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Beats by Dr. Dre has always been about going big on sound quality with plenty of styles. While its focus has always primarily been on its headphones and (more recently, TWS earphones), Beats has also launched some interesting portable speakers in the past (albeit very few in number). However, this past did not include India, which only recently got access to Beats’ audio products. With an official India launch now done, I got to try out the brand’s recently launched Pill portable speaker and it surely makes a lasting impression.
Beats Pill Review Design: Looks great, works great
- Dimensions – 218.44mm x 71.12mm x 71.12mm
- Weight – 680g
- Durability – IP67
The Pill-shaped speaker has a refined capsule-shaped design compared to previous models from the line-up. The Beats Pill has its tweeter and woofer laid out side by side and is angled with a 20-degree upward tilt so that the music is always facing the listener and not bouncing off objects in front of it, especially when placed on something as low as a coffee table.
The Beats Pill speaker has a premium feeling rubberised texture with a contoured metal grill protecting its tweeter and woofer underneath
The soft rubber coating is quite grippy and gives it a sense of durability. The speaker grille with the Beats logo in the middle is well-rounded. I’m glad that the bottom is flattened out a bit. Thanks to this, the speaker remains in place, given the deep bass it can deliver. I also like the dimples for control buttons, which I did initially find a bit difficult to locate at first but I got used to them after a week. I really wished that these buttons had a backlight, as they can be hard to find in dimly lit setups, especially when you have the Matt Black finish.
The base of this pill-shaped speaker is flat. Also visible here is the USB-C port used for charging and lossless audio
Its pill-shaped design is as broad as an Apple iPhone 16 Pro, which isn’t too broad. This, along with its rounded design, makes it very easy to slide into a backpack. Apart from the loop for the lanyard, there’s only one cavity, and that’s for its USB-C port, which remains well hidden and out of sight at the back.
Its removable lanyard is easy to attach or detach
There’s a removable lanyard that’s easy to attach and detach and kind of makes up for the speaker’s permanently horizontal orientation. In case you don’t happen to have a place to lay it down somewhere, you can always hang it off a hook or even a tree branch. The IP67-rated design means it can easily withstand heavy rain and even submersion in water (for about 15 minutes) or sand, so don’t be afraid to take it poolside or to the beach.
Weighing over half a kilo, this portable speaker sure is heavy. It’s not a problem, though, unless you plan to hang one from your backpack while hiking.
Beats Pill Review Specifications and Software: Feature-packed
- Connectivity – Bluetooth v5.3 (multipoint)
- Companion app – Android/iOS
- Ports – USB-C (audio out and charging)
The Beats Pill has four buttons. The power button is also used to put the device in pairing mode (short press for checking battery life), while the universal control button, apart from being used to answer, end or even mute and unmute calls, also doubles up as playback controls. But since there’s just one button, it can get quite complex and fidgety as it involves remembering multiple press patterns. A built-in mic can also be used as a solid conference speaker in case you need to attend a work call on vacation or in an office.
Its four buttons have a lot of overlapping functions, which can get annoying at times
Beats has also included a proprietary chip (no, it’s not an H-series chip from Apple) that lets it seamlessly communicate with both iOS and Android-powered devices. It’s nice to have this over the previous (Apple-first approach) as it can now support both Find My (Google) or Find My Device (Apple) and even throws up the Fast Pair pop-up window on both Android and iOS devices.
The Beats companion app available on iOS and Android (shown above) devices does not offer an equaliser
There’s also a companion app called Beats, which is available on Android and iOS devices and basically tells you the battery status. It also lets you rename the speaker, customise the functions of the control buttons and, more importantly, update your device’s firmware when needed.
Beats Pill Review Performance: Two’s company
- Battery – Non-removable lithium‑ion
- Charging cable – Yes
- Stereo mode – Yes
The volume level from the Beats Pill speaker is more than sufficient to deliver rich room-filling sound for a large hall room or even when outdoors in the open in a pool area. The speaker does get hot when the volume level is maxed out, but I faced no issues even when using it this way for a few hours.
If you still feel that one speaker isn’t sufficient for your outdoor needs, Beats lets you connect two of them together to deliver more power in Amplify mode or better separation (and a much wider soundstage) in Stereo mode. I experienced this stereo mode at the India launch and I must say it is very impressive, given that two speakers work with near-perfect precision wirelessly thanks to the custom chip. However, stereo mode only supports two Pill speakers at the moment, and they need to be in the same room (not too far apart).
Its tweeter and woofer are laid out side by side and are angled with a 20-degree upward tilt
Coming to the sound, I loved separating the lows, mids and highs, even at max volume. I listened to Flaer Smin’s Wish You Were Here (which is known for its mids and highs) at max volume and I noticed that the mids do get suppressed by the bass, while the highs sounded a bit distorted. Curawaka’s Noku Mana also sounded great despite the slightly bass-heavy approach because this speaker delivers bass that is clear and well-defined, not muddy or boomy. Listening to the same track at 50 percent volume, I realised how the bass overpowers mainly at high volume. At 50 percent volume, the vocals, along with the mids and highs, sounded quite pronounced, keeping things balanced.
What I missed is some kind of preset EQ mode, which, at the press of a button (we need more of those here), could either cut down the bass or boost it whenever needed or depending on the occasion. Regardless, the current sound signature will still appeal to the masses quite well. The speaker can also deliver lossless sound when connected in wired mode, but I did not notice any noticeable change in sound quality upon doing so.
Battery life is quite solid for a portable Bluetooth speaker, especially given its compact dimensions
Battery life with the Beats Pill speaker is quite solid. I took it for a weekend trip, blasted tunes at maximum volume for about 4-6 hours a day, and still had a 35 percent charge left. With regular use at 50 percent volume (which is quite sufficient for indoor use), Beats claims that this speaker will last 24 hours of continuous playback time. The company also claims that Beats’ Fast Fuel charging tech provides 2 hours of usage with a 10-minute charge.
Beats Pill Review: Verdict
If you are looking for something better than the typical muddy bass-heavy sound that is easily available at around Rs 7,000, then there are a wide variety of quality speakers from Bose, Ultimate Ears and JBL to choose from (at around Rs. 10,000-12,000) before you can even consider the new Beats Pill at Rs. 16,900.
The advantage the Beats Pill has over other speakers is that it works well and seamlessly connects with both Android and iOS smartphones. It is one of the more premium-looking speakers available at this price point, and its capsule-shaped design makes it easy to slide into a tote or backpack. It offers excellent battery life, and pairing two of them in stereo mode lets you enjoy them even better.
The Beats Pill has clearly not been designed to impress audiophiles but to deliver rich, enjoyable bass (for a compact speaker), keeping things exciting for the regular listener who enjoys all types of music genres. Music on it is best enjoyed at around 50-70 percent volume, and this means it’s perfect for enjoying music next to you at a pool but not at a pool party.
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