Sonos announced the new portable speaker they have been working on, including details on when you’ll be able to get your hands on one (available now for pre-order). The new Sonos Roam will support WiFi, Bluetooth (5.0), and Apple AirPlay 2 connectivity, offering plenty of flexibility for most use scenarios, and the features don’t stop there.
Similar to models coming from companies like Logitech, JBL, Kicker, and more, the new speaker takes on a very portable form that is about the same as stacking two 12oz soda cans on top of each other. It also weighs just slightly less than a pound, so it will be easy to walk around with or store in a travel bag.
It is a directional speaker like most Bluetooth options out there and features a single tweeter and mid-woofer to spread everything between. It has a far-field mic with beamforming and supports both Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa.
Waterproof like just about everything else these days, with an IP67 rating. Protecting it from water, dust, and all that stuff you used to be afraid of. You just don’t want to go diving with it (which, you wouldn’t be doing with a BT speaker anyway).
You get a USB-C cable for charging the speaker, but it also supports Qi charging as well. So you should be able to toss it onto just about any wireless charger so no cables have to be in the mix. You get up to 10 hours worth of playback that should get you through most situations as well. It isn’t the best battery life by any means. However, it is if you consider everything it is capable of.
The MSRP is $169, so it is a bit steep if you are looking for a lot of sound in an affordable package. Some had predicted that this was going to be an “affordable” solution from Sonos. But, let’s be real–it is Sonos after all. A company that falls into the same pricing as something like Bose, you won’t be looking at them as an option if you were looking to save money. You do, at least, get a lot of performance in just about every speaker they have ever launched.
It will be shipping out next month (April 20th), but it is available now for pre-order (in case you want to be one of the first to walk around with one).
