Several players involved in the World Cup have been spotted wearing unreleased Beats over-ear headphones over the past couple of weeks, and U.S. men’s national soccer team star Antonee Robinson is the latest to be spotted with them. Robinson was captured in a photo on his Instagram account wearing a two-tone version that appears to feature a white headband and housings but with royal blue ear cups.
Previous versions of the headphones seen in photos of Yamine Lamal have featured only a single color, and it’s unclear which color options are going to be available to the public, whether ear cups will be swappable to customize your own set, or if Robinson’s set is a custom version produced only for him or a limited number of influencers.
The unreleased headphones first appeared in a U.S. Federal Communications Commission database last month, and it’s clear Beats is undertaking a influencer seeding campaign throughout the World Cup to generate anticipation ahead of a public release, but the timing of availability remains unknown. It’s also unclear whether these will be a new version of the existing Beats Studio Pro over-ear headphones or if they will be positioned as a new product.
Ahead of the upcoming World Cup, football superstar Lamine Yamal has arrived at training camp for the Spanish national team sporting what seems to be the unreleased over-ear headphones that appeared in a U.S. Federal Communications Commission database last week. As suspected, the new headphones are a Beats product rather than an Apple product.
In a post on his Instagram account, Yamal shared …
Apple today shared a new Beats Pill ad that pays tribute to the reality TV show Love Island USA, which returned for an eighth season this week.
The ad does not mention Love Island USA, but the “Pill People” are said to have “entered the villa,” which is a clear reference to the show.
”If you’re binging a full summer of island drama, you’ll need battery life that can keep up,” says Apple. …
A few days after teasing upcoming Beats over-ear headphones in pink, football superstar Lamine Yamal today shared a Story on his Instagram account revealing a second color for the unreleased headphones: an ivory or stone color.
The Instagram Story is a still photo showing Yamal greeting a fan, and he is carrying a bag with both the pink and ivory color versions of the headphones hanging…
In his Power On newsletter today, Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman said the Powerbeats Pro 2 are “due imminently.” In addition to Apple filing the Powerbeats Pro 2 in regulatory databases last month, Gurman said Apple is planning to hold product briefings with the media “in a week or so” to go over the new features of the wireless earbuds.
Powerbeats Pro are a sportier, fitness-focused alternative to AirPods Pro with built-in, adjustable ear hooks for a secure fit. Apple’s teaser video last year showed MLB star Shohei Ohtani wearing the Powerbeats Pro 2, revealing a more vertical, slimmer design compared to the original Powerbeats Pro, which are now discontinued.
MLB star Shohei Ohtani wearing the Powerbeats Pro 2
We previously reported that the Powerbeats Pro 2 will offer heart rate monitoring during workouts. Based on our iOS 18 code findings, you will be able to connect the Powerbeats Pro 2 to gym equipment like a treadmill to measure heart rate, and the data will be visible in the Health app and other supported apps on the iPhone.
We also confirmed that Powerbeats Pro 2 will support Active Noise Cancellation, Spatial Audio, and Adaptive Audio. The earbuds and charging case will be available in Jet Black, Quick Sand, Electric Orange, and Hyper Purple, and the case should have a USB-C port.
Based on other recent Beats headphones, other potential upgrades for the Powerbeats Pro 2 include improved sound quality, longer battery life, and improved cross-platform compatibility with Android features like Find My Device.
Apple today adjusted estimated trade-in values for select iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch models in the U.S., according to its website.
Some values increased, while others decreased. The changes were not too significant, with most values rising or dropping by $5 to $50.
We have outlined some examples below:
Device
New Value
Old Value
iPhone 15 Pro Max
Up to $630
U …
While the so-called “iPhone 17 Air” is not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the “ultra-thin” device.
Overall, the “iPhone 17 Air” is shaping up to be a mixed bag. Due to its thinness, the device is expected to have some limited specifications compared to the iPhone 17 Pro models, including only a single rear camera, only a single speaker, no SIM…
Apple provided the third beta of iOS 18.3 to developers today, and while the betas have so far been light on new features, the third beta makes some major changes to Notification Summaries and also tweaks a few other features.
Notification Summary Changes
Apple made multiple changes to Notification Summaries in response to complaints about inaccurate summaries of news headlines.
For…
iOS 19 is still around six months away from being announced, but a new leak has allegedly revealed a completely redesigned Camera app.
