Beats pill xl watts. Beats Pill 2.0 Review – Specs, Features, & Sound Quality

Beats Pill 2.0 Review – Specs, Features, Sound Quality

There’s no need to present Beats products, right? With their aggressive marketing campaigns and adverts, you have probably heard of all the Beats speakers and headphones. Having a new Beats Pill speaker or Beats headphones became more of a fashion statement. Whenever you change the channel, play a video on YouTube, or watch some NBA game, you see a bunch of actors, musicians, players, using Beats products. So, when all these famous people use them, they must be good, right? Well, not exactly.

The first Beats Pill was very popular, especially among the teenagers, but didn’t really impressed audio enthusiast, audiophiles, and people that actually care about the sound. So, they discontinued the first generation and made the second – Beats Pill 2.0. This new upgraded version is the speaker we are going to talk about in this article.

The most noticeable change compared to the first version is the USB charge out port. It’s a nice little feature but it would be more useful if the battery was stronger. They kept the old design which is fine by us (it’s one of the good things about this speaker). The controls are also the same and the functionality is more than satisfying. The one thing that really needed to be improved was the sound. This unit was supposed to sound much better than the old version but don’t raise your hopes too high. The improvement is barely noticeable.

The good things about Beats Pill 2.0 are the design, the overall build quality, the existence of AUX IN and AUX OUT ports, USB powerbank port, satisfying Bluetooth range, and the ability to pair two Beats Pill 2.0 speakers together. The most noticeable downside is the sound quality – this little speaker simply doesn’t sound as good as the other speakers from the same price range. In other words, it is highly overpriced.

• Beats Pill 2.0 Review
• What’s in the box?
• Specs
• Design
• Features
• Performance
• Sound Quality
• The Competition

• JBL Xtreme 2
• Ultimate Ears BOOM 3
• Bose SoundLink Revolve

Beats Pill 2.0 Review

The Beats Pill 2.0 is a portable Bluetooth speaker that delivers a powerful, clear sound with deep bass. It has a sleek design and easy-to-use controls. It’s perfect for outdoor activities, parties, and travel. The battery life is decent and it is compatible with all Bluetooth devices. It’s a great option for people who want a portable speaker with good sound quality and a recognizable brand.

• Great presentation and interesting design
• AUX OUT port
• USB charge out port
• Daisy chaining

Beats Pill 2.0 looks really nice and likable but don’t let the design and the overall construction quality fool you. This speaker’s performance doesn’t match the price tag. Considering all the aggressive marketing and the price, we have expected much more. Unfortunately, Beats Pill 2.0 falls short in the sound quality department and there are a lot of things not to be happy about. Now, we can understand that you really like the design or the fact that it is portable but unless you get some nice discount, you should buy something else. The number of choices you have at this price point is huge and there are a lot of speakers that perform much better than Beats Pill 2.0 and cost less.

What’s in the box?

If there’s one thing about Beats Pill 2.0 we really like, it’s the presentation. People from Beats really pay attention to every single detail. They know how to make it look expensive. Everything, starting from the box itself looks quite premium. Inside the box, you will find the speaker, carrying pouch, USB to micro USB charging cable, wall adapter, 3.5mm audio cable, user manual, and one-year limited warranty. We have to give some credit to Beats because of the imaginative packaging. The speaker is packed inside the soft pouch and they are both placed inside a supersized pill packaging. It’s an interesting and creative approach and we really liked it.

Specs

Design

The speaker is shaped like a huge pill which makes it quite interesting. Every little detail on this speaker looks premium. Beats Pill 2.0 comes in 4 colors – black, red, silver, and white.

The whole front side is covered with a partially transparent aluminum grille. You can see those four full-range drivers through the grille. In the middle, there’s a 1-inch strip with the ‘’b’’ multifunction button, beats logo, and a built-in microphone. You can use the ‘’b’’ button to play/pause the music, pair/unpair your phone, answer/end calls, and play the next (press twice) or previous song (press three times).

Picture 1 – Front panel (4 drivers protected with an aluminum grille and the ‘’b’’ button)

On the top panel, you will see two large volume buttons and the NFC tag which is used for pairing with NFC-capable Android devices but also for pairing two Pill 2.0 speakers together.

