In what's starting to look like the longest soft launch in Beats speakers' history, yet more evidence of the new Beats Pill Bluetooth speaker has emerged. The speaker has previously been spotted dangling from the wrists of various US celebs and athletes in their Instagram stories, was referenced in code for iOS 17.5, and was spotted in regulatory filings for the US FCC. And now it's broken cover in Europe too, with a listing on Apple's European regulatory compliance website.
The listing isn't giving much away about the specifications: it lists model number A3211, a Bluetooth speaker running Beats OS and with a supplied charging cable. But it's yet more evidence that a new Beats speaker is imminent for the first time since 2015.
The 2024 Beats Pill speaker: what we know so far
The previous model of Beats Pill, the Beats Pill+, was discontinued two years ago. By that point it was getting pretty long in the tooth: it was a minor refresh of a model that first launched in 2012, with its 2015 update redesigning it slightly and sticking a Lightning port in there. This time around the port is almost certainly going to be USB-C to meet EU regulations and to match Apple's other devices.
We don't know much about the specifications but a more up-to-date Bluetooth chip is certain, and that should deliver better quality streaming as well as better stability and pairing. The "accidental" leaks of the speaker by various famous folks show that it has a lanyard, something the previous model lacked, and it so far appears to be coming in red, black or gold finishes.
We'd expect the new speaker to launch in June 2024, which is when the new Beats Solo Buds are also expected to launch. That would fit with the timing of the celebrity images, which emerged in April; the EU filing was also submitted in April 2024. These things tend to be done fairly late because, as we're demonstrating here, as soon as they're filed somebody spots them.
We don't know pricing as yet but given that the previous model was $229 at launch and $179 just before it was discontinued, a price in the low $200/£200 range is likely.
