The Beats Pill (2015-2022) is about to be resurrected this summer, if celebrity sightings and reports from 9to5 Mac and The Verge are anything to go by.
The petite, portable and stylish Beats Pill+ Bluetooth speaker was the first product released when Apple acquired Beats back in 2014, improving upon the older Beats by Dr Dre Pill model with a refined design, new features and clearer sound. However, lacklustre dynamics and being bettered for detail, rhythmic cohesion and insight by stronger rivals at the time left us wanting, especially for the rather hefty £190/$230 price tag, and it was quietly discontinued in early 2022.
But it seems Beats is bringing back the nifty little speaker with a host of updates to address our previous issues. 9to5Mac claims through unnamed sources that there are audio upgrades throughout the new Pill for a "louder sound, bigger bass and better tonality". These updates include a new, more powerful racetrack bass driver, a redesigned tweeter in its own housing and a 20-degree upward tilt "for sending sound up to your ears and away from objects in the way".
We bemoaned the lack of an IP rating in the last model but it looks like the new Pill will come with an IP67 rating to survive summer rains, beach outings and pool parties, and the previous 12-hour battery life will reportedly be doubled to provide all-day 24-hour playback. In comparison, the new Sonos Roam 2 only offers 10 hours on a single charge, while the five-star JBL Flip 6 and Charge 5 offer 12 and 20 respectively.
Bluetooth 5.3, a new carry lanyard, swift auto-pairing and 'Find My' features for iOS and Android devices are also on the cards, while a USB-C charging port will be available for charging and wired audio connection for devices (such as the iPhone 15).
The report also suggests that the new Beats speaker will be larger but lighter, can be paired with a second Pill for stereo or more volume output, and will likely be available in three finishes: black, gold and red.
The previous incarnation featured a 3.5mm audio input/headphone jack, something that we wouldn't be surprised to see nixed in the new model, although we would expect the multi-purpose 'b' button to return for controlling playback, answering calls and summoning voice assistants.
We really liked the now decade-old Pill's sleek, portable design and high build quality, and the renders show a similar but more seamless look, as is the current trend. If Beats can improve on the audio side, it can play in the same league as the current class leaders in today's packed Bluetooth speaker market.
There's still no word on pricing or launch date, but considering famous sportspeople such as LeBron James and Daniel Ricciardo have been spotted oh-so-casually slinging the new Pill model, a summer release is a good bet.
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Read our original Beats Pill+ review
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