We really rate the Sonos Roam, but with any device there's always room for improvement – and it looks like that’s coming in time for summer with a brand new version of Sonos's backpack-friendly portable speaker. According to Bloomberg.com, Sonos is planning to release the Roam 2 speaker in June 2024 – and it'll have a strong resemblance to its siblings, the Era 100 and Era 300.
Bloomberg's tech reporter Mark Gurman says that the new Roam 2 portable speaker will have the same touch-sensitive control panel as the newest Sonos speakers, and he also says that Sonos is working on a new app to go with them. However, the new app won't be for every Sonos system to begin with: the firm is reportedly going to begin with the new Roam 2 and the so far unreleased Sonos true wireless headphones. They too are now apparently scheduled for a June launch, a little later than previously rumoured.
Sonos Roam 2 and Sonos Headphones: what we know so far
The long-rumoured Sonos headphones have been the subject of intense speculation ever since their existence first leaked, and the release date appears to have moved a few times: it was initially expected to be in summer 2024, then rumours said it was going to be much earlier, and now it's back to summer again.
Detailed specifications haven't leaked yet but the Bluetooth group's listings have an entry for Sonos headphones that says they have Bluetooth 5.4, which we know delivers reliable multipoint audio and which can also be used to ensure you don't miss nearby public announcements in places such as airports, where noise cancelling can mean not hearing key messages. However, we have no idea what features these new headphones will have yet, although as they're expected to be going head to head with Apple's AirPods Max – albeit at a slightly lower price – high audio quality and active noise cancellation seem likely. We do have a wishlist of what we'd like to see and hear, though.
As for the Roam 2, the reason we gave it four stars rather than five in our review is because the battery life isn't as good as we'd like, and the sound quality could be better at lower volumes. Hopefully both of these things will be better in the second generation model, which could well prove to be one of the best Bluetