After several months of leaks and public sightings, the Beats Pill speaker has returned. Available to order beginning today for $149.99, this portable Bluetooth speaker looks very similar to past versions, but it now offers IP67 dust and water resistance and USB-C wired audio and supports native software features like Find My / Find My Device across both iOS and Android.
The new Pill — available in black, red, or gold — will be in stores as of June 27th. Like many speakers in its price category, it’s a mono speaker, though Beats claims the redesigned tweeter and woofer combo is sonically superior to the very old Beats Pill Plus. Other specs include battery life “up to 24 hours,” speakerphone functionality, and the ability to pair two Pill speakers together either in stereo or mono for synchronized playback if they’re in different rooms.
Beats has been on a long run of trying to appeal to both Android and iOS customers equally, and the Pill continues that effort with one-tap pairing, Find My / Find My Device, and other tricks for both platforms. The speaker’s USB-C port is versatile: it can charge the Pill as well as external devices and also supports line-in audio.
I’ve had some time to test out the 2024 edition of the Beats Pill, and you can read my full review for all the details.