A bunch of bells and whistles without the Apple price tag

Beats finally realized it once made speakers, too. The Apple-owned audio brand released its last speaker, the Pill+, almost a decade ago, and recently launched its successor, the Pill, in June.

The Pill sells for $150, and throughout my testing I couldn’t help but compare it to the recently released $130 Sony Ult Field 1 . It has the same pill-shaped design, mono output system, and mid-range price for non-audiophiles who want decent, room-filling sound for picnics, hikes, or solo outings.

Beats Pill Review: Design

Wouldn’t be my first choice for hiking.

From a design perspective, Beats tried to maximize the Pill’s portability. It features plenty of shock-resistant rubber and silicone, as well as a long lanyard that can be attached to your backpack for hiking. The Pill is also rated IP67, which is the highest dust-proof rating you can get, and almost the highest waterproof rating (IP68 is the highest). It ticks all the boxes and is good enough even for the average consumer who wants to carry a large audio device in a small package to places like the beach or park.

But if you like taking your speakers with you everywhere (me), you might be more willing to take the Ult Field 1 with you on your adventures. Its protection level is also IP67, but its appearance is stronger and the overall body is stronger. I like that its Type-C charging port is covered with a rubber cover to prevent water from getting inside. In contrast, the exposed USB-C port on the Beats Pill would worry me a bit if I were at the beach or around a pool.

Both speakers come with a lanyard, but the Sony does it better. The lanyard on the Ult Field 1 is thicker, looks more durable and sturdier, and offers an extra loop along the body of the speaker that doubles as a handle when you’re carrying it around. The Ult Field 1 is also significantly lighter at 650 grams compared to the Pill’s 680 grams.

Beats Pill review: Battery life

Twice as loudspeakers of the same size.

Though design may be the only area where the Pill surpasses Ult Field 1. I’ve been using the Pill sporadically for a few weeks, and I still haven’t had to charge it. It also has some features that the other speakers in the series (Ult Field 1 and Sonos Roam 2) don’t have. You get lossless audio via a USB-C connection, so you can enjoy high-resolution audio when the speakers are connected to a laptop or other compatible device. I felt the audio improved slightly, but not enough to keep me tethered to a wire when I could connect wirelessly.

I’m also glad that Beats is finally targeting Android users and bringing the same native functionality to them as on iOS. Pill offers the same one-click connection as both systems, as well as Find My (for iOS) and Find My Device (for Android) options. In compliance with EU requirements, Beats also switched from the Lightning port on the Pill’s predecessor to a USB-C port, which further simplifies compatibility with non-Apple devices.

Beats Pill Review: Sound

More suitable for high frequencies than bass.

Beats promises a new and improved track woofer that increases air volume by 90% for more powerful bass. After listening to the Fred Again on both speakers, I would still recommend the Ult Field 1 if you like that overwhelming bass that sometimes takes over other elements of the orchestra. Even with the bass boost button turned off, the Pill delivers rich, punchy bass. Some bass-heavy tracks may appear a bit thick or overbearing, but in that case you can simply choose to turn it down.

Pill performs better in midrange (or vocals) and treble. The vocal track layered onto “Marea” sounds clearer on Pill. The orchestra doesn’t sound crowded, and there’s enough room for each element to shine in its own right. Beats claims its upgraded tweeters deliver crisp highs and rich mids, and after jamming on a few treble-heavy songs, I can confirm that claim.

Another quirky feature of the Pill is the amplification and stereo modes, which are generously priced to offer at a modest price. You can upgrade the sound by pairing two Pills in Amplify mode, which does exactly what the mode name implies: delivers louder sound. Or you can put them in stereo mode, where the speakers act as left and right outputs. I tried the patterns on the pair of Pills Beats that were sent to us and they were very easy to set up. You hold the two speakers close to each other, then press and hold the multifunction button on the speaker to enable or cycle between them. I can imagine the amplified mode coming in handy during a house party where you could place two speakers in two different rooms.

Beats Pill Review: Verdict

I believe the Pill is an affordable speaker that offers far more than you might expect. It also doesn’t appear to have a premium made by Apple, often referred to as the Apple tax, which is surprising. Priced at just $150, it has an impressive mix of high-end and mid-range features, a slew of portability-focused features, and a few bells and whistles like amplified and stereo modes or lossless audio via USB-C. There are more powerful low-end alternatives for the same price, so I wouldn’t just recommend the subwoofer Pill. 24-hour battery life is more than double that of similar speakers in the range (10-15 hours), and new Android compatibility features expand the target audience who want a small speaker that produces big audio to take with them.