Sonos is going outside the home with Move, its first Bluetooth speaker

Alex Choros - Managing Editor + Group Telco Editor

Last updated 05 September 2019

Sonos today unveiled the Move, its first portable Bluetooth speaker. While the Sonos Move can still be used in a traditional Sonos setup with the company's other wireless speakers, it can also be transformed into an ordinary Bluetooth speaker by flicking a toggle on the back.

Switching the Move to Bluetooth means you can directly beam music to it without the need to be connected to your home wireless network or the Sonos app.

As such, the Sonos Move is also the company's first battery-powered speaker. While this naturally facilitates taking the Move outside of your house when you're using it as a Bluetooth device, you can still use it as a wireless speaker on battery power. For example, if you want to move it from room to room without having to plug it in.

Sonos says the Move should get up to 10 hours of battery per charge, and last up to five days on standby. The Move can be charged via USB-C or through an included base.

Given the Sonos expects you to use the Move outside the home, it's said to be the company's most durable speaker to date. It's rated IP56 for water-resistance, with testing performed in rain, snow, sand, sweat, and more. Sonos also says the Move is drop resistant and will survive both bumps and falls.

Based on a brief ears-on, the Sonos Move is promising. The sound is crisp, clear and balanced, and travels further than you'd expect. We'll hopefully have a full review in due course.

Much like the Sonos One, the Move supports both Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa. These aren't available in Bluetooth mode, however. You'll also find AirPlay 2 support for iOS devices.

The Sonos Move will retail for $649, and will be available from September 24. Pre-orders start today.

In addition to the Move, Sonos also a new entry-level speaker: the Sonos One SL. The Sonos One SL is a new version of the Sonos One without microphones or voice assistants on board. The Sonos One SL replaces the Play:1, and will go on sale from September 12 for $269. That's $30 less than the standard Sonos One.

Alex Choros

Managing Editor + Group Telco Editor | X | Instagram | Threads | LinkedIn

Alex Choros is the Managing Editor of WhistleOut Australia and an award-winning journalist. He's been writing about consumer technology for over a decade and is an expert on the Australian telco sector, to the point where he knows far too many phone and internet plans by heart. In addition to leading the WhistleOut editorial team, Alex is responsible for ruining the office Sonos with his troubled taste in music.

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