JBL Flip 7 vs. Beats Pill: Which portable speaker is right for you?

For years, JBL dominated our list of the best Bluetooth speakers, especially in the sub-$200 category where the company’s line of Flip speakers have proven so popular. That popularity continues with the Flip 7, the best version of the cylindrical powerhouse so far. But JBL is no longer alone. When Beats revived its fan-favorite Pill speaker in 2024, it did so at a more accesible price and added some great new features.

The similarites between these Bluetooth speakers are obvious, and yet, a deeper look reveals where each has its strengths. The question is, which one is a better match for your lifestyle?

We put them side by side to see which one makes the most sense for you.

JBL Flip 7

Beats Pill (2024)

JBL Flip 7 vs. Beats Pill: Price

As a newly released product, the Flip 7 has yet to see any discounts on its $150 regular price. This may well prove to be the case into the summer months as JBL focuses on getting rid of its remaining Flip 6 inventory.

The Beats Pill has the same $150 regular price, but since it debuted in July 2024, we’ve seen it dip down to as low as $100 on several occasions. That’s a massive discount if you can get it. If recent history is any indication, your next opportunity may not be far away.

There are no guarantees, of course, but we’re going to give this one to the Pill purely based on its price history.

Winner: Beats Pill

JBL Flip 7 vs. Beats Pill: Specs comparison

On specs alone, the Beats Pill appears to outshine the JBL Flip 7 on almost everything except ruggedness and portability. But since we’re talking about speakers that people will want to take absolutely everywhere, these are important factors.

The Flip 7 is a little more waterproof than the Pill at IP68 versus IP67, but given that neither speaker floats especially well, this likely won’t make a big difference in your life. Keep them both poolside, knowing they’ll survive an accidental immersion.

JBL’s drop-proofing and rugged woven fibre exterior (with rubber endcaps) makes the Flip 7 far better suited to go-anywhere adventuring. Not that I recommend banging either speaker into other objects or dropping them, but I have no doubt that if these things were to happen, the Flip 7 would survive better than the Pill. It’s the Pill’s metal grille that worries me most. It looks great, but it will dent and scratch like the hood of a car if you hit it hard enough.

The Flip 7 is also a little lighter and fractionally smaller. The difference isn’t massive, but again, if portability is key, it’s another point in JBL’s favor.

Since portable speakers are often used far from power sources, battery life is arguably one of the most important specs, and it’s no contest. With up to 24 hours of playtime, the Beats Pill far outlasts the Flip 7 even when that speaker is set to Playtime Boost mode, which extends its normal 14-hour endurance to 16 hours.

Moreover, the Pill packs so much energy, Beats lets you use it to charge your phone via USB-C. You’ll have to move up to the Flip 7’s larger sibling, the Charge 6, to get that feature in the JBL world.

Both speakers let you play lossless audio via their USB-C ports, however, the Pill also functions as a speakerphone, a handy extra feature that the Flip 7 lacks.

Finally, both speakers let you create a stereo pair when you have two of the same models on hand. You can also extend their audio to other speakers, but this is where the Flip 7 enjoys a big advantage.

You can only extend the Pill’s audio to one other Pill. The Flip 7 can extend its audio to an unlimited number of other Auracast-enabled JBL speakers, which includes the Flip 7, Charge 6, Xtreme 4, and several of its newer Party Box models. For party-powering expansion, that’s an unbeatable system.

This creates a conundrum. A bigger battery (and the ability to charge other devices) makes the Pill a better choice for those who want to wander where there’s no power sources. On the other hand, those are exactly the sorts of places where the Flip 7’s ruggedized body will prove most beneficial. This one comes down to how (and where) you want to use your speaker, but for us, it’s a tie.

Winner: Tie

JBL Flip 7 vs. Beats Pill: Design

Though they’re both carved from the same basic geometric shape, in the looks department, these speakers come from opposite sides of tracks. It’s like comparing a Jeep to a Corvette. The Beats Pill is sleek, smooth, and curvy, with a sophisticated metal grille and controls that are so understated, they’re practically hidden. The JBL Flip 7, by contrast, is rugged and a little rough — the kind of Bluetooth speaker Batman might hang from his utility belt.

That even translates to the included attachments. The Pill comes with an elegant, fabric wrist lanyard, while the Flip 7 has a carry loop and a carabiner that can be swapped in seconds thanks to its clever Pushlock system.

The Flip 7 earns a few extra points for usability. It can stand vertically — something I don’t recommend trying with the Pill — and its controls are oversized and easy to find, even if the day’s activities have left you with diminished hand-eye coordination.

Since design is more than just visual appeal, we’re giving this one to the Flip 7 for its all-terrain capability.

Winner: JBL Flip 7

JBL Flip 7 vs. Beats Pill: Sound quality

This is another tricky one. For products like headphones and hi-fi speakers, sound quality is usually about rendering source material with accuracy, tonal balance, and the mitigation of distortion.

If you apply those same criteria to the Beats Pill and the JBL Flip 7, the Pill comes out on top. It has a cleaner, better balanced sound signature, and it will happily ride all the way to its maximum loudness level without any noticeable distortion.

But when it comes to Bluetooth portables, it’s arguable that we might want less panache and more power — especially when outdoors. This is where the Flip 7 excels. It gets much louder than the Pill, and it pumps out more bass. The JBL Portables app also gives you a variety of EQ settings (both presets and a custom equalizer), whereas the Pill is a take-it-or-leave-it speaker in terms of tuning.

The Flip 7’s power, while better controlled than previous generations, can get a little harsh as you increase volume. Despite the introduction of a new AI Sound algorithm intended to fight distortion, it nonetheless creeps in at the highest levels.

USB lossless audio on both speakers has the same effect — it lets you maximize their potential when conditions are quiet enough to hear the difference. But it doesn’t change that sound quality balance. The Pill is better for critical listening while the Flip 7 is a true party machine.

Again, if this were a comparison of indoor, wireless speakers, the Pill would win. However, one of the primary missions of any Bluetooth portable is to bring the tunes to all kinds of locations, in all kinds of conditions. With its more powerful system, the Flip 7 is the better choice.

Winner: JBL Flip 7

JBL Flip 7 vs. Beats Pill: The verdict

With two wins, the JBL Flip 7 — on paper at least — is our winner. It’s a very capable portable speaker that’s built to endure rough handling and other potential mishaps, while providing surprisingly powerful audio for its size. And let’s not forget its expandability via JBL’s lineup of Aurcast speakers.

It lacks the Beats Pill’s speakerphone function, which is undeniably handy, but which I also suspect is low on most people’s wish lists for Bluetooth speakers.

The only difference that gives me pause its the Pill’s extraordinary battery life and external device charging. Do you need up to 24 hours of playtime on a speaker? No, but it sure is helpful for when you forget to charge it, or if you’re planning an extended time away from an available power supply.

If battery life and better overall sound quality are key to your decision, you can safely ignore the outcome of this contest — the Beats Pill is the better choice for your needs.

Winner: JBL Flip 7