Picture 2 – Top panel (Volume controls and NFC tag)

All the inputs are located on the rear panel. In the middle, you will see the power button and the LED Bluetooth indicator. On the left side, there are two AUX ports – IN and OUT. AUX IN port is a pretty much standard feature on many Bluetooth speakers and it’s used for connecting non-Bluetooth audio sources to the speaker but the AUX OUT is something you won’t find on many Bluetooth speakers. You can use this port to connect Pill 2.0 with another Pill 2.0 or with any other Bluetooth or non-Bluetooth speaker with AUX input. On the right side, there’s a micro USB charging port. You can charge your Pill 2.0 through a USB port on your computer or you can use the wall adapter that comes with the speaker (this is another nice little detail – most of today’s portable Bluetooth speakers don’t come with the wall adapter).

Picture 3 – Rear panel (inputs and outputs)

On the bottom, you will see a rubber flap with the ‘’beats pill’’ sign on it. When you remove the flap, you will see the USB charging port. You can use this port to charge your phone in case of emergency but it would be much more useful if the battery was larger. We will discuss this issue in the Performance section.

Picture 4 – USB powerbank port (charge out port)

Features

We are quite happy with the design and build quality of this unit. It looks and feels sturdy and durable but it’s not shockproof or waterproof (not IPX certified). You should really have this in mind and think about it when deciding whether you should buy this speaker or not. If you need something that you can take with you to the pool or to the beach, Pill 2.0 is not the best choice. Pill 2.0 is an outdoor speaker (it is battery powered, small, and portable) but since it’s not rugged or waterproof, the number of situations in which you can use it is very limited.

Pill 2.0 features Bluetooth 2.1 with up to 30ft range (without obstacles). Bluetooth 2.1 is not the ideal choice since you can find much cheaper speakers featuring Bluetooth 4.2. The speaker is compatible with all kinds of smartphones (iPhone and Android), tablets, and PCs/laptops. If you want to connect a non-Bluetooth device, you can use the AUX IN port. The speaker also features AUX OUT port for connecting Pill 2.0 with any other speaker with AUX input. Pill 2.0 supports NFC pairing (for Android devices) and can be wirelessly paired with another Pill 2.0. You can choose between stereo mode and dual audio mode.

There’s no info on the supported Bluetooth profiles but it definitely supports A2DP and HFP. AptX is not supported and you will notice some audio delays when watching videos on YouTube.

Pill 2.0 features surprisingly small battery. You will get up to 7 hours of continuous playback at 50% volume and the recharge takes up to 3 hours. You can find a bunch of cheaper Bluetooth speakers (under 100) of the same size with a stronger battery. This is arguably one of the biggest deal breakers (besides the sound quality).

As we have already mentioned, Pill 2.0 features one USB powerbank port which is the greatest difference between the first version of Beats Pill and Pill 2.0.

The speaker also has a built-in mic which is pretty much the standard feature – the most of today’s portable Bluetooth speakers have a built-in mic, even the cheapest ones.

Performance

Pill 2.0 has only four control buttons. You might need some time to get used to the ‘’b’’ multifunction button and you will occasionally press it too many times but the controls are still very simple and easy to use.

Bluetooth 2.1 is not the best choice, especially when you know that some budget Bluetooth speakers feature Bluetooth 4.2. Still, we haven’t experienced any connection-related issues. The connection is stable and everything works flawlessly within the advertised range. Pairing is simple and fast. If you have an Android phone and if the phone supports NFC pairing, you can simply tap the NFC tag on the speaker with your phone and pair them in a second.

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You can pair two Pill 2.0 speakers together quite easily and you don’t even have to press any buttons. In case you have two Pill 2.0 speakers, you just have to turn both speakers on, pair your phone with one of the speakers, and then tap the NFC logo on that speaker with the other speaker (tap the logos together) and the speakers will be paired. They will play the same audio (dual audio). If you want stereo sound, tap the logos together again.

The battery works as advertised but we are not happy with the playtime. At this price point, we have expected much more. Pill 2.0 really needs a stronger battery. The manufacturer decided to add one USB powerbank port which is a nice idea but it’s kind of meaningless when the battery is so small. If you want to charge your phone while playing music, the playtime will be even shorter. So, to conclude, the USB powerbank port is a useful feature but you should use it only in case of emergency.

