As someone who loves all things Apple and Pokémon, I never thought these worlds would collide, but here we are! Beats and the Pokémon Company have officially teamed up for a special edition Beats Pill, and man, did they nail this. This new collab features both Pikachu and Mimikyu, bringing a two-tone design, unique accessories, and some awesome attention to detail in a speaker that we know and love. I have been using mine for a few days and wanted to share my thoughts as a fan of both brands in this collaboration.
Be sure to check out our hands-on video to see what this new Beats Pill is really like!
Design and Pokémon touches
With a collab and product like this, the design is the selling point. The first thing that stands out is the packaging. You get this awesome two-tone design that gives us Pikachu’s signature yellow color that pops, and on the other side, you get the more grayscale, monotone look associated with Mimikyu. They even have all the ears of each Pokémon pop up past the packaging, which is a fun touch. But the real magic is when you open this thing up.
Both Pokémon are featured directly on the speaker grill, giving the Pill a completely different personality from the standard versions. On the left, you see the grayscale Mimikyu, and on the right, you see the bright yellow and red-cheeked Pikachu. But they didn’t stop there. Around the Pikachu, there are protruding lightning bolts with chrome accents that literally pop off the speaker, giving it a nice look and texture. Then, my favorite part is that Beats is including a charm on the lanyard portion of the Beats Pill. The charm is a rubber, double-sided circle with one side showing the Beats logo and the other side showing a Poké Ball.
Between the unboxing experience and the product’s uniqueness, this feels more like a collectible than anything else. It just so happens to be a fantastic Bluetooth speaker as well, and I think that was the entire point.
Beats Pill specs
As I mentioned, beneath all the Pokémon-themed goodness, this is the same Beats Pill we already know and that Apple has been selling for a bit. It comes with the same acoustic system, powerful bass in a portable design. You get:
- Custom racetrack woofer and dedicated tweeter for full bass and clear vocals
- Up to 24 hours of playback on a single charge
- 10 minutes of charging provides up to two hours of playback
- IP67 dust and water resistance
- Supports high-resolution lossless playback through a wired connection
- Charge a compatible smartphone through the speaker’s USB-C port
- One-tap pairing and connectivity with Apple and Android devices.
Again, no major hardware differences compared to a Beats Pill. But the Pill already offers a great combination of sound, battery life, convenience, and portability. So this is just another one to add to the collection.
Pricing & avaialbility
The Pokémon x Beats Pill is available starting today, October 15th at 11 AM EST. You can pick one up online or in-store at both Apple and Target for $149. For reference, a normal Beats Pill is the same $149 at Apple and $129 at Target and other retailers. Also, if you just want a Beats Pill and don’t care about the color, the Kim Kardashian version is on sale for $85 on Amazon.
Final thoughts
Overall, I think Beats nailed this collab with the Pokémon Company. It’s fun and different, with fantastic attention to detail. If you are already a Pokémon fan and have been considering a portable speaker, then this seems like an obvious choice. I also think plenty of collectors will buy this and keep it sealed, so I assume it will sell out almost immediately. I do wish they made the pairing sound a Pikachu noise; that would have been the cherry on top! Maybe for the next one.
What do you think? Is this a collab you saw coming? Are you picking one up?
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