Sonos has launched a new versatile speaker called The Play, positioning it as both a premium home audio device and a rugged portable companion, in what appears to be a concerted effort to rebuild customer trust following a damaging app overhaul that eroded faith and contributed to a change in leadership.
A Speaker for Home and Away
Priced at £299, The Play is designed as a jack-of-all-trades. It is best understood as an evolution of the larger Move 2, incorporating its robust features into a form factor more akin to the bookshelf-sized Era 100. At 1.3kg, it is less than half the weight of the Move 2 but is still substantial. Sonos envisions it being moved around the home or garden, taken to a friend’s house by car, or used at the beach or park, rather than being packed for a hike. Its IP67 water and dust resistance rating means it can survive submersion in up to one metre of water for 30 minutes, while rubberised top and bottom sections help absorb impacts.
Ecosystem Integration and Sound
The core of The Play’s appeal is its deep integration into the Sonos ecosystem. At home, it connects via Wi-Fi 6 to stream music directly from the internet, controlled through the improved Sonos app, Spotify Connect, or Apple AirPlay 2. It can be grouped with other Sonos speakers for multi-room audio, and two Plays can be linked over Wi-Fi to create a stereo pair. A single speaker from a stereo pair can be taken elsewhere and used independently.
For use beyond the home network, it features Bluetooth 5.3. A key innovation is its ability to connect to other Play or Move 2 speakers to create a Bluetooth group of up to four units, all playing from a single phone or source, without needing a Wi-Fi network for the grouping itself. It is also compatible with Sonos’s optional analogue line-in or combo ethernet adaptors, connected via its USB-C port.
Sonically, it features one woofer and two angled tweeters, creating a wide soundstage. Reviewers note excellent separation of tones, detailed highs, and well-defined mids, with vocals a particular strength. It produces powerful bass but can struggle with the very deepest notes compared to the Move 2. The automatic Trueplay tuning optimises sound as it’s moved between rooms. It sounds best at around 60% volume, sufficient for most listening, though audio quality can decline above 80%.
Battery, Charging, and App Recovery
The Play houses a 35Wh user-replaceable battery, rated for 750 full charge cycles. Sonos states it lasts up to 24 hours on Bluetooth and more than a day on Wi-Fi at moderate volumes. It charges via an included dock or its USB-C port, which can also function as a power bank for other devices. The company notes that leaving the speaker on its dock does not harm the battery’s lifespan. However, a charger is not included; it requires a separate 18W or greater USB-C power adapter (45W for fast charging).
The launch follows a period of significant software repair. After a problematic app redesign in May 2024, which removed fan-favourite features and introduced stability issues, Sonos has spent nearly two years on fixes. The restored app now includes core features like wake-up alarms and local music library playback, and is described as more responsive with fewer pairing problems. It serves as a unified control point for streaming services, though some interface elements, like playlist management, remain less intuitive than in dedicated music apps.
Sustainability and Longevity
On sustainability, Sonos states The Play incorporates 26% renewable plastic—sourced from bio-based materials like used cooking oil—along with recycled aluminium and steel, and halogen-free circuit boards. The company offers a minimum of five years of software support after a product ceases sale, with a history of providing updates for longer. A replacement battery costs £49. According to Sonos’s own life cycle assessment, 73% of the speaker’s carbon footprint comes from energy use during its operational life. The company runs trade-in and recycling programmes and aims for carbon neutrality by 2030.
The £299 speaker sits between the £179 Roam 2 and the £449 Move 2 in Sonos’s portable lineup. It faces competition from dedicated Bluetooth speakers like the £129.99 JBL Charge 6 and the £329.99 Ultimate Ears Epicboom. Key limitations noted are its lack of spatial audio or Dolby Atmos support, an inability to integrate into a Sonos home cinema setup, and support for only SBC and AAC Bluetooth codecs, excluding higher-resolution options like LDAC.