The microphone works fine even in loud environments.

Sound Quality

We have finally come to the biggest and the most important issue. This excessively advertised unit doesn’t really meet the minimum requirements when it comes to sound quality.

Those small full-range drivers aren’t capable of producing low frequencies. The sound is tiny with little to no bass. Even without some real bass, the speaker manages to sound distorted at high volumes.

Some midrange frequencies sound pretty good. The emphasis is on the voices and most of them are clear but the other midrange frequencies (especially upper midrange – 3kHz to 5kHz) are unimpressive.

The highs are too intense and harsh, almost ear-piercing.

Pill 2.0 is definitely better than a phone speaker but considering the price we have expected so much more.

This is a mediocre speaker and you can probably find some better sounding portable Bluetooth speakers for less money.

The Competition

JBL Xtreme 2

Xtreme 2 is more expensive than Pill 2.0 but it’s more expensive for a reason. It is better than the Beats Pill 2.0 in many aspects. It features Bluetooth 4.2 with up to 60ft range. The battery inside the Xtreme 2 is so much stronger and offers up to 15 hours of continuous playback. Like the Pill 2.0, Xtreme 2 features USB powerbank port but you can actually use this port to charge your phone multiple times. You can pair (wirelessly) up to 100 Xtreme 2 speakers together while you can pair only two Pill 2.0 speakers. Xtreme 2 is also fully waterproof (IPX7 certified) while Pill 2.0 is not waterproof at all. Xtreme 2 comes with the JBL Connect app while there is no app for Pill 2.0. On top of all that, Xtreme 2 sounds better, it delivers more bass, and it’s louder than Pill 2.0. Pill 2.0 is lighter, smaller, and more portable.

Ultimate Ears BOOM 3

UE BOOM 3 is the latest UE BOOM version. It was released in September of 2018. This is cheaper and, in our opinion, better speaker than Pill 2.0. It features Bluetooth 4.2 with an incredible range of 150ft. It has a durable battery and it can deliver up to 15 hours of playback at 50% volume. BOOM3 is completely waterproof (IPX7) and shockproof. It doesn’t have a USB charge out port. It can be controlled through the Ultimate Ears app while there’s no app for Pill 2.0. You can pair wirelessly up to 150 other BOOM or MEGABOOM speakers with BOOM 3 while you can pair only 2 Pill 2.0 speakers. BOOM 3 delivers punchier and deeper bass than Pill 2.0. The overall sound quality of BOOM 3 is better (richer and more detailed sound). Also, BOOM 3 delivers 360-sound.

Bose SoundLink Revolve

Bose is, along with Beats, the most excessively advertised audio brand. They have one more important thing in common – their products are often overpriced. So, if you like paying more than you really have to, you can check out Bose Soundlink Revolve. This is the largest Bose portable Bluetooth speaker. It’s more expensive than Pill 2.0 but it definitely performs better. It can deliver up to 16 hours of music playback and it’s IPX4-certified (splash proof). It supports daisy chaining – you can wirelessly pair two Revolve speakers and use them in stereo or party mode. Revolve comes with the Bose Connect app. Revolve also delivers better sound quality than Pill 2.0, especially when it comes to mids and highs. Mids and highs are very detailed and perfectly clear. Unlike Pill 2.0, Revolve delivers 360-sound.

Comparison Table

Frequently Asked Questions

The Beats Pill 2.0 was released in 2013. It is the updated version of the original Beats Pill.

The first generation Beats Pill was recalled. Although it was popular among teens and the general public, it failed to impress audiophiles and professionals in the field. After that, the company released Beats Pill 2.0 with some upgrades.

No, the Beats Pill is not waterproof. Although newer versions have rubber flaps protecting the USB, aux, and Lighting ports, it only makes the device splash resistant at best. It is advisable to not use the Beats Pill near water as it can damage it.

Final Thoughts

Well, if you haven’t realized yet, we are not impressed by the Beats Pill 2.0. In fact, we think that you can find a better speaker for less money. Pill 2.0 is overpriced and the performance (especially the sound quality and battery) doesn’t match the price. If you still want to buy it, you should try to find it on sale.

Hello, my name is James Longman.

