Beats Pill Review

Likes

The Beats Pill is small but mighty. We enjoyed its playful sound mix and the controlled handling of dynamic shifts across genres. It plays extra punchy, powerful sound, with the bass and treble taking center stage. We loved listening to this speaker for upbeat tracks like “Evacuate The Dancefloor” by Cascada, which sound extra energetic and punchy.

The Beats Pill has one of the longest battery lives we tested at 51 hours and 30 minutes—that's over two whole days of nonstop listening. For casual use, this speaker should last for weeks. We also love that just 10 minutes of charging offers 2 additional hours of listening time.

Pairing this speaker with an iPhone is seamless and takes under 5 seconds. It has great connectivity, and we're able to use it up to 174 feet away—the longest distance we tested—making it a great option for listening in larger homes.

This speaker weighs only 1.5 pounds and is about the size of a Smart Water. It will fit easily in most bags and comes with a lanyard for easy carrying.

The Beats Pill has IP67 water resistance, so it can be used in the rain or by the hot tub without issue. It's also dust-tight, so we had no qualms about using it at the beach or campground.

Dislikes

Despite being one of the pricier compact models in our lineup, it lacks some key features like sound customization. The metal grate at the front is also easily dentable.

We dropped it a couple of times, and even though it dented, it luckily didn't affect the sound quality or functionality. That said, we wouldn't feel safe dropping it too many times. And, given its cylindrical shape that easily rolls around on surfaces, it fell to the ground more than we'd like.

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Our biggest gripe is the annoying button controls. When trying to turn it off, we frequently ended up putting it into pairing mode instead, since the buttons are the same. We would have preferred a separate individual button for pairing, which would fix the issue.

The volume is relatively loud for its size at 87.7 decibels, which sounds about the same as standing under a waterfall. We noticed some sharpness and compression at the upper volumes. Treble notes can sound especially fatiguing at high volumes. And, while we enjoyed the sound mix for dance music, it sounds a bit jarring when listening to softer classical or folk music.

Should You Buy the Beats Pill?

The Beats Pill isn't the best value, especially for those wanting a speaker that sounds good across all genres. While the overemphasized bass and treble can be fun for dancing around the house, it's also overstimulating when you want to listen to some relaxing tunes. This speaker also won't satisfy those who like to crank their volume. It's also not as drop-resistant as we'd like, and the mishaps with the controls are very annoying.

What Other Speakers Should You Consider?

If you want the best sound in a lightweight portable speaker, we highly recommend the Bose Flex Soundlink (2nd Gen). This speaker has a smoother sound profile, good water and dust resistance, and has survived a few drops on the floor unscathed. Though, its battery life only lasts 10 and a half hours, so it may not be the best option for extended camping trips.