Are you ready to Move again? Sonos is.
Today, Sonos revealed the Move 2, the second generation of its portable party speaker. The Move, which was originally launched back in 2019, was Sonos’ first portable speaker that let owners take their audio outside of the home, whether it be to listen by the pool, camp, or anywhere that a battery-powered speaker lets you enjoy some music, podcasts, or whatever else you’re listening to.
So, what’s new with the second generation of the Move? Let’s start with audio. The speaker has been completely re-engineered from the bottom up. The speaker now features two tweeters instead of one, enabling stereo sound for the first time on a single speaker from the company. Controlling that audio is also easier with redesigned touch controls that now include a volume slider.
The speaker features Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and even a line-in for those who want to hook up a record player to this thing. Like its predecessor, it also supports streaming technologies and smart assistants like the Sonos app, Apple Airplay 2, Spotify Connect, Amazon Alexa, and Sonos Voice Control.
Despite having stereo support built in, that doesn’t mean this speaker lives in a world by itself. The company says that you can still pair two Move 2 speakers together to create an even better stereo experience. You can also integrate the speaker with the rest of your Sonos system, but I don’t think anyone is going to be using these as rear speakers in their home theater setup.
What’s more likely is that people will take this speaker outside to listen to music in the backyard, on the balcony or porch, or haul it along with them to a campsite or the beach. Thankfully, the Move 2, like its predecessor, is built to handle at least some of the elements. Sonos says that the new speaker resists water, dirt, humidity, and sunlight. It also features “shock-absorbent materials” to deal with the occasional bump or drop. It is not, however, waterproof, so don’t dunk this in the pool.
The Sonos Move 2 also gets an enormous boost when it comes to battery life. The first generation of the speaker would last for about 10 hours, but the second generation is increasing that battery life all the way up to 24 hours, more than doubling its predecessor. While I don’t see most people needing to play audio on a portable speaker for an entire day, this will be nice for anyone who wants to use the speaker for a multi-day trip without having to worry about needing to charge.
When you do need to charge the speaker, you’ll be able to use an included wireless charger (which Sonos has also redesigned) or use a USB-C cable with a power delivery charger. Basically, you could plug this thing into your MacBook charger and get charged. Sonos hasn’t said what the exact charging speeds are comparing its wireless charger to wired charging, but I imagine this is something you’ll likely need to charge overnight to get a full battery.
Speaking of that battery, Sonos says that the Move 2 features a removable battery so, as it ages, you can always swap it out rather than needing to replace the entire speaker. In addition, the company says that the Move 2 is more eco-friendly, incorporating recycled plastics, sustainable packaging, and an idle mode that uses 40% less energy. You can now even charge your phone using the battery using the USB-C port.
The Move 2 will be available in Black, White, and Olive colorways at launch, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see the company launch some special edition colors in the future. One thing that is a bummer is that the new Move is getting a price bump. The current generation of the Move costs $399, but the Move 2 will get a $50 price increase to $449.
It will officially launch on September 20th in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Colombia, United Kingdom, Ireland, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Poland, France, Italy, Spain, Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland, Portugal, Greece, Cyprus, Australia, and New Zealand, Eastern Europe, Morocco, Egypt, South Africa, Israel, United Arab Emirates, and Singapore. Sonos says that India, Japan, and China will be coming in the future, but would not provide a date.
With the new Sonos Era 100 and Era 300 speakers launching earlier this year, the company seems like it’s picking up speed when it comes to introducing new generations of its products. Maybe we’ll be in store for a new soundbar next?
