Review – Beats Pill Portable Bluetooth Speaker with Built-In Mic
The Beats Pill Portable Bluetooth Speaker – it is lighter than the Bose Mini Soundlink and even smaller, but it is built very well and returns a real sense of quality.
The shape is that of a pill, hence the name, with rounded edges and 4 small speakers are covered by a dense grid in round holes. At the heart of the Beats logo is embossed on a button, which glows red when it is turned on and has the function of play / pause.
At the base is a flat surface, made with a comfortable non-slip material that gives it a good grip for the support. About this, there is a silkscreen logo beats pill. The product is available in different colors, we have chosen to review the gray / aluminum.
Unlike the Bose here we also have a carrying case included in the package, practical and useful to take it with us. Included is a cable connection to receive the sound from an audio source into the standard 3.5 mm and a charging cable to the battery.
I had to use the USB charger for iPad complete recharging, which took approximately two hours. Worth noting that the cable into the connector includes an LED that glows red while charging and turns green when it has reached 100%.
On the back, in the middle we find the power button, the two connectors in / out 3.5 mm on the left and on the right, a notification LED for bluetooth and micro USB port for charging. A little higher up is the icon of the NFC tag, which is particularly useful for the paring with smartphones that are equipped with it. For example, I tried with the Nexus 5 and has allowed me to connect with the Beats Pill simply bringing it closer to NFC tags, without having to do anything on the phone: very comfortable.
Regarding the volume control is always double, a portion controlled directly from the smartphone and a part which acts on the amplification of the integrated Beats Pill: to send him to all arrangements must both be set to the maximum. The two-volume buttons + / – are at the top and are quite easy to reach and press.
Let us now discuss the sound, the most important aspect in this kind of products. The volume is quite strong, although going at high speeds is felt especially in low distortion. Goes best with cable connection, which makes getting both more volume than a cleaner.
Even via bluetooth defends well, but there is a serious shortage on the low in comparison to the Bose Soundlink Mini.
The definition is acceptable, both high on average, and also presence and sense of space are good considering the size. Listening is particularly nice until you get over 70% of the total volume and thus configured can also easily fill a room of 30 square meters. In the front area is also a microphone, which allows us to pass from listening to music hands-free phone calls without any problems, and this is a feature not present in the Bose.
Beats Pill Portable Bluetooth Speaker – Conclusions.
As the premise of the beats are the excellent pill is not a product that has convinced me 100%. Probably the cause of my disappointment is mainly that of owning Bose Soundlink Mini and can therefore make comparisons.
The weak point of this case is in the bass, not just not up to the Bose but is generally poor and affects the quality of listening introducing distortion. From the functional point of view, it is instead proved to be a great product, with a good battery life and a good wealth of functionality.
Interesting is the presence of a carrying case and very good idea to have an audio output that can transform the pill in a bluetooth receiver to connect to a home stereo.
In addition there is also the possibility to use it as a speakerphone for phone calls, but unnecessary functionality that adds a little something extra. Overall it is a good product and does his duty, but his limitations in the audio playback do get a vote of slightly more than enough.
Our Opinion
PROS : Good build quality. Very compact dimensions. Easy connection, especially via NFC. Buttons are easy to use and operate. Autonomy average. Presence of a carrying case. Possibility of connection to a source cable. Ability to connect the audio output to a stereo system. Presence of a microphone for hands-free calling.
CONS : Netherlands under-represented and distorted. Power is not Italian (at least in our package). Bluetooth range is not exceptional.
- Overall