I’m a writer and editor at AudioReputation. I disassembled my first portable AM/FM radio when I was only 8. At the age of 11, I burned the circuit board on my old boombox cassette player. I’m not going to explain how but it was reckless and stupid.

Since then, I have become much more careful around radios, boomboxes, and other audio devices (at least, I like to think so) but I have never lost the passion for audio equipment. Throughout 20 years of my professional career, I’ve been working for various audio equipment manufacturers and even started building speakers on my own in my little workshop.

I love the work we do here at AudioReputation. Testing, comparing, and evaluating all kinds of audio devices (speakers, soundbars, headphones, home theater systems, etc.) is something I truly enjoy. I try to be unbiased and give you my honest opinion on every piece of equipment I test. Still, you should take my reviews with a pinch of salt and always be just a little bit skeptical. The fact that I liked some speaker or soundbar doesn’t mean that you are going to love it. If you have the opportunity, you should test it/hear it before buying it.

The Pill is a product you’ll want to love, but probably won’t

TechRadar Verdict

The Beats Pill far improves upon the original, but this iteration’s mediocre sound and steep price mean that there are still some improvements that need to be made.

Cons

Why you can trust TechRadar

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Let’s get this out of the way; the original Beats Pill wasn’t my favorite Bluetooth speaker – it was bass-heavy and uncontrolled. I didn’t like its bigger Pill XL sibling, either, as I’m not a huge fan potential fire risks.

But both those products came out before Apple purchased Beats headphones for 3 billion (about £1.79b, AU3.25b). Apple’s had a far better track record when it’s come to audio products – I mean, these are the people that made the iPod.

So, have Beats products prospered under Apple’s tutelage? In the case of the Beats Pill, the answer is yes.

The Beats Pill improves on the original Beats Pill in just about every way, including sound quality. However, in the time that it’s taken Beats to catch up, the market for 200 portable Bluetooth speakers has become insanely crowded – and, unlike the iPod before it, the Beats Pill just isn’t good enough to stand out from the crowd.

Design

The Beats Pill continues the iconic design of the first generation, but with a larger chassis. While the speaker is slightly bigger than the original Pill it’s still quite portable, measuring in at 2.5 x 8.27 x 2.72 inches or 6.36 x 21 x 6.92 cm (H x L x D) and weighing just over 1.5 lbs (0.75 kg). That’s not all that heavy, but it’s not as totable as, say, the UE Roll 2 or JBL Clip 2.

Likewise, while it isn’t waterproof like the UE Boom 2 and JBL Charge 3, the Pill is built like a tank with a metal and rubber chassis. The rubber flap protecting the USB, aux and Lightning ports means the Pill has some splash resistance, but you probably shouldn’t bring it poolside with you.

On top of the speaker, you’ll find rubber-coated buttons that control power, pairing and volume. The buttons provide a good tactile feel and their rubber coating will withstand abuse, though the exposed and illuminated Beats button may get scratched over time. There’s also an included carrying bag that offers some protection when taking the speaker with you on the go.

Inside the chassis, the Pill features two tweeters and two woofers to help disperse sound through its mesh metal grill.

Performance and features

While the design felt like a small iteration, performance-wise, the Beats Pill offers a massive improvement in sound quality over the original Pill – it’s clearer and suffers from less distortion than it has in the past. Apple hasn’t messed with the Beats V-shaped signature sound, though: there’s still a lot of bass, a ton of highs and slightly muted mids.

Like the original, I thought the Pill laid the bass impact is strong, but it frequently sounds muddy and uncontrolled. Highs are energetic, but too much so at times. To that end, high frequencies from cymbals and violins can be a bit piercing, especially at high volumes.

Speaking of high volumes, the Beats Pill gets really loud. It had no problem filling my garage with sound and can be heard above the noise while I wrenched on my car.

That said, while it can get quite loud, sound quality suffers at high volumes. The distortion is crunchy and fatiguing so I don’t recommend maxing out the volume if you can help it. (Those looking for a louder-than-comfortable Bluetooth speaker should check out the Sound Blaster Roar 2.)

Likewise, battery life for the Beats Pill is good, but definitely not what I’d consider class-leading. You’ll be able to squeeze out 12 hours of music playback and can even use the Pill to charge your phone in a pinch.

