Beats Pill XL review: Dr. Dre's newest speaker is supersized and super loud

Back in 2012, Beats unveiled its diminutive Pill wireless speaker in a bid to steal the Jambox's thunder. Since then, its main rival hasn't exactly been standing still: Jawbone has released two more Bluetooth speakers, including the well-received Big Jambox. Not to be outdone, Dr. Dre & co. recently began selling a super-sized version of their own: the $300 Beats Pill XL. As the name suggests, it is indeed a larger version of the original and it packs a much larger punch in the sound department as well. The list of features is nearly identical too, with NFC, dual 3.5mm jacks, a heavy dose of bass and more than a day's worth of battery life. Heck, you can even use the speakers to charge your phone, should the need arise.

But let's be honest: Bluetooth speakers come a dime a dozen these days. It's not uncommon for press releases on six, seven, eight models to hit our inboxes in the course of a week. Given that the market's so saturated, has Beats done enough to stand apart? And what of this new form factor? Does the increased bulk make the Pill XL too big for its britches? Let's find out.

When comparing the Beats Pill XL to the original, the difference in size is obvious. But just how much bigger is it? The device measures 13 x 3.75 x 3.75 inches and comes in at 3.3 pounds. That's 5.5 inches wider and nearly two inches deeper/taller than the standard model, not to mention more than two pounds heavier. While the added stature makes it more difficult to stuff the speaker into the side pocket of a rucksack, the increased size doesn't make it any less portable. It's still compact enough to tote along on a picnic or a day at the beach.

When comparing the Beats Pill XL to the original, the difference in size is obvious. But just how much bigger is it? The device measures 13 x 3.75 x 3.75 inches and comes in at 3.3 pounds. That's 5.5 inches wider and nearly two inches deeper/taller than the standard model, not to mention more than two pounds heavier. While the added stature makes it more difficult to stuff the speaker into the side pocket of a rucksack, the increased size doesn't make it any less portable. It's still compact enough to tote along on a picnic or a day at the beach.

With the added heft, we'd expect a significant bump in battery life. Beats delivers. The Pill XL touts up to 15 hours of continuous play with its lithium-ion battery -- almost double the runtime of the regular Pill. Of course, if you're using the speaker to recharge your phone or tablet, the battery life is going to take a hit. Happily, though, the speaker automatically powers off when it doesn't detect a signal for 10 minutes, which should go a long way in conserving juice. All told, we found the battery life was right in line with the company's claim, and those LED indicators did indeed prove handy for tracking remaining power. As far as the rest of the internals go, Beats isn't offering any details -- trust us, we asked. That said, if you take a close look at the front side, you can see four speakers through the grille: two large ones in the center and two smaller ones on the outside. That's all we know since, for whatever reason, Beats isn't disclosing wattage or other specs.