After bringing back its Pill portable Bluetooth speaker last year, Beats is today adding two new colors to the existing red, black, and gold selection. Navy blue will be exclusively sold by Walmart, while blush pink (pictured) is coming to Target. Both sell for the same $149.99 as before and are available starting today.
Following Apple’s other headphone brand expanding into smartphone cases last September, Beats has launched a collection of reinforced charging cables featuring a woven design to help minimize tangling. They’re available in five-foot or eight-inch lengths in USB-C to USB-C, USB-C to USB-A, and USB-C to Lightning configurations.
Color options include bolt black, surge stone, nitro navy, and rapid red while pricing is $18.99 for a single cable (either length) or $34.99 for a two-pack.
Beats makes iPhone cases now. For some reason.
As cases go, this is a good one. The hard glossy plastic gives an iPhone 5C feel in hand. It can get slippery, though.
The overlay for the Camera Control button works great; it uses the same sapphire cover and “conductive layer” as Apple’s case. And you’ve got unencumbered access to the USB-C port.
I’ll probably keep using it.
To celebrate the 15th anniversary of Minecraft, Beats has announced a special edition of its Solo 4 headphones. They cost the usual $199.99, but you get a custom black and green design with Minecraft-y pixels everywhere. The case has a matching pattern, too.
You can buy the special edition starting July 18th.
8
Verge Score
More than just a lazy remaster, the new Pill includes unexpected features like lossless audio over USB-C. And like recent Beats products, it equally appeals to the iOS and Android crowds.
Apple’s new Beats Pill has already leaked and said to include up to 24 hours of battery life, better bass, water and dust resistance, faster and more reliable device pairing / switching, and integrated Find My tracking on both Apple and Google’s networks.
Here’s our first listen of the Beats Solo Buds.
There are clear tradeoffs — like a charging case with no extra battery juice — but the price and Beats’ cultural cachet are likely enough to guarantee success for the Solo Buds.
Preorders for the Solo Buds, Beats’ most affordable true wireless earbuds yet, start on June 18th. The Solo Buds strip out features like noise cancellation, and their tiny case doesn’t even include extra battery power. But you’re left with a pair of earbuds that should prove very comfortable. As for how they sound, I’ll have a review up sometime next month.
iOS betas have a long history of revealing upcoming Beats products. True to form, today’s iOS 17.5 release candidate build contains images and animations of the Beats Pill portable speaker that’s been seen on the arms of star athletes in recent weeks.
I wouldn’t expect it soon soon, but it’s clearly on the way.
[MacRumors]
Beats’ very orchestrated teases of a new Beats Pill portable speaker are continuing this week. F1 driver Daniel Ricciardo was seen carrying it in the exact same way that LeBron James did last month.
‘Tis the season for new speakers, after all.
7
Verge Score
Beats’ on-ear headphones get an overdue refresh with a more comfortable design, longer battery life, and wired audio over both USB-C and the 3.5mm jack — but no ANC.
They look nearly identical, which isn’t fun considering we’ve been waiting nearly eight years for them. Similar to last year’s Beats Studio Pro refresh, Apple is reportedly sneaking in spatial audio, lossless USB-C audio, and other tweaks, according to MacRumors.
7
Verge Score
They look like a lazy refresh from the outside, but the noise-canceling Studio Pros include a ton of new features like transparency mode and lossless USB-C audio. And they solidify Beats’ unique appeal as a dual-ecosystem brand.
