For some reason, leaks regarding the return of the Beats Pill bluetooth speaker have been coming in two week intervals. The latest hint that the speaker is returning comes courtesy of a report from 9to5Mac, which finally provides us with some potential specs.
Previously, the unannounced Beats Pill speaker was spotted being carried by LA Lakers star Lebron James and F1 racer Daniel Ricciardo before a playoff game and a race.
Later images of the Bluetooth speaker were spotted in the iOS 17.5 beta update. That leak showed the Beats Pill in red, black and gold, which the report confirms. There was also an FCC listing on the regulatory body’s website.
According to unnamed sources, the 2024 Beats Pill will be a big upgrade over the last Beats Pill+ which was quietly discontinued in early 2022.
The new model is supposed to have bigger bass, louder sound and a reengineered racetrack woofer.
To start the 2024 version is doubling the battery life from 12 hours up to 24. It appears that the speaker will be slightly bigger than the discontinued model at 8.6”x2.8”x2.8” versus 8”x2.5”x2.5”-inches. That size difference is coming with a lighter weight; 1.5 lbs compared to the previous 1.65 lbs.
The older model had USB-A outputs and an Apple lightning input port. Those are both gone, being replaced by USB-C charging in and out. Compatible with both iOS and Android, the new Pill speaker will make the leap from Bluetooth 4.0 to Bluetooth 5.3.
One small feature, especially for a portable speaker, that was not in the previous model is an included lanyard that is removable. We saw it in use when LeBron James had the speaker before a playoff game.
Neither Beats or Apple has made any announcements about a potential new Bluetooth speaker or a price.
The previous model launched at $230, and most reviewers found that it was an upgrade over previous Beats speakers but couldn’t justify the price.
In comparison, Bose’s SoundLink Flex which is of a similar size sells for $149. The sized-up SoundLink Max recently launched for $399. It is a much bigger speaker though.
At present, Beats only sells headphones and earbuds, like the recently announced Solo4 wireless headphones. If Apple hasn't announced anything by then, we'll expect another Beats Pill rumor to pop in another two weeks.