Based on footage it obtained, YouTube channel Front Page Tech shared a video showing what the new Camera app will apparently look like, with the key change being translucent menus for camera controls. Overall, the design of these menus looks similar to…
Apple is in talks with Barclays and Synchrony about becoming its new financial partner for the Apple Card, according to Reuters sources.
The report today added that Apple has also been holding discussions with Chase Bank owner JPMorgan since last year, so there are at least three potential companies in the running to take over the Apple Card from current partner Goldman Sachs.
Goldman…
There is a good chance that Apple’s first product announcement of 2025 will be updated 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Air models with the M4 chip.
Last month, Apple released macOS Sequoia 15.2, and in doing so it accidentally confirmed new MacBook Air models are coming this year (unsurprisingly).
Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman said the new MacBook Air models will be announced “earlier” than some…
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 concept based on rumors
Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of January 2025:
More aluminum: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models …
The iPhone 17 lineup will feature a vapor chamber heatsink to improve thermal performance, according to a new report.
The news comes from Chinese tech news site MyDrivers, which claims that the entire iPhone 17 lineup, consisting of the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Air, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max, will adopt the improved thermal heat spreader.
Vapor chamber technology is already used…
2025 promises to be quite a big year for Apple, with the company rumored to be planning more than 20 product announcements this year.
Apple’s rumored smart home hub will be its second all-new product to launch in as many years, following the Apple Vision Pro headset last year. And of course, we will get several new iPhone and Apple Watch models, like every year. Beyond that, Apple could…
Apple today released new firmware for the Beats Studio Buds +, marking the first firmware update to the earbuds since their 2023 launch. The firmware has a build number of 2C318, up from 2A219.
There is no word on what the new firmware includes in terms of features or bug fixes, and Apple does not provide release notes.
The Beats Studio Buds + are Apple’s mid-range Beats earbuds, featuring Active Noise Cancellation, Transparency mode, microphones, battery life, and more. The earbuds come in several colors, including a unique transparent design that shows the internals.
As with most of the latest Beats models, the Studio Buds + do not include an Apple audio chip, and are instead equipped with acustom Beats chip that provides better feature parity between iOS and Android devices. The Beats chip supports one-touch pairing and setup, Find My integration, and Siri support, but automatic switching between devices is not available.
The firmware update for the Beats Studio + are delivered over-the-air. Firmware will be installed while the Beats headphones are charging and are in Bluetooth range of an iPhone, iPad, or Mac that’s connected to Wi-Fi.
On Android devices, users will need to download the Beats app for Android and connect the Android device to a power outlet to initiate a firmware update.
Apple has announced that on Monday, September 9 it will hold its annual fall event, which means we are just days away from the launch of the iPhone 16. Like the iPhone 15 series, this year’s lineup is expected to stick with four models – iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max – although there are plenty of design differences and new features to take into account. …
Apple’s annual fall event takes place on Monday, September 9, when it is expected to unveil the new iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro lineup, and some new Apple Watch models. It may also make some additional new products available, but there are a handful of rumored upcoming devices that we don’t expect to make an appearance this month. To help set expectations ahead of Apple’s “It’s Glowtime”…
Apple will likely announce new Mac models with M4-series chips in November, confidential information obtained by MacRumors claims. According to a reliable source familiar with the matter, Apple will release new Mac models in November 2024. While new Macs are usually released toward the end of the year, this is the first time a launch month has been singled out for the upcoming M4 Macs….
Apple’s iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models simultaneously, which is why we sometimes get rumored feature leaks so far ahead of launch. The iPhone 17 series is no different – already we have some idea of what to expect from Apple’s 2025 smartphone lineup. If you plan to skip…
Are you considering purchasing AirPods, but are wondering whether or not you should wait for new versions to be released? Below, we have rounded up the latest rumors about the next AirPods, AirPods Pro, and AirPods Max models. AirPods 4 Apple is expected to announce both low-end and mid-tier AirPods 4 models during its upcoming special event on September 9. Both the low-end and mid-tier…
Twice the battery life of other pill speakers in this range
Cons
Low-end could have been punchier
Not the most rugged and robust for being taken on the go
Beats finally realized it used to make speakers, too. The Apple-owned audio brand released its last speaker, Pill+, around a decade ago, and recently came out with its successor, Pill, in June.
The Pill is priced at $150 and I couldn’t help but compare it to the recently-released $130 Sony Ult Field 1 throughout my testing. It has the same pill shape design, a mono output system, and a mid-range price that targets non-audiophiles who want decent, room-filling sound for picnics, hiking, or solo listening.
Beats Pill Review: Design
Wouldn’t be my top choice for a hiking trip.
