Beats Pill (2012) vs JBL Charge 5

Every spec side by side, from each maker's published figures.

Only show differences

Better figure, where one is clearly better

Share comparison

Pill (2012) compared with Charge 5

	BeatsPill (2012)	JBLCharge 5
Overview
Released
Released	October 2012	April 2021
Sound
Type
Type	Portable speaker	Portable speaker
Dolby Atmos
Dolby Atmos	No	No
Drivers
Drivers	Four-speaker system with Beats Audio processing	52 × 90 mm racetrack woofer, 20 mm tweeter and dual passive radiators
Amplifiers
Amplifiers	–	30 W RMS for the woofer, 10 W RMS for the tweeter
Frequency response
Frequency response	–	60 Hz – 20 kHz; signal-to-noise ratio over 80 dB
Connections
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi	No	No
Bluetooth
Bluetooth	Yes	Yes
AirPlay
AirPlay	No	No
Voice assistants
Voice assistants	None	None
Bluetooth
Bluetooth	NFC tap-to-pair and connection takeover; remembers eight paired devices and reconnects to the most recent; aptX support	Bluetooth 5.1; A2DP 1.3, AVRCP 1.6; two phones or tablets can connect and take turns
Ports
Ports	Separate 3.5 mm input and line output; Micro-USB charging connector (T3)	USB-C for charging; USB-A out to charge a phone (5 V, 2 A maximum; port type from What Hi-Fi)
Multi-room
Multi-room	–	PartyBoost stereo pairing, or linking several PartyBoost speakers
Design
Battery life (maker's claim)
Battery life (maker's claim)	Up to 7 hours	Up to 20 hours
Water and dust resistance
Water and dust resistance	–	IP67
Weight
Weight	0.325 kg (better)	0.96 kg
Battery life detail
Battery life detail	Rechargeable lithium-ion battery; maker claims seven hours at an average 80 dB, with a warning at 20% remaining; switches off after 30 minutes without a signal	Up to 20 hours; 27 Wh (3.6 V, 7,500 mAh) lithium-ion polymer battery; 4 hours to charge at 5 V / 3 A
Size
Size	–	223 × 96.5 × 94 mm (W × H × D)
Controls
Controls	Power, volume and Beats button for pairing, playback and calls; volume buttons disabled when line output is in use	–
Microphones
Microphones	Built-in speakerphone microphone with echo cancellation; calls pause music	–
Colours
Colours	Black, White and Red at launch	Black, Blue, Grey, Red, Teal and Squad at launch; JBL Singapore also lists Forest Green and Pink
In the box
In the box	Speaker, USB cable and power supply; carrying case, carabiner and 3.5 mm cable identified by both reviews	Charge 5, USB-C cable, quick start guide, safety sheet, warranty card