A new Sonos speaker has arrived, but good luck telling the difference between the old and the new model.
This week’s launch of a new Sonos gadget was exciting enough, but it wasn’t the only thing Sonos had in store for folks. There’s also a new speaker, though it doesn’t have many differences from the model it will end up replacing.
Back in 2021, Sonos launched a second Bluetooth speaker made to be much more portable than its first. While the Sonos Move delivered a big sound in a sizeable package, the Sonos Roam found a way to compact the technology into something much, much smaller.
We loved it back when we reviewed it, and three years on, we’re still using the Roam out and about. We use it inside the home in a group, and when we head outside, we bring it, too. It’s water resistant and offers punchy sound that’s easy to get into.
Three years on, Sonos is changing some a few things, much like it did last year with the Sonos Move 2. The Roam 2 doesn’t see a lot of obvious change, but offers minor improvements that could make all the difference.
These include an updated look, a distinctly different power and Bluetooth set of buttons instead of the one married together, plus a way to set the Roam 2 up directly to Bluetooth instead of needing to connect it to WiFi first, one of the requirements of the original.
However, the design is still the same, the inside speaker tech is still the same, the support for both USB-C and Qi wireless charging is still the same, the IP67 water resistance is still the same, and the automatic TruePlay technology understanding and tweaking the sound to your environment is also still the same.
Most of the Roam 2 package is still the same, which may not be a bad thing at all.
The main differences appear to be focused on controls and look, while Sonos keeps the sound architecture the same, possibly because the original was good enough to begin with.
The updated Sonos Roam 2 will cost a little more in this generation than the previous one, however, with the Roam’s $279 price updated to $299 in the Roam 2. Availability on this one is immediately, though, with the Roam 2 launching this week across the world including Australia.
