It was clear that Sonos had a new product on the way and it was a toss-up between this Bluetooth speaker and the highly anticipated Sonos Headphones. Well, the wait goes on for a pair of cans but the firm is still in a better place to rival the likes of Sony, Bose and others.
Sonos Roam release date
As expected, Sonos announced the Roam at its launch event on 9 March and leaked details were right about it getting a release date of 20 April. It’s available in more than 30 countries including the UK, US, Australia, Canada and France.
Sonos Roam price
Rumours were also correct about the cost as the Sonos Roam price is US$159 or £159. In Europe, it’s €179. That makes it the cheapest Sonos today and you can pre-order it now from Sonos with retailers coming later in March.
Sonos Roam specs and features
The firm says the Roam is the ‘smartest’ speaker it’s ever made and it’s not wrong. The device is packed with features designed to make it easy to use wherever you go. Like the Sonos Move that came before it, it has both Wi-Fi (version 5, aka 11.ac) and Bluetooth 5.0. This means it can function on your home network just like other Sonos speaker but can turn into a UE Boom 3 rival when you leave the house.
And for ease, it can switch between the two connectivity options automatically. Plus, for the first time, Auto Trueplay (which tunes the speaker based on its environment) is available on Bluetooth. Sound Swap is a completely new feature and means you can easily group with other Sonos speakers or move the audio completely. Long pressing the play button will ask others to send an ultrasonic signal to work out which is closest. Compared to the Move, which is 3kg, the Roam is just 430g and 1/6th of the size, hence Sonos dubbing it ultra-portable. You can throw it in a rucksack and still have room for other things.
The durability is also better than the Move at IP67 meaning it’s full dust and waterproof. You can immerse it in 1m of water for up to 30 minutes like many smartphones. The design – available in Lunar White or Shadow Black – features a concave shape at the end that aims to avoid accidental button presses. The Sonos Roam and offers up to 10 hours of battery life or 10 days on standby. It charges via USB-C with 15W charging, although an adapter is not supplied in the box to be eco-friendly. The speaker also supports Qi wireless charging and the firm has an optional magnetic charging base for US$49 or £44.
We haven’t even talked about audio specs yet so the Roam has a ‘custom racetrack mid-woofer’ along with a tweeter driven by two class-H amps. As this is a mono speaker it’s designed to work in both landscape or portrait orientations. Sonos says that a high-efficiency motor increases power and range. As per the Move, the Sonos Roam can’t be used as rear surround sound satellite speakers in a home theatre system. Nor can it be paired with the Sonos Sub. However, you can create a stereo pair if you buy two. Check out our guide to the best Sonos speaker. Tech Advisor’s Reviews Editor, Chris has been reviewing all kinds of tech for over 10 years and specialises in audio. He also covers a range of topics including home entertainment, phones, laptops, tablets and more.
