Posted by
As we reported a few days ago, Apple was dropping big hints that its new Beats Pill speaker will launch next week, most likely on the 25th – and that’s now been confirmed by Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, who says that Beats’ long lost Pill speaker will be available in Apple Stores in three color options.
Posting on X, Gurman also confirmed that the Beats Solo Buds will hit stores tomorrow, June 21st, as previously announced.
The most interesting bit of Gurman’s news is that the price of the Beats Pill is lower than expected. The 2024 Beats Pill speaker will allegedly set you back just $149. That’s surprising, given that the Beats Pill+ cost $179.95 when it launched way back in 2015…
There will, according to Gurman, be three colors of Beats Pill to choose from. If you don’t fancy the new gold color you’ll be able to have a Matrix-style moment as you decide between the red Pill and the blue one. However unlike in the movie, neither color choice is likely to fundamentally alter your perception of reality.
Beats Pill and Beats Solo Buds: what to expect
The Beats Solo Buds, which go on sale tomorrow, are the lightest and most affordable Beats earbuds. We’ve already tried the Beats Solo Buds and we’re impressed: they sound like you’d expect a pair of Beats buds to sound, they’re equally good on iOS and on Android, and the price is right.
As for the Beats Pill speaker, it appears to be a relatively light-touch upgrade to the now-discontinued model, but it promises to be louder than before and with better bass. The charging port is purportedly now USB-C in line with other recent Apple products. It’s expected to weigh 1.5lbs and connectivity to support Bluetooth 5.3 for smoother, more reliable streaming.
One of the biggest claimed changes here isn’t visible but is still significant: the tweeters have reportedly been repositioned and now fire slightly upwards at an angle of 20 degrees in order to prevent the sound waves from being blocked by objects near the speaker.
Assuming Gurman’s information is correct, and there’s no reason to assume it isn’t, that price is a very pleasant surprise: the previous Beats Pill had a recommended selling price of $230 when it was unceremoniously taken from shelves in 2022, so this Pill, like the Beats Solo Buds, is much more affordable than expected.
If it sounds as good as it promises to, it could be up there with the best Bluetooth speakers we’ve tested. Watch this space…