A few new products from Beats by Dre have been made available to customers today, beginning with the launch of the new Beats Pill+ Speaker for $229.95. The Bluetooth speaker was announced earlier in the month with an expected launch date in November, but has made its way to online availability a few days early. The Pill+ Speaker introduces a new design into the line-up of Beats portable speakers and includes an extended 12-hour battery life along with a new iOS companion app.

beats speaker and headphones
Also introduced today by Beats are new "Luxe Edition" colors for the Solo2 On-Ear Headphones, including Blue, Silver, Black, and Red. The $199.95 headphones offer the same features as the other editions of the Solo2, but with "a refined glossy finish and polished accents." The Solo2 Headphones in the new "Luxe Edition" colors and the Beats Pill+ Speaker -- available in white and black -- can both be purchased right now from Apple's online store.

Top Rated Comments

Tucom Avatar
123 months ago
How about making them sound good instead of releasing new colors all the time?
They do sound good. Have you heard the latest stuff from Beats? Especially the new Solo 2? Comments like these are getting old and are just regurgitated nonsense that people think they're clever in saying. Times have changed, Beats actually makes solid audio gear now.

Tyll from InnerFidelity has a very favorable review on the new Solo 2s, for anyone curious for more info about how good they really are.
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
macduke Avatar
123 months ago
How about making them sound good instead of releasing new colors all the time?
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Keane16 Avatar
123 months ago
How about making them sound good instead of releasing new colors all the time?
The new ones sounds quite nice, and way better than the older Beats that are way too bass heavy for me.

Lot's of reviews of the Solo 2, including data on the sound. One of the prominent ones by InnerFidelity:

With almost a quarter million views, a lot of people have experienced my opinion regarding the original Beats Solo in this video ('//www.youtube.com/watch?v=ipZY0qGrA9Y&list=UUs5A6Gg74iPHyTFJh69w-RA'). I've been quoted in the New York Times ('http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/20/business/beats-headphones-expand-dr-dres-business-world.html?pagewanted=all&_r=1&'), Huffington Post ('http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/05/09/beats-headphones-reviews_n_5294628.html'), and numerous places elsewhere ('http://www.ketknbc.com/news/what-beats-by-apple-would-mean-for-music-and-you') expressing my distaste for their products. I now find myself with the unenviable task of reversing my opinion, at least in part, with the introduction of their new Beats by Dre Solo2—a very fine headphone indeed.
Video:


Review article: http://www.innerfidelity.com/content/time-rethink-beats-solo2-excellent#BrWrjvHUko7qIlJ3.97

And measurements of sound output: http://www.innerfidelity.com/content/time-rethink-beats-solo2-excellent-measurements-page-2#qJ6zoD1hf6hfQTzK.97

I'd like to know what you don't like about them? Anything specific? Did you try them?
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
OS X Dude Avatar
123 months ago
My sister just got a pair of the Solo2 Wireless for her birthday, and I was genuinely impressed by the sound. They are much improved from Beats of old.

That said, they should sound a little better for the money they cost. They can't hold a candle to my Sennheiser Momentum over-ears in the clarity stakes, but they're still a very good pair of headphones if you listen to rap/electro. I felt they make guitars and drums sound muddy across too many tracks for me to buy a set if my Senn's died.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Fuchal Avatar
123 months ago
I have Beats Solo 2 Wireless, Master Dynamic MH40, Audio Technica M50, and Grado SR-125e sitting around and I actually reach for the Solo 2s more than any of the others. The combination of on par sound, wireless, small, and lightweight definitely make them more convenient than the super heavy MH40s, unwieldy M50s, or sound-blasting Grados. The battery life is insane too, sometimes I use them at work all week before charging and I've never run down the battery completely. It's also slick how the battery life shows up in notification center with my phone and watch.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
macduke Avatar
123 months ago
I know the article you're referring to and that only applies to the old pre-Apple Solos as far as I know. The new 2s are pretty great in both build quality at choice of materials used. I've felt them in hand at my local Apple Store and it certainly felt like a quality product, especially in terms of the plastic used. Not even accounting for the really nice, polished metal bits.