Design-wise, you can tell Beats attempted to maximize portability on the Pill. It features a generous amount of shock-resistant rubber along with silicon, and a long lanyard that can loop onto your backpack for a hiking trip. The Pill is also rated IP67, which is the highest level of dust resistance you can get and almost the highest water resistance (IP68 is the highest). It checks all the boxes and would even be sufficient for the average consumer who wants to carry some big audio with them in a small package to places like the beach or park.
But if you’re someone who likes to always take your speaker everywhere you go (me), you’d probably be more comfortable taking the Ult Field 1 on an adventure. It’s also rated IP67 but sports a considerably more rugged look and an overall sturdier-looking body. I like that its Type-C charging port is covered with a rubberized flap to prevent water from getting inside. The exposed USB-C port on the Beats Pill, in contrast, would slightly concern me if I’m at the beach or around the pool.
Photo: Artem Golub / Gizmodo
Both speakers feature the lanyard, but Sony does it much better. The lanyard on the Ult Field 1 is much thicker, looks more durable and robust, and also offers an additional loop along the body of the speaker that doubles as a handle when you’re taking it on the go. The Ult Field 1 is also noticeably lighter at 650g versus the Pill, which weighs 680g.
Photo: Artem Golub / Gizmodo
Beats Pill Review: Battery Life
Twice of what you’d get on a speaker this size.
Though design might be the only area where the Pill outshines the Ult Field 1. In terms of battery life, the Pill lasts a whopping 24 hours, while the Field 1 gives up after 12 hours. My usage of the Pill has been sporadic over a couple of weeks, and I still haven’t had to charge it yet. It also features a few bells and whistles that other speakers in this range—the Ult Field 1, and Sonos Roam 2— don’t offer. You get lossless audio over a USB-C connection so you can enjoy hi-res audio while the speaker is connected to your laptop or other compatible devices. I felt a slight upgrade in audio, but not enough for me to be tethered to a wire when I can go wireless.
I’m also happy about Beats finally targeting Android users and introducing the same native features for it as it does for iOS. The Pill offers the same one-touch connectivity with both systems as well as a Find My (for iOS) for Find My Device (for Android) option. Following the EU mandate, Beats has also moved from a lightning port on the Pill’s predecessor to a USB-C port on the Pill, which further eases compatibility with non-Apple devices.
Beats Pill Review: Sound
Better for high-end than bass.
Beats promises a new, revamped racetrack woofer that apparently pushes 90% more air for more powerful bass. After listening to some Fred Again on both speakers, I would still recommend the Ult Field 1 if you’re into the kind of overpowering bass that sometimes takes over other elements of your orchestra. Even with its bass boost button off, the Pill delivers rich and powerful low-end sound. Some bass-heavy tracks might come off a little thick or overbearing, but you can simply choose to turn it down in such cases.
The Pill performs better in the mids (or vocals) and treble. The vocals track that is layered onto “Marea” sounded much clearer on the Pill. The orchestra didn’t sound clustered and featured sufficient space for each of its elements to shine on its own. Beats claim its tweeter has been upgraded to offer crisp highs and rich mids and this is a claim I could attest to after jamming to a few treble-heavy songs.
Another fancy feature that the Pill is surprisingly generous enough to provide in its modest price tag is Amplify and Stereo Modes. You can pair two Pills for upgraded sound in Amplify Mode where it does exactly what the name of the mode suggests: provide louder sound. Or you can put them in Stereo Mode where the speakers act as left and right outputs. I tried the modes on the pair of Pills Beats sent to us, and they were extremely easy to set up. You bring the two speakers close to each other and long-press the multi-function button on the speaker to enable or cycle between them. I can imagine Amplify Mode coming in handy during a house party where you can place two speakers in two different rooms.
Photo: Artem Golub / Gizmodo
Beats Pill Review: Verdict
I believe the Pill is a modestly-priced speaker that offers so much more than you would expect from it. It also has seemingly no premium for being made by Apple, commonly referred to as the Apple Tax, which is surprising. At just $150, it features impressive high-end and mids, a bunch of portability-focused features, and some frills such as the Amplify and Stereo Modes or the lossless audio over USB-C. There are punchier low-end alternatives out there for the same price so I wouldn’t recommend the Pill for just the bass. The 24-hour battery life is more than double what you get on similar speakers in this range (10-15 hours) and the new Android compatibility features extend the target audience who want to carry around a small speaker that can produce some big audio.
Powerbeats Pro 2 images found in iOS 18 code
