Beats by Dr. Dre Pill+ / Pill Plus

100% of the reviews on Amazon.co.uk give this product a positive rating.

usability, size, price, design, reliability

95% of the reviews on Amazon.com give this product a positive rating.

Smart splashproof design ; Goes pretty loud ; Best-sounding small Pill yet

Harsh and coarse at higher volumes ; Bass power drops a bit at low volumes ; Fairly expensive ; No apt-X or NFC

It’s much better than the first two small-scale Pill speakers, but it’s not quite good enough to get close to matching the best on sound.

Great build quality ; Gets loud ; Charges your phone

Uncontrolled bass ; Piercing highs ; Distortion at high volumes

The Beats Pill+ far improves upon the original, but this iteration's mediocre sound and steep price mean that there are still some improvements that need to be made.

Big, clear sound ; Can pair speakers ; Good integration for Apple users ; USB phone charging ; Good weight

Price ; Struggles at high volume ; Rivals are more expressive and dynamic

With sound still not up to scratch, the latest Pill leaves us prescribing better and more affordable rivals

Best looking Pill design to date, reasonable battery life, loud output, pair two for stereo/amplified output

Sound limitations, limited bass, no NFC, some Bluetooth connectivity issues, pops/clicks/drop-outs, competition offer more for less money

The Beats Pill+ is the best looking pill-shaped portable from the now-Apple-owned company. But that's not enough to make it stand head and shoulders above its competition, particularly given the overall sound quality and a scatty Bluetooth connection....

Multiroom aspirations ; Decent battery life ; Clean, compact design

Not waterproof ; Lacks expression ; App not UK-ready yet ; Pricey for the performance

The best Pill yet gets the Apple treatment, but leaves us prescribing more talented rivals

Nice, sturdy design ; Best Beats sound yet ; Can pump out loud tunes

Expensive ; Weak bass at low volumes ; Can't tweak sound levels

Easily the best Beats-branded Bluetooth speaker yet - both in terms of design and sound quality - the Pill+ shows that Apple is taking the audio space seriously since its acquisition of Beats. The Pill+ is still a little ways behind some of the...

As the quality of portable Bluetooth speakers has improved, the way we use them has evolved too. While they may be advertised for use by twentysomethings courting around a campfire, the reality is that a speaker that outputs good audio will be used in...

Rich, distortion-free audio with well-defined highs. USB port for charging mobile devices. Functions as a speakerphone.

Drivers not angled for best sound quality. Lacks truly deep bass response. High price.

Conclusions If there's a real gripe here, it's that the Pill+ sounds markedly different depending on its angle to your ears—an issue that could have been fixed by angling the drivers upward or building in a kickstand that allows you to tilt the speaker...