Poor old Sonos has had a rough couple of years. When the brand launched a new version of its app in May 2024, it led to the mother off all fallouts, with software bugs, missing features and degraded hardware eventually leading to the departure of the company’s CEO. But now that Sonos is finally back to doing what it does best – releasing great speakers – things might finally be turning around.
Last month, the company unveiled two new speakers, the Sonos Era 100 SL and the Sonos Play. Both look and sound fantastic, but it’s the latter that’s captured my heart. Play, the company’s latest portable bluetooth-enabled offering, is a joy to use – and listen to.
Sitting between the tiny Sonos Roam and the bigger and more powerful Sonos Move, Sonos Play is something of a Goldilocks speaker for the brand. And from the moment of unboxing, it’s clear that this is an ideal size for parties and gatherings. You probably wouldn’t want to carry it in a rucksack for too long, but it’s perfect for moving around the house – especially given how easily it slips on and off the accompanying charging dock.
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And it’s not just the size that appeals – the design of the Play is delightfully minimal. Like many Sonos speakers, it features a symmetrical oval design, with clean lines and tactile rubber on the top and bottom. But there are a couple of fun details here, with Sonos including a touch of sage green for the small rubber lanyard handle and the charging dock.
Of course, the most important thing here is sound quality, and I’e been blown away by the power and fidelity for the size. I’ve been doing a ton of painting and gardening this week, and the Play was a delightful companion, filling the garden with warm sound throughout. Now, if only I had enough friends to host a party with it.
For a portable speaker, the inclusion of Bluetooth functionality is a no-brainer, but it does make the Play much more versatile and convenient than older Sonos speakers in my system, such as the Sonos One. I’m using the Play in my garden office, where I use mobile tethering rather than WiFi. Whereas none of the older models have worked in there, the Play slots in beautifully, letting me easily connect with either my Mac or iPhone via Bluetooth.
After a couple of weeks of use, I can safely say this is my favourite Sonos speaker yet. From the perfectly-proportioned dimensions to the impressive sound quality, it’s basically a really solid offering for a decent price. Maybe we can finally start to put that app debacle behind us, eh?