Sonos Roam 2 brings a few subtle but welcome new features to the portable party

As well as its first pair of wireless headphones, the Sonos Ace, Sonos has introduced an upgraded version of its portable Bluetooth speaker.

The Sonos Roam 2 is fairly similar to the original, which has been considered amongst the best wireless speakers since its launch in 2021. However, there are a couple of tweaks that make it a worthwhile upgrade – including when it comes to the user experience.

The original Sonos Roam wasn't that easy to set up for the first time. You had to connect it to the Sonos App via your home network before you could use its Bluetooth functionality. That's always been clumsy in comparison with other weatherproof speakers in its category.

Now though you can pair its successor with an Android handset or iPhone via Bluetooth straight from the box. It also has an all-new pairing button that's separate from the power button.

Of course, as a Sonos speaker, you can still connect it to your Wi-Fi network to sync with other Sonos devices – you just don't need to initially.

Also new is a small design change. The Sonos logo on the front is now the same colour as the speaker – olive (green), sunset (orange), wave (blue), black or white. The previous model sported a white logo no matter the hue.

This change makes for a classier-looking device, although you might not be that bothered when you're dancing in a mud-sodden field during Glastonbury.

Thankfully, if you do, the speaker is once again IP67 rated, so is fully waterproof and dust resistant. The battery is capable of providing up to 10 hours of continuous playback on a single charge – another similarity to its predecessor.

Sound performance is reportedly the same as well, although we haven't yet has a chance to have a listen. We'll give you more of an indication when we've had one through our testing labs.

You can also check one out for yourself, as the Sonos Roam 2 is available now, priced at £179 in the UK, $179 in the US.