In 2019, Sonos launched its first portable speaker, the Move, which received critical acclaim despite its somewhat high price. Today, the next generation is here, with some modest design improvements, significantly improved battery life (up to 24 hours) and a new dual tweeter acoustic architecture which, according to Sonos, allows the Move 2 to offer “ wide, spacious stereo sound, a first for a Sonos portable speaker. » It will be marketed on September 20 in black, green or white, with a docking station for wireless charging, at a price of €499.
Like Sonos’ new Era 100 and Era 300 wired speakers released last June, the Move 2 features a new touch control system on the top of the case. They are used to play, pause or skip a track, and adjust the volume. You can also control the speaker by voice with the Amazon Alexa or Sonos Voice Control assistants. Google Assistant is not supported. The built-in microphone array is also used to calibrate the speaker’s sound with Sonos’ TruePlay system, which personalizes sound for a particular space, whether indoors or outdoors.
We tested the Move as well as the Roam, Sonos’ smallest portable speaker. Both are designed to be used as Bluetooth speakers when outside, far from your home Wi-Fi network, and integrated into a Sonos multiroom system when at home. However, it was a bit difficult to switch from Wi-Fi to Bluetooth, an issue that Sonos seems to have fixed with the Move 2. Apple users can also stream directly from their devices over Wi-Fi with AirPlay 2.
Credit photo : Sonos
Up to 24 hours of battery life for the Sonos Move 2
For users of the brand, the appeal of the original Move was that it looked like an indoor speaker and aesthetically integrated seamlessly with existing Sonos speakers. But it was also surprisingly sturdy for outdoor use. Like the original, the Move 2 is water and dust resistant (although not waterproof) according to the IP56 rating. It weighs 3 kg with its battery, which is replaceable. A notch serves as a handle, making it quite easy to carry.
The other big improvement concerns autonomy. According to Sonos, the speaker can now be used for 24 hours at a moderate volume. That’s a marked improvement over the original Move’s 11-hour battery life.
Credit photo : Sonos
Although the speaker comes with a wireless charging dock, one can also charge it with the USB-C port, which also serves as an output port for charging devices. Additionally, Sonos has confirmed that it is possible to play audio through the USB-C port using the Sonos Line-In Adapter, sold separately. See you soon for our full test of the Sonos Move 2.
