By way of the FCC, we learn that Dr. Dre intends to up the ante with the Beats Pill XL. Like Jambox, they’ve supersized their initial portable Bluetooth speaker design for bigger sound (at a bigger price). Whereas Jambox styling was once fresh and fun, I find it a bit garish these days… and, by contrast, dig the original Pill’s rounder aesthetics. Although from the limited imagery, it’s hard to tell how the Pill XL scales.
Then again, for larger speakers, we’re firmly ensconced in Sonos‘ warm whole-home audio streaming embrace (in addition to a Vizio soundbar that serves double duty as a Bluetooth speaker) and have no need for an oversized speakerphone. Having said that, if you’re game, we expect the bass-heavy Beats Pill XL to be unveiled at CES in January between $300 – $400.
By the by, my (former) Jambox quickly stopped holding a charge for any length of time… Not sure if I’m the exception or the rule, but that totally defeats the purpose of a portable Bluetooth speaker (and the guy who bought it from me was not pleased – but we’re both too lazy to call it in). Wirecutter recommends the sub-$100 Logitech Mini Boom for a portable solution.
I’ve unfortunately found that all of these branded portable speakers are generally overpriced. The best wireless speaker, in my opinion, is the The TDK A33. The first advantage it has is that it’s weatherproof, which is great because a lot of people want to take their wireless speakers outside to the beach, or whatever. It also has a higher nominal operating power than any of the Beats speakers while still being less expensive. The Jawbone is popular and highly rated, but the manufacturer doesn’t specify the power of the built in speakers. I’m always dubious of speaker companies who aren’t up front with the important specs of their products. Most reputable speaker brands are transparent with that information.