Beats Pill vs Sony ULT Field 1

The new Beats Pill and Sony ULT Field 1 are two Bluetooth speakers in the same class in terms of size, price, and features but which one is the better fit for you? In this review, we look at Beats Pill vs Sony ULT Field 1 both from an audio user’s perspective, with a focus on real-world use, immersive listening, and practical considerations.

Hardware & Design

While the Beats Pill and the Sony ULT Field 1 are comparable in size, the Beats Pill is noticeably smaller and smoother in form, which makes it especially convenient to pack. Its pill shaped design is compact and sleek, while the ULT Field 1 has more of a tubular shape. Both can easily fit into the water bottle holder of a backpack and include a strap that makes them easy to grab, carry, or hang.

The ULT Field 1 looks like it can handle rougher use and hide scuffs better over time. The Beats Pill, on the other hand, features a soft touch, grippy silicone backing that feels great in the hand, but may show wear more visibly if dropped frequently. Both speakers use an angled driver design that directs sound upwards toward the listener. The ULT Field 1 has a more defined “sweet spot,” while the Beats Pill offers a wider listening area, which is generally more practical for a portable Bluetooth speaker.

A unique visual touch on the Sony ULT Field 1 is its visible built-in woofers, which move as audio plays. This adds a fun, dynamic visual element especially noticeable if you place the speaker near water and watch the vibrations interact with the surface. Both speakers offer an IP67 rating for water and dust resistance, making them suitable for outdoor and poolside use.

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Interactions, Connectivity, and Battery

Both speakers include the expected physical controls for volume, play/pause, power, and pairing. The Sony ULT Field 1 adds a dedicated ULT button, which activates its extra bass mode an important feature, as its standard tuning is lighter on bass.

Both support fast pairing on Android. Only the Beats Pill supports fast pairing on iOS, making it more seamless for users in the Apple ecosystem. The Beats Pill uses Bluetooth 5.3, offering a strong and stable connection over long distances, which is especially handy around the house or in open spaces. You can also pair two units of each model to create a louder and more immersive stereo setup.

In terms of playback formats, the Sony ULT Field 1 supports 44.1 kHz playback, while the Beats Pill supports 48 kHz lossless playback. However, on small Bluetooth speakers like these, those specs are largely irrelevant in practice. Their size and inherent processing limitations mean they can’t fully take advantage of high-resolution audio in a way that cleanly and consistently covers the full human hearing range. It’s important to view these specs in context rather than as a decisive factor.

Battery life is one of the biggest differences. The Sony ULT Field 1 offers up to 12 hours of playback, while the Beats Pill doubles that with up to 24 hours of use. The Beats Pill can also charge other devices, adding useful power bank functionality that the ULT Field 1 does not offer. However, the Sony ULT Field 1 includes fast-charging, a 10-minute charge provides up to 3 hours of playback. By comparison, the Beats Pill offers around 2 hours of playback from a similar quick charge.

Mic Performance

Bluetooth speakers are not the first devices most people think of for microphone use, but many do rely on them for calls and voice chats in different environments. In a quiet, ordinary room, the Beats Pill delivers a clear and usable mic experience suitable for casual calls. In a garage or workshop scenario, it remains functional for voice but naturally picks up more room noise. In simulated beach and windy conditions, its microphone captures more environmental sound and wind noise, as expected, but still gives a good sense of how it performs in harsher, real world environments.

These tests highlight that while both speakers can be used for calls, they are still primarily designed as playback devices. Your experience will depend heavily on your environment, but you can get by with them if needed.

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Sound Quality

Sound quality on compact Bluetooth speakers is always a balancing act. With small drivers and limited enclosure space, manufacturers are pushing the hardware to its limits to achieve volume, bass, and clarity in a tiny form factor. That leads to trade offs.