There’s a handy battery level gauge next to the power button so you’re not left guessing how much power you have left, and once your speaker goes down for the count, the Pill charges from dead to full in about 3 hours using the included charger and Lightning cable.

If you feel compelled to rock out to two Bluetooth speakers, Beats does let you pair up two Pills speakers for stereo playback or to amplify sound, however you’ll need to download the Beats Pill app for Android or iOS in order to take advantage of the feature. Besides dual playback, the app also lets you and a friend DJ together by controlling a playlist and playback from two separate devices.

So who is the Beats Pill good for? Anyone looking to put style over substance. With myriad other better-performing bluetooth speakers out there, the big draws here are a solid build quality and bass-heavy approach to playback.

We liked

First off, it can’t be overstated how much better the Beats Pill is over the original speaker. Not only is its build quality excellent, but sound quality is good, too … as long as you don’t mind Beat’s signature bass emphasis. The speaker doubles as a battery pack and speakerphone as well, which are nice additional features.

We disliked

That said, it’s hard to justify spending 230 (£190, AU360) on the Beats Pill when there are at a least a half-dozen better speakers available for much less money. It’s not waterproof or include NFC. It can’t pair with multiple devices and its battery life is merely average. However, the biggest knock against the Beats Pill is its sound, which might be good for playing back rap, electronic and pop music, but falls flat with every other genre.

Final verdict

Compared to the competition, the Beats Pill is just too expensive and middle-of-a-crowded-road to recommend.

I found the JBL Charge 3 beat the Beats Pill in every performance category – the Charge 3 lasts 8 hours longer, is waterproof and offers rich, balanced sound for 80 (about £60, AU106) less. The UE Boom 2 is also slightly less expensive than the Pill and features waterproofing, a 15 hour battery life and pairs with up to 8 devices.

The speaker is average at best but comes with a premium sticker price. For much less money, you can get better sound and more features from speakers like the JBL Charge 3 and UE Boom 2. If you’re upgrading from the original Beats Pill and are committed to sticking to the brand, however, the Pill will be a major upgrade to your audio arsenal.

Beats Pill Review

The Beats Pill is a small wireless speaker. However, it’s totally different to the Pill and Pill 2.0 that came before.

Slightly larger and using bigger bass drivers, the Pill is the first small Beats speaker that really sounds bigger than it is. It’s a very significant, long overdue upgrade.

It’s nice not to have to tell people to run for the hills as soon as they see a Pill. But the Beats Pill isn’t quite as good as the best at this size in several areas. And that’s an issue when, at 229 (likely to equate to around £179 in the UK) in the US, it’s one of the most expensive choices in its class.

Beats Pill – Design and Features

The Beats Pill looks very similar to the Ministry of Sound Audio S Plus I reviewed recently. I’ll put my hands up to this one: I didn’t twig that the Ministry set is largely a copy of this one, because, while there has been some rumbling about the Pill in the US, it’s a newborn in the UK.

Its look and feel are both great. The design is minimal and Smart, while still looking a bit more youthful than the Bose SoundLink Mini II, whose looks you – well – grow to appreciate.

This is a hefty-feeling speaker. It’s 750g and its rubberised outer parts make the Beats Pill feel like it’s made out of something a bit more substantial than basic plastic.

Being a Beats product, the Pill was never going to be cheap. And ultimately it’s simply a ‘nice’ looking and feeling thing rather than one that takes the category forward.

The one feature it does offer over most others is very convenient water resistance. A neat little rubbery flap on the back plugs-up the Lightning charge port, 3.5mm aux input and the full-size USB. It’s splash-proof, so while the Pill isn’t outright rugged, you don’t need to actively look after it either. There are no seams in the rubbery buttons on the top to let the side down either.

There are also a couple of things to note about the Pill ’s rear connections. This is the first Beats speaker to use an iPhone-style Lightning charging socket. It comes with a charge cable but the post-Apple-acquisition message is clear: Beats now officially loves iPhone owners more than Android fans. Deal with it.

The full-size USB on the back is far more platform-agnostic. It lets you charge your phone using the Pill ’s own battery, but don’t expect super-fast charging. It’ll only output 1A where some of the top phones have 2A or even 3A chargers. Still, it’s all I’ve ever seen in a speaker charger like this.