These new 2s are pretty excellent and completely destroys everything bad about the previous Monster influenced generation of Beats. I remember memes on headfi.org making jokes about "why can't we just give beats good sound quality" etc. and it finally happened. Good stuff.
Maybe I'll have to check them out again. But I still don't like the idea of being a giant walking billboard for a company. The white earbuds were more subtle back in the day. My phone has a little Apple logo that is usually covered up by a case or in my pocket. I typically don't buy logo'd clothing unless it's sports.

If I mostly listened to pop(ular)/radio type or other bass friendly music I'd definitely consider them.

But my taste is wide ranging so I too prefer the more nuanced brands.
Yeah I listen to a really wide range as well—and have expanded quite a bit over the last few years with all of the music discovery stuff built into streaming services. I'm starting to develop an ear for comparing audio equipment with different types of music, but I've got much to learn as I'm a person who is usually tuned to critiquing visual imagery, calibrating displays, editing photos, etc.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro Render Front Page Tech

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 10 New Features

Sunday March 23, 2025 10:00 am PDT by
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. iPhone 17 Pro's alleged design via Front Page Tech Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of March 2025: Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone...
iCloud General Feature Redux

iPhone Users Who Pay for iCloud Storage Receive a New Perk

Thursday March 20, 2025 12:01 am PDT by
If you pay for iCloud storage on your iPhone, Apple has a new perk for you, at no additional cost. The new perk is the ability to create invitations in the Apple Invites app for the iPhone, which launched in the App Store last month. In the Apple Invites app, iCloud+ subscribers can create invitations for any occasion, such as birthday parties, graduations, baby showers, and more. Anyone ...
Generic iOS 19 Feature Mock

iOS 19 Coming in June With These New Features

Thursday March 20, 2025 2:04 pm PDT by
While the first iOS 19 beta is still more than two months away, there are already plenty of rumors about the upcoming software update. Below, we recap the key iOS 19 rumors so far. visionOS-Like Design In January, the YouTube channel Front Page Tech revealed a redesigned Camera app that is allegedly planned for iOS 19. According to Front Page Tech host Jon Prosser, the Camera app...
iOS 18

Top 5 New Features Coming in iOS 18.4

Friday March 21, 2025 3:26 pm PDT by
We're not getting new Siri Apple Intelligence features in iOS 18.4 as expected, but the upcoming update does have quite a few new additions that will be worth upgrading for. We've rounded up the five best features to look forward to, and if you're not running the beta, you can expect to get access to these in early April. Priority Notifications If you have an iPhone or iPad that supports...
airpods pro 2 gradient

AirPods Pro 3 Launch Now Just Months Away: Here's What We Know

Tuesday March 18, 2025 9:13 am PDT by
Despite being released over two years ago, Apple's AirPods Pro 2 continue to dominate the wireless earbud market. However, with the AirPods Pro 3 expected to launch in 2025, anyone thinking of buying Apple's premium earbuds may be wondering if the next generation is worth holding out for. Apart from their audio and noise-canceling performance, which are generally regarded as excellent for...
Generic iOS 18

Apple Seeds iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4 Release Candidate With Priority Notifications, Ambient Music and More

Monday March 24, 2025 10:07 am PDT by
Apple today seeded the release candidate versions of upcoming iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4 updates to developers for testing purposes, with the software coming a week after Apple released the fourth betas. iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4 can be downloaded from the Settings app on a compatible device by going to General > Software Update. With iOS 18.4, Apple is adding the Priority Notifications...
Foldable iPhone 2023 Feature Iridescent Search

Foldable iPhone Expected to Launch Next Year, Costing Around $2,000

Monday March 24, 2025 3:43 am PDT by
Apple will launch its long-rumored foldable iPhone next year with a ~$2,000 premium price tag attached, expects well-connected Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman. Gurman's comments on Apple's launch plans for its first foldable device appeared in the Q&A section of his latest Power On newsletter. Earlier this month, the reporter said Apple's foldable iPhone could be arriving "as early as 2026,"...
Windows Vista

Apple Might Be Having Its Windows Vista Moment, Says Analyst

Thursday March 20, 2025 6:52 am PDT by
Is Apple experiencing a "Vista-like drift into systemically poor execution?" That was a question posed by well-known technology analyst Benedict Evans, in a recent blog post covering Apple's innovation and execution, or seemingly lack thereof as of late. He is referring to Microsoft's Windows Vista operating system, which was widely criticized when it launched in 2007 due to software bugs,...