Sonos Beam Ultra adds upfiring channels for ultimate Atmos upgrade

Quick Summary

Sonos has revealed the third product its mid-size soundbar range, the Sonos Beam Ultra.

The Ultra builds on the legacy of the Beam (Gen 2), but has been redesigned from the ground up with more drivers and a bigger sound profile.

Key to its feature set is the addition of upfiring channels – as part of its 7.1.2 arrangement – for true sound immersion and improved Dolby Atmos.

Sonos is back with a major hardware announcement this September, revealing the all-new Beam Ultra soundbar.

Consider it the uprated version of the classic Beam original and follow-up Beam 2 soundbars, which have been a major success for Sonos over the years.

The key difference? The Sonos Beam Ultra adds upfiring channels to its audio arrangement, bringing more immersive audio for better Dolby Atmos experiences.

Small 'bar, big sound

The system is a 7.1.2 arrangement, so seven speakers for the front soundstage (including centre, left, right, and sides), one central sub/bass, and two upfiring outputs.

"Big sound. Not-so-big soundbar": That was Sonos' goal in the Beam Ultra. It occupies a similar footprint to the other Beam products, but has been redesigned internally.

Note, however, that it's not the same footprint. That's why a new wall-mount (sold separately) is also available, should you wish to have the Beam Ultra up on the wall.

The Ultra's internal arrangement features nine drivers in total – which is four more than in the previous Beam (Gen 2). So it's not just new upfiring speakers that complement the audio offering here, helping to deliver a bigger, broader sound stage.

The Beam Ultra offers an HDMI eARC, but there's no additional HDMI passthrough – long a dream request, but absent in all Sonos soundbars – for an easy TV connection.

A new app, too

Sonos 27 &ndash;&nbsp;new app &ndash;&nbsp;with EQ adjustment

Sonos has also revealed its latest app, Sonos27, which will take on an iterative format – similar to Apple with iPhones in iOS26, 27, etc – with updated annual future versions expected.

The app is the hub to control various features, including Sonos' new AI Speech Enhancement. This offers four customisable levels for dialogue enhancement, depending on environment and preference.

You can also use the Sonos Beam Ultra with other speakers. The new 'Portable Surrounds' feature, will mean that even Sonos' portable Wi-Fi speakers – i.e. the Move 2 and Play products – can be used as surround sound speakers.

If you have a Sonos Play, for example, that can be integrated as a rear speaker. Sonos' in-house software solution will measure the additional speakers' positions, similar to Dolby Atmos FlexConnect (but not using this specific system) for ideal output.

All in all, the Beam Ultra sounds like a huge new release for Sonos. It betters the good of the previous Beam 2 product, with true upfiring channels and beefier audio overall.

It will cost you a fair bit more than a 2nd Gen Beam, however, with pre-orders open now for an on-sale date of 29 September. Retail pricing is set at £699 / $699 / AU$1099 / €699 – so the UK gets the rawest deal in terms of value.

Mike is T3's Tech Editor. He's been writing about consumer technology for 15 years and his beat covers phones – of which he's seen hundreds of handsets over the years – laptops, gaming, TV & audio, and more. There's little consumer tech he's not had a hand at trying, and with extensive commissioning and editing experience, he knows the industry inside out. As the former Reviews Editor at Pocket-lint for 10 years where he furthered his knowledge and expertise, whilst writing about literally thousands of products, he's also provided work for publications such as Wired, The Guardian, Metro, and more.