Review - Beats by Dr. Dre Pill Speaker
When the Beats by Dr. Dre lineup started hitting stores back in 2008 they proved to be something of a phenomenon. Never before had headphones been seen by so many as the de facto fashion accessory or status symbol, but a combination of increased digital music consumption, the proliferation of lightweight media players (namely smartphones) and some flawless marketing by the Beats team ensured that the headphone range captured the public’s imagination like none before it.
Things have moved on even more since then, and now it’s all about Bluetooth compatibility. With almost every laptop, tablet, smartphone, desktop computer and TV boasting some kind of Bluetooth features, capturing that market sector has proven to be a key focus for the majority of audio peripheral manufacturers – and Beats are no different.
The Pill Bluetooth speaker is an aptly named device, looking very reminiscent of your typical medicinal capsule from certain angle, and it’s also one that lends itself quite well to portability. Measuring in at 19.5 x 4.8 cm and weighing just 309g, it’s ideal for sticking in a suitcase when travelling, or even just carrying it around in a backpack when you’re out and about.
There’s a tremendous amount of competition in this sector right now, but the Pill has a couple of things that helps it stand out from much of the competition. Firstly, it’s got full NFC compatibility, so if you’ve got a compatible phone or tablet, you need just touch it to the speaker to pair it up – there’s no fiddling with menus.
More impressive, though, is the fact that, despite its small stature, the Pill manages to feature a line in and a line out – essentially enabling you to make any HiFi or sound system in your house a Bluetooth compatible device. For this alone, it’s well worth picking up – but when you factor in the incredible sound quality and solid build, it’s a must have.
