Is this new portable speaker one of the best?

Beats is back in the portable speaker category, and it’s here to compete with its relaunch of its Beats Pill at £149.99.

This handheld Bluetooth speaker may look and feel compact, but it punches well above its 680g weight with an impressive collection of features.

That includes its seamless Apple or Android connectivity, speakerphone support, wired audio support over USBC, IP67 dust and water resistance, power bank functionality, appealing colour options and 24hour battery life.

There have been a lot of improvements to this speaker since the last Beats Pill+ was launched in 2015, almost a decade ago, and this new one makes for a convincing package overall, especially at this price.

Beats Pill: At a glance

The first thing I noticed after unboxing the Beats Pill is how sleek it is. The model I’m reviewing is in the brand’s classic red shade (Beats calls this “Statement Red”), but it also comes in “Champagne Gold” and “Matte Black”.

All the colours look great, but that gold variant is especially classy and sophisticated. The underside of the speaker is subtly shaped to feel great in your hand when you’re carrying it, and it comes with a handy carry strap already attached.

The speaker itself has a slight upward tilt for improved sound, and four buttons on the top. There’s an on/off button that also controls Bluetooth pairing, a centre button for playback controls and volume buttons.

There are a couple of extra functions when it comes to pairing it with other Beats Pill speakers, an “Amplify” mode to double the sound output or a “Stereo” mode to split the audio into the left and right channels between two Pill speakers.

These have extra button controls you’ll need to learn, which is one of the more noticeable initial downsides. The controls aren’t always intuitive and if you hold the power button for slightly too long it won’t turn off but will go into pairing mode instead, for instance. I think I’d get used to it, but it was one of the first things I noticed about the speaker.

Beats Pill: Connectivity and features

Pairing the Beats Pill to my iPhone was instant, it works just like if you were connecting a pair of AirPods to an iPhone. The good news is that it’ll be just as seamless if you’re using an Android device because it supports Google Fast Pair too.

In addition, it also has support for Find My on Apple and Find My Device from Android, so you’ll have the ability to find the speaker based on the location where it last connected either way.

Press the power button twice in quick succession and you’ll be able to activate Siri or your Google Assistant from your paired device. The Pill also has a microphone and can be used as a speakerphone for your calls.

On iOS, there isn’t an app and all the functions are available within your main settings app. Extra features are available on Android devices through the Beats app. The main perks are the “Amplify” mode and “Stereo” mode explained above.

Beats Pill: Sound quality

During my week of testing the Beats Pill, I played loads of music from a range of different genres and my podcast queue to check its performance with spoken word content too. One of the things that Beats is advertising is that it’s totally revamped the speaker layout for better sound quality compared to its older Pill models.

I’m happy to confirm that this is a fantasticsounding speaker, it gets more than loud enough to fill a room and does so without much noticeable distortion in the bass. The vocals sound excellent, with loads of rich detail, and there’s a proper thump to the lowend notes. It’s hard to evaluate, but it does feel like the subtle 20degree upward angle of the speaker helps deliver music straight to my ears too.

The Beats Pill also has a bit of a trick up its sleeve for audiophiles. If you connect it via the USBC cable to a compatible device and you’re listening to compatible highresolution music from a highend music streaming service (like Qobuz or Tidal), you’ll get “lossless” audio over the cable. Wireless audio always loses some of the resolution – I tested this lossless playback with my MacBook Air and don’t think the difference will be noticeable to most of us, but it’s a nice addition for music fans.

Beats Pill: Durability

Previous Beats Pill releases didn’t have ingress protection (IP) ratings for durability, so we’re happy to see that’s been remedied with this launch, especially as decent waterproofing is now an expected and essential feature in this category. The 2024 Beats Pill has an IP67 rating, which puts it on the same level as key competitors like JBL Flip 6, Sonos Roam and Bose SoundLink Flex.

This rating means it’s protected from both dust and water, with it able to survive being submerged for up to 30 minutes in a onemetre depth of water. And that it has the highest level of dust protection. In my handson use, I can confirm that this feels like a rugged speaker, although it is a little heavier than some of the competition, with its sleek metal grill rather than predominant plastic or fabric materials.

Beats Pill: Battery life

Here’s one area where the new Beats Pill outperforms all its main rivals from JBL, Sonos and Bose. It offers an extended 24 hours of playback, and it works as a power bank so that it’ll charge up your phone too.

Depending on the device, it’ll recharge what it’s connected to – it didn’t start charging up my MacBook, but it did recharge my iPhone, for example – and while connected you’ll be able to take advantage of the USBC audio too.

Some of the best news about the Beats Pill is that it’s more affordable than you might think, coming in at £149.99, it’s more affordable than the Sonos Roam, and at around the same price as the Bose SoundLink Flex. The excellent JBL Flip 6 is more affordable, but you might find it lacking in a couple of the most essential features for you, like power bank and speakerphone support.

I did sound quality testing sidebyside with these key rivals, and I think it’s very hard to tell the difference. All of them sound excellent, so it’s probably going to come down to portability and features – the Beats packs in a lot of extras but does have a slightly heavier weight than the others, although we’re only talking a few grams.

It’s a shame it doesn’t have wifienabled abilities like the Sonos Roam which has Apple AirPlay for multiroom connectivity, but if you’re focused on Bluetooth playback and easy compatibility (especially with all your Apple tech) this is one of the best allaround portable speakers you can buy in 2024. It delivers a great sound, roomfilling volume, extensive battery life, robust durability and a lovely range of colours.

Simon Cocks is Hearst UK’s Technology Ecommerce Editor, overseeing tech shopping content and strategy across a range of titles including Good Housekeeping UK, Esquire UK, Digital Spy, Men’s Health UK and Women’s Health UK.   

Simon specialises in testing the latest smart gadgets, home entertainment gear, headphones, speakers, portable chargers, radios, ebook readers and smartphones. He’s reviewed top tech products from brands including Google, Apple, Amazon, JBL and Bose.  

A magazine journalism graduate from Kingston University in 2014, Simon also worked on the Discovery and Silkroad inflight magazines. He then gained experience writing about entertainment at SFX and Total Film. He also contributed reviews and interviews to TwitchFilm (later ScreenAnarchy), CultBox and Frame Rated.  

He joined Good Housekeeping UK as the Editorial Assistant for Special Projects and was part of Good Housekeeping’s Consumer Affairs Team between 2014 and 2019. In this role, he conducted price comparison research, wrote detailed household and moneysaving advice guides and edited thousands of indepth reviews for the Good Housekeeping Institute.  

He has focused on technology and gadgets since 2020, where he started by testing out power banks and instant cameras. He writes reviews, roundups, news articles and deals updates, and also covers top tech deals during sales like Amazon Prime Day, Black Friday and Cyber Monday.  

When not testing out the latest gizmos, you’ll find Simon either catching up with the newest releases at his local cinema or out shooting with his beloved compact camera.  

You can follow Simon on Instagram at @simonrcocks, on Threads at @simonrcocks, and on Twitter/X at @simoncocks.