The Sonos Move is a much-cherished example of a portable speaker: though it is on the heftier side, it sports an array of brilliant features, including Alexa and Google Assistant. Still, it's just a bit, well, cumbersome.
The good news? Things look set to change with recent reports of a new patent filing from the speaker company, suggesting something akin to a smaller edition of the Sonos Move, or possibly a less pricey, more lightweight, miniature Sonos speaker. Either way, things look to be getting more portable.
Right now, the Sonos Move has little in the way of portable competition from other Sonos speakers; in fact, isn't it high time that Sonos launched a new, fully Bluetooth-equipped speaker, able to handle outdoor and indoor listening? We certainly think so. Universal smart assistant compatibility to bring it in line with formidable news of Google smart speakers now offering Apple integration would be handy; so, too, would it be nice to see a new Sonos portable keeping up with the smart features of the Amazon Echo Dot (4th Gen) while sounding impeccable.
This rare meeting point where all these factors converge into a sort-of portable utopia evades even the most capable companies, so we hope that Sonos can produce the goods.
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Of course, such portable speakers must first be wieldy: totally uncompromising when out in the elements, and under the control of the day's chosen tune selector, fending off steadily more aggressive requests for new songs from the soirée's attendees. It's an all too familiar scenario for Bluetooth speakers.
If Sonos does choose to eschew a heavier frame for a smaller speaker, it will hopefully not do so at the expense of durability. Sketchings from within the FCC filing show a device with its own wireless charging foundation: a sturdy crib that the device sits in, outwardly similar to the existing Sonos Move.
Delve deeper into the FCC filing, though, and there are more hints that things will get smaller. A circular label on the bottom notes that it requires 5 volts and 3 amps, much smaller than the Sonos Move’s 18 bolts and 2.5 amp output.
Other notes point to the inclusion of Wi-Fi 5, eclipsing the Sonos Move’s, Wi-Fi 4. This lends itself to better indoor integration with other systems, proxying something from our pick of the best multi-room speakers, or coupled up with either the Sonos Arc, Sonos Beam, using your home’s Wi-Fi for blissful boxset-binges.
What would a smaller speaker mean for Sonos? Well, it would bring it smack bang in the center of a highly saturated market of lightweight Bluetooth speakers that cost less than $250 and boast buckets of versatility. They also fit in a rucksack; more pertinently, you can lug them about without worrying about them being overly bulky, unlike the existing Sonos Move.
The panoramic sounds of the Bose Soundlink Revolve and Ultimate Ears’ letter-perfect range of waterproof, portable speakers would be the place that a more portable Sonos speaker vies for domination in. If that's too much already, you could just stick with headphones, opting for one of our best noise-canceling headphones.
All said, there's a vacancy for a Sonos entry into the true portable sector above and beyond the Sonos Move; principally, if Sonos can take the best parts of the Sonos Move and pack it into a smaller body, then the company will set itself in good stead for the year to come.
Source: The Verge
