Beats hit the nail on the head by modernizing an old favorite without sacrificing its most valued elements.
The new Beats Pill speaker is on sale for $100 (save $50) during Amazon’s Black Friday sale.
Bluetooth speakers are as popular as ever, as Sony, Bose, Sonos, and JBL have shown by refreshing and revamping their selections just in time for summer. The competition is so hot and full of heavy hitters that it pulled Beats out of retirement.
With the new Beats Pill, Apple has reversed its departure from the Bluetooth speaker game. For reference, the last Beats speaker was the Pill+ from 2015.
I was curious to see what upgrades the Beats Pill (2024) offers. Fortunately, I was hosting friends all weekend and had the perfect opportunity to see if the new speaker had what it took to satisfy our audio needs. Should you upgrade to the new Pill or invest in Bose, Sony, or Soundcore instead? Read on as I attempt to answer this question.
ZDNET RECOMMENDS Beats Pill (2024)
The all-new Beats Pill offers a stylish design, lengthy battery life, and enough bass to shake the room.
The new Pill is Beats’ third product release this summer, following the fantastic Solo 4 and less-great Solo Buds.
The Beats Pill delivers a bass-forward sound profile, similar to many of the company’s other speakers and headphones. Electronic music with heavy, skipping basslines, like Charlie XCX’s Club Classics, sounded electrifying and full, with a heavy emphasis on the lower frequencies.
I wish Apple would license AirPlay to Beats, but I suspect withholding this feature is meant to leave HomePod sales unharmed. When I have guests over, I like to play music from my iPhone to my Sonos Arc via AirPlay, which streams over Wi-Fi, not Bluetooth, so my incoming notifications don’t disrupt the music.
