Sonos Play review: One of the best portable speakers in years

The Sonos Move is, hands-down, my favorite speaker Sonos has ever made. It has a big sound, big battery and Bluetooth support. My only complaint is that, at over 6.5 pounds, it’s slightly just not portable enough for most situations where you’d actually want to use a wireless speaker. Enter the $299 Sonos Play.

Sonos Play takes the same idea as the Move and scales it down into a sub-3-pound package that’s genuinely convenient to carry, complete with a utility loop and 24 hours of battery life. You still get Wi-Fi for streaming, voice assistants, multi-room listening and all the other core Sonos system features at home. It’s even line-in ready for my record player. But Bluetooth, and waterproofing means this speaker can join me on outings, too.

From someone who’s part of the company’s long-term user base, Sonos has far from escaped its series of software controversies unscathed. But Sonos Play is the kind of product that brings the focus back to what the brand does well — connected smart speakers that fill your space with great sound. And that’s the takeaway you can read more about in my full Sonos Play review below.

Sonos Play cheat sheet

• What is Sonos Play? A portable Sonos speaker that offers Wi-Fi multi-room audio as well as Bluetooth, designed for both home use and on-the-go listening.
• How much does Sonos Play cost? It costs $299.
• Can you use two Sonos Plays together? Yes, pair two for stereo sound over Wi-Fi, or group multiple speakers (including up to three additional Play or Move 2 units) over Bluetooth.
• Can you use Sonos Play with a record player? Yes, as long as you have the $20 Sonos Line-In Adapter. And yes, it has to be the Sonos one to work properly.
• Sonos Play vs. Sonos Move 2? The $399 Sonos Move 2 is larger and more powerful, but less portable. The $299 Play is lighter and easier to carry while still delivering strong stereo sound, plus it has more sophisticated Bluetooth pairing than the Move.
• Sonos Play vs. Sonos Roam? The $179 Sonos Roam is a smaller Wi-Fi/Bluetooth speaker and weighs under 1 pound, but without a charging base or line-in, it’s less appealing for in-home sound system use.
• What is Sonos Play battery life? Up to 24 hours, plus it doubles as a power bank to charge your phone.

The ups

Practical, portable design

While I’ve always sung the praises of the Sonos Move, I’ve never felt the same way about the Sonos Roam. It’s a perfectly fine Bluetooth speaker, but at its price, it’s hard to ignore how many comparable options are out there for less. It doesn’t quite justify itself in the same way something like the Play does.

The Play feels unmistakably like a Sonos speaker, with intuitive controls and a large enough audio presence to complement any Sonos system. But much like the Move, it lives on a wireless charging base at home, then seamlessly transitions into a travel speaker designed for everyday carry. It even has a removable utility loop that makes it easy to grab and go. It’s also IP67-rated, so dust and water aren’t a problem.

To sum it up, the Move is too big of a home speaker to be truly portable, while the Roam is too much of a portable speaker to be practical at home. The Play strikes the perfect balance between them within Sonos’s battery-powered options.

Balanced, room-filling sound

For a speaker this size, the sound is impressively well-rounded. Vocals, whether I was listening to podcasts or stripped-down tracks, come through crisp and clear, thanks to that dedicated midwoofer.

At the same time, bass-heavy tracks (think Kendrick Lamar’s ‘m.A.A.d city’ or electronic playlists) still hit with enough depth to feel satisfying without overpowering everything else. The dual passive radiators do a lot of work here, while the Automatic Trueplay feature adapts playback in real-time to suit your listening space.

Like most Sonos speakers, though, I wouldn’t push it to max volume in most circumstances. It holds up well, but it’s clearly tuned for balance over brute force. The key to getting a bigger sound from Sonos Play is your pairing options.

Flexible pairing

There are lots of different ways you can play music with Play. First, you can listen to it solo over Wi-Fi, either casting (I use AirPlay) or using the Sonos app with your synced streaming services. With the compatible Sonos line-in adapter, the Play can also hook up to a record player and cast to your other speakers.

If you have other Sonos speakers, you can also assign it for multi-device and multi-room playback, too. Better yet, you can stereo pair two Plays over Wi-Fi for a more immersive setup at home.

Over Bluetooth, you can connect one Play to your phone, then sync up to three additional speakers, including the Sonos Move 2, just by holding the pairing button. That’s a newer feature the Move doesn’t have.

24-hour battery life

Sonos rates the Play for up to 24 hours of battery life. I left it off the charging base for about 3 days, and my hours of active listening landed just around that estimate. Comparing the other battery-powered Sonos speakers, the Move 2 lasts 24 hours as well and the Roam lasts up to 10 hours. Both the Play and Move 2 have replaceable batteries, which I think is a meaningful factor for speakers you’d want to last in your home for a long time.

What’s more, the Play doubles as a USB-C power bank. Being able to top off my phone while I was out made this speaker feel even more multi-purpose.

The downs

Pricey depending on what you’re looking for

I’ll be honest, I struggled to find much fault with the Sonos Play. For what it offers (Wi-Fi streaming, multi-room audio, voice control, strong battery life and portability) it actually delivers a lot of value.

That said, you don’t need to spend $299 for a Bluetooth speaker of this size and with solid sound. For example, the UE Everboom can usually be found for $199 and it’s pretty similar in dimensions. I also like the JBL Charge 6, which tends to go on sale for about $170. I’d recommend these if you’re not looking for any “smart” features via Wi-Fi.

Verdict

The Sonos Play takes everything that makes the Sonos ecosystem great and packages it in a design that provides comprehensive versatility between Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. Unlike past attempts, the Play doesn’t feel like you’re compromising in either direction.

That balance is what makes it stand out against both the Sonos Move 2 and Sonos Roam. One leans too far into being a home speaker, the other too far into being ultra-portable. The Play sits right in the middle, offering enough power for your living room and enough practicality for a park day, weekend trip or if you're like me, concert in the shower.

$299 is a lot if all you want is a Bluetooth speaker. But if you’re even slightly invested in the Sonos ecosystem, or want a speaker that can grow into one, this is easily one of the most well-rounded options the company has debuted in years.