You’ll get up to 12 hours of music off a charge, although as with any portable speaker that figure will drop significantly if you listen at high volumes.

In case you’re new to portable speakers like this, the Beats Pill uses Bluetooth to connect with your phone or tablet. It’s very simple to connect, but means it has nothing to do with AirPlay streaming or Wi-Fi. Being an Apple product, the Pill also lacks aptX support. iPhones are yet to adopt it. There’s no NFC either. Funnily enough, both of these featured in earlier Beats speakers. Welcome to the Apple effect.

AptX is a higher-resolution wireless audio format than the SBC Bluetooth normally uses, although I’m not going to mark the Pill down much for not using it. Ultimately at this level of speaker using good drivers and sensible tuning is far more important.

Wireless features are a little stripped-back, but there is one neat extra. Using the Pill app you can pair up two of these speakers, and either have them both playing the same feed or make them act as a stereo pair. I’ve only been using the one speaker so I haven’t tried this, and I imagine most buyers will only snag a single one anyway.

However, it’s a nifty feature if you live in a multi-Pill household or have a friend with one of these. The ‘DJ the Playlist’ feature also lets two people control the playlist from two Bluetooth devices.

Beats Pill – Sound Quality

How good does the Beats Pill sound? For those familiar with the range, the best answer is: much better than its predecessors.

Where the Pill and Pill 2.0 use a whole array of tiny drivers, the Pill finally adds a pair of larger bass drivers in the middle to avoid it becoming the tinny mess the earlier Pills are. It works, for the most part. On first listen I simply assumed the speaker had a passive radiator, which is what 90% of speakers this size use to create bass despite their tiny stature.

The Pill victory also disperses its sound quite widely. This is because it mounts its ‘tweeter’ drivers on the further reaches of each side of the speaker’s front, at a slight angle according to Beats’s diagrams. There no word of the clever psychoacoustic nonsense Bose uses to get the same effect in the SoundLink Mini II, but it works fairly well. The sound isn’t too directional and can have a stab at filling smaller rooms.

Tone-wise, Beats seems to have aimed to make the Pill as loud and ferocious as possible. This isn’t about bass: the Pill actually sounds less bassy than the SoundLink Mini. It is pretty loud, though, and has a much more aggressive mid-range that really spits vocals out at you more than any other speaker in this size class.

However, there are problems. There’s a relatively narrow volume ‘sweet spot’ where the Pill sounds its best. Turn the volume down low and, as is so common in small non-radiator-equipped speaker, the bass loses much of its weight. Keep it quiet and the Pill ends up sounding smaller than many cheaper alternatives.

The real weakness of the Pill. though, is what happens when you turn the volume up to 70% or above. Its mids become quite harsh and abrasive, making the output grating and not all that nice to listen to. It may be loud, but the Pill just cannot handle its own output without sounding bad.

At all volumes the Pill also struggles to deliver lower-frequency deep bass at the scale/size of a speaker with a radiator. That’s the beauty of using a passive radiator, it means the bass isn’t as limited by the back-forth motion of the main drivers. Even if that is still ultimately what powers it.

The Beats Pill gets you a good impression of detail and, like the Beats Solo 2.0, there’s a certain aggressive attack to the sound that can seem energetic when the volume is at the right level. However, that doesn’t leave the speaker with as natural a sound as the Bose SoundLink Mini II, and ultimately sound isn’t as tonally well-separated as most of the best contenders in this class.

Should I buy the Beats Pill?

The Beats Pill is one of the loudest speakers of it size. If pure volume is the goal, go crazy. However, it doesn’t sound anywhere near as good as the best in this field at the extreme ends of its volume scale. Its harsh and strained at top volume and lacks bass punch at low volumes, as it doesn’t have a passive radiator. At mid-level volumes it sounds decent, but not jaw-dropping. Its Smart splash-proof design is more impressive than the sound itself.

Sound quality is fine, but it’s far less well-controlled than the best at this size, and its omission of a passive radiator when it can solve so many small-speaker problems is baffling. How much harder its drivers have to work as a result means that the Pill is shown up pretty seriously by the £59 Jam Heavy Metal at high volumes. And that’s embarrassing for a £150-plus speaker.

Verdict

It’s much better than the first two small-scale Pill speakers, but it’s not quite good enough to get close to matching the best on sound.