One of the main challenges is bass. To get a fuller sound, you need physical space and driver size things these small speakers don’t have much of. As volume increases, it becomes harder for bass to keep up with the mids and highs. This is true for both the Beats Pill and the Sony ULT Field 1.

The Sony ULT Field 1’s defining audio feature is its ULT button, which boosts bass. Without it enabled, the speaker has relatively light low-end presence. With ULT activated, it becomes more satisfying, and you’ll likely want to leave this mode on most of the time.

Max Volume Test

The Beats Pill delivers more bass overall, which is impressive for its compact size. However, there’s an important caveat: at maximum volume, both speakers suffer from noticeable distortion and harshness. The Beats Pill, in particular, sounds the worst at max volume, exhibiting heavy processing artifacts and what many audio enthusiasts would describe as “pumping” the audible effect of aggressive compression or limiting. This makes the sound feel unnatural and over-processed. While Beats has clearly made efforts to reduce distortion, more work is needed to keep things clean at the top end of its volume range.

Measurements taken at max volume and four clicks down indicate that both speakers sound their best when backed off at least four steps from maximum. At those levels, distortion is reduced and the tonal balance improves but you do lose a significant amount of overall loudness.

Mid-Range

The Sony ULT Field 1 leans more into the mid-range, which makes vocals more forward and intelligible. However, it also introduces a “boxy” or “nasal” character in the 800 Hz–1 kHz region similar to a telephone like tone. With a bit more low-end and less of that honky character, it would sound more natural.

The Beats Pill has a more scooped tuning, with more pronounced highs and lows and a less intimate mid-range. This can create a more exciting or “hi-fi” impression at casual listening levels, but also contributes to sharpness and listening fatigue at higher volumes. Both have clear limitations compared to larger speakers or quality headphones, but given their category and size, that’s expected.

Which One Is for You?

Choosing between the Beats Pill and the Sony ULT Field 1 comes down to how and where you plan to use your speaker. If you prioritize smallest size and portability, the Beats Pill is the better choice. If you want something that may appear more rugged and hides scuffs better, the Sony ULT Field 1 stands out.
If long battery life is crucial, the Beats Pill is the clear winner with up to 24 hours and device charging capability. If you prefer a more mid-forward sound where vocals stand out, the Sony ULT Field 1 aligns better with that profile (especially with ULT on for added bass).

If you want your speaker to double as a power bank, only the Beats Pill offers that. If you need the loudest sound at max volume, the Sony ULT Field 1 holds the advantage, even though both struggle sonically at their top levels. If you want fast pairing across platforms, the Beats Pill is the more seamless option, particularly for iOS users. And if you’re sensitive to compression artifacts and pumping, the Beats Pill’s behavior at max volume may be a deal breaker.

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Which One Would I Choose?

From a critical audio perspective, neither of these speakers fully delivers the ideal sound quality I’d like. That’s the inherent difficulty of making speakers this small there are always compromises in bass, clarity, or dynamics.

Thinking about how a Bluetooth speaker is actually used travel, casual listening, convenience, and battery life, I value a sound that’s reasonably enjoyable, easy portability, and minimal charging anxiety. With those priorities in mind, the Beats Pill is the more practical choice for me. It’s far from perfect, but it gets the job done in the ways that matter most for everyday, on the go use.

Ultimately, the better speaker is the one that best fits your habits, environment, and preferences.

Article Summary

The Beats Pill and Sony ULT Field 1 are similarly sized, IP67 rated portable Bluetooth speakers aimed at the same use case, but they prioritize different strengths. The Beats Pill is smaller, smoother, and more travel friendly, with significantly better battery life (up to 24 hours) and the ability to charge other devices. It supports Bluetooth 5.3, fast pairing on iOS and Android, and delivers stronger overall bass, though it suffers from heavy processing and distortion at maximum volume. The Sony ULT Field 1 feels more rugged, hides wear better, and features visible woofers plus a ULT bass button that you’ll want enabled for fuller sound.

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