy high-resolution audio while the speaker is connected to your laptop or other compatible devices. I did feel a slight improvement in the audio, but not enough to tie me to a cable when I can go wireless.

I’m also happy to see Beats finally reaching out to Android users by introducing the same native features as iOS. The Pill offers the same one-touch connectivity with both systems, as well as a “Find My” option (for iOS) for “Find My Device” (for Android). In compliance with the EU mandate, Beats also switched from a Lightning connector on the Pill’s predecessor to a USB-C connector on the Pill, further easing compatibility with non-Apple devices.

Beats Pill review: Sound

Better for high-end than for bass.

Beats promises a new, redesigned racetrack woofer that supposedly displaces 90% more air for more powerful bass. After listening to some Fred Again on both speakers, I’d still recommend the Ult Field 1 if you like the kind of overwhelming bass that sometimes drowns out other elements of your orchestra. Even with the bass boost switch off, the Pill delivers a rich and powerful bass sound. Some bass-heavy tracks might sound a bit thick or intrusive, but in such cases you can simply turn the bass down.

The Pill is better in the mid (or vocal) and high ranges. The vocal track layered on “Marea” sounded much clearer on the Pill. The orchestra didn’t sound clumped together and had enough space for each of its elements to shine on its own. Beats claims that its tweeter has been upgraded to provide clear highs and rich mids, and I can confirm that claim after jamming along to a few treble-heavy songs.

Another nifty feature that the Pill offers surprisingly generously despite its modest price is the Amplify and Stereo modes. You can pair two Pills for enhanced sound in Amplify mode, where they do exactly what the mode’s name suggests: deliver louder sound. Or you can put them in Stereo mode, where the speakers act as left and right outputs. I tried the modes on the pair of Pills Beats sent to us, and they were extremely easy to set up. You bring the two speakers close together and long-press the multifunction button on the speaker to activate them or switch between them. I can imagine Amplify mode could be useful at a house party where you might have two speakers set up in two different rooms.

Beats Pill Review: Verdict

I believe the Pill is a great value speaker that offers a lot more than you’d expect from it. Plus, there’s seemingly no premium for being made by Apple, commonly referred to as the Apple tax, which is surprising. For just $150, it offers impressive highs and mids, a number of portability-focused features, and some bells and whistles like the Amplify and Stereo modes or lossless audio over USB-C. There are punchier low-end alternatives for the same price, so I wouldn’t recommend the Pill just for the bass. The 24-hour battery life is more than double that of similar speakers in this range (10-15 hours), and the new Android compatibility features broaden the target audience that wants to carry around a small speaker that can produce big sound.

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