Pokémon x Beats Pill Special Edition Puts Pikachu and Mimikyu on Portable Sound

Beats and The Pokémon Company International announced a special-edition Beats Pill on October 13 that places artwork of Pikachu and Mimikyu across the speaker’s grill. The collaboration arrives during the franchise’s 30th anniversary period and follows a short teaser the previous day that simply stated “Time to catch something new.”

Pikachu appears in a bright, electric yellow on one side of the perforated grill, a stark contrast to Mimikyu, who is depicted in a dramatic grayscale treatment that captures the character’s calmer, more enigmatic attitude. Meanwhile, the main body of the speaker remains in a neutral gray, allowing the character art to take center stage and preventing the entire thing from looking like a one-color block.

This is the first Beats Pill to come with a charm, which is a Poké Ball on a matching gray lanyard with a small Beats logo and a variety of lightning bolt designs that pay homage to Pikachu’s most renowned move. You can still have a decent hold on it thanks to a soft silicone cover on the rear, and the lanyard is removable, allowing you to simply set it down when it’s sitting on a surface rather than hanging from your bag.

The packaging is as also interesting, as it includes a little movable element that makes it feel like a collector’s item, as well as some limited edition stickers. The entire thing markets the speaker as both a piece of music equipment and Pokémon merchandise. As expected, the music quality is respectable, thanks to a custom acoustic system that produces deep bass and fills a space with sound. USB-C supports high-resolution lossless audio when the speaker is plugged into a source, and two Beats Pill units can pair wirelessly for either greater volume in Amplify Mode or left-and-right separation in Stereo Mode. Battery life reaches up to 24 hours, the rating is IP67 for dust and water resistance, and the USB-C port can charge a compatible phone.

It will be available on October 15 for $149.99, the same price as all other existing Beats Pill variants. You may get one via Apple’s website or Target (online and in-store). If you live in the United Kingdom, you can acquire one via Apple or Argos, while it is available in China through Apple and Douyin. Just be aware that availability is now limited to those three markets. Chris Thorne, Beats chief marketing officer, said Pokémon Trainers rank among the most passionate fans anywhere and that the company saw an opportunity to turn that energy into a product made specifically for them. The speaker delivers the same performance as the standard 2024 Beats Pill redesign while adding the character artwork, the first set of charms for the line, and the custom packaging.
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