Sonos is one of the most well-known audio companies in the world, and that could be close to launching a new wireless speaker.
FCC (Federal Communications Commission) filing seen by The Verge describes a device that uses a wireless charging base; but it requires less power than the company’s Move speaker, proposing a more sophisticated portable smart speaker.
The compact form could mean that the device is a cheaper version of the Sonos Move, in the same way that the Apple HomePod mini is a cheaper version of the original HomePod smart speaker.
And it could launch soon – Sonos CEO Patrick Spence revealed in a call with investors that the brand would release a new product in March (although there is a chance that the this new product can easily be Sonos’ first headphone as well).
While details of the next thin Sonos speaker are on the ground, there are a few things we can get from filing FCC – as well as many features we’d like to see from following Sonos Move.
Cut to chase
- What is it New Sonos Wireless Speaker.
- When will it be released? TBC, but probably as early as March 2021.
- How much will it cost? Probably less than the Sonos Move ($ 399 / £ 399 / AU $ 649).
Date of release of new Sonos speaker
Sonos has not yet confirmed the availability of a new wireless speaker, but the company ‘s CEO has revealed that a new product is coming in March.
That’s according to a conference call between Spence and investors. In the call, rewritten by Seeking Alpha, Spence said the company remains committed to launching “at least two new products each year”, and that we are “excited about the product to introduce our latest next month ”.
FCC filing for a new Sonos speaker also suggests a release date could be near. Details of the original Sonos Move were released shortly after the discovery of FCC filing (model number S17), so the new ‘Move Mini’ (S27) may follow a similar path.
That said, Sonos’ next product may not be a speaker at all. Rumors of Sonos’ first headphones have been circulating since 2019, taking off just a few months ago after Sonos patented a pair of over-ear headphones, giving us an interesting look at the rumor-length cans.
Price of new Sonos speaker
So far there have been no rumors or leaks about the price of the new Sonos speaker, but based on the specs outlined in the FCC filing, the device is likely to be a smaller version of the Sonos movement – and that means it may be cheaper, too.
The Sonos Move currently costs $ 399 / £ 399 / AU $ 649 – a price that puts it firmly at the top end of the Bluetooth speaker market; but it earns this price tag with the range of Sonos smarts and powerful audio.
We would expect a more complex version of the portable speaker to cost less than this, perhaps sitting around the $ 200 / £ 200 / AU $ 300 mark.
However, we would like to see Sonos take the price down even further. Sonos products are usually quite expensive, and while this is often justified by their excellent audio performance and multi-room capabilities, it does mean integrating with the Sonos’ ecosystem. company out of reach for many.
If Sonos could price its latest Bluetooth speaker at around $ 100 / £ 100 / AU $ 150, it could own a much more affordable Sonos sound system, with the potential to or as few products as you want to add – like the Apple HomePod the mini is made cheaper to integrate with Apple ‘s audio ecosystem.
Sonos’ new speech features
All the information we have about the new Sonos speaker comes from the recently released FCC filing.
Test diagrams inside the sieve show that the speaker will be accompanied by a wireless charging dock, and will provide Bluetooth and Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac) connection. This suggests that the new speaker doubles as a portable Bluetooth speaker, and a sleek connected speaker, just like the Sonos Move – and is the first speaker to support Wi -Fi 5.
The filing also reveals that the new speaker will use less power than the Sonos Move, suggesting that it will be smaller. Another idea in terms of the appearance of the new Sonos speaker is to include a round label that is “laser scratched around the lower surface edge of the device”, which means that the cylinder unit, similar to the popular UE Megaboom 3. .
Making a smaller version of the Sonos Move makes a lot of sense. At nearly 3kg, while the speaker can easily lift a normal movement, you wouldn’t want to carry it around for too long. However, the size is necessary because of the large driver magnets that power the sound, and it is a fair trade-off for delivered audio quality. You can expect a smaller version to include smaller drivers and, possibly, less powerful sound as a result.
Nonetheless, we would expect the elegant movement of Sonos chic design to move closer to Sonos Move, with simple control buttons, a cover grille, and perhaps a built-in carrier built into the frame of the individual. -spoken.
New Sonos speaker: what we want to see
While the details of the new Sonos speaker are still foggy, we can still list a number of features we’d like to see from the Sonos Move fan.
For starters, we would welcome an improvement in the level of water and dust protection, especially if the new speaker is going to be easier to carry than before.
The original Sonos Move is rated at IP56 rating, which means it can withstand a layer of sand or dust, as well as fall into a swimming pool. Upgrading this to IP67 level would make it a real competitor for waterproof speakers such as the UE Wonderboom 2 and the JBL Flip 5.
We’d also like to see a new Sonos speaker that can be used as part of a home theater system, especially if it’s on the cheapest side. It will not be possible to use two Sonos Move speakers as back channels for your system, which Sonos says is responsible for synchronization issues and the ability to focus its directional audio is lost if the charger mispronounced in a room.
This is a shame, as a wireless speaker that is both portable and usable to boost your TV’s audio is definitely strong – and we would have thought it would be possible to handle Sonos Trueplay technology, which uses onboard accelerators to detect movement. seo.
Another feature we would welcome is an upgrade to Bluetooth 5, which would allow for longer distance repairs and a more stable connection. The standard Sonos Move only supports Bluetooth 4.2, which is a bit old-fashioned now.
Finally, we’d like to see a few more color options for the new Sonos speaker. Unlocking a portable mini-speaker is a great opportunity for Sonos to play around with a palette and finish of different colors – though, based on the company’s preference to so far of a black and white image, we are not sure that this is likely.