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You’re looking at the first images of the next speaker from Sonos. Set to be priced at $169, the new device — it’s called the Sonos Roam — is much smaller than the Sonos Move, which was the company’s first foray into portable speakers. This product has a much closer resemblance to popular, take-anywhere Bluetooth speakers like the UE Boom.
According to a source with direct knowledge of the Roam, it measures 6.5 x 2.5 x 2.5 inches and weighs around a pound. It will come with a USB charging cable, and a wireless charging dock will be sold separately for $49. Like many of the company’s other speakers, the Sonos Roam will be available in either black or white.
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The Verge has reached out to Sonos for comment. The new speaker first popped up in a Federal Communications Commission filing. Since then, Sonos has confirmed it will announce a new product on March 9th. Current plans call for the Roam to ship a month later on April 20th.
Like the Move speaker, the Sonos Roam will be able to play audio over both Wi-Fi (when at home on your regular Sonos system) and Bluetooth on the go. On Wi-Fi, the Roam will function like any recent Sonos speaker as part of a multi-room system. It runs on the company’s S2 platform that rolled out last year. There are built-in mics for hands-free voice commands for either Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant, and AirPlay 2 is supported as well. Two Roams can be stereo paired when in Wi-Fi mode.
Battery life is expected to be around 10 hours on a full charge, and the Roam is fully waterproof, which will help it compete against the similarly-rugged competition.
With the Roam, Sonos will expand its lineup of multi-room speakers to go well beyond the home. The Move’s hefty weight made it impractical for taking anywhere beyond short trips to a backyard or porch, but the Roam will fill the role of a true travel speaker. Or a bathroom speaker. Or a speaker that can go wherever else you need it. You get the idea. It’s a smart move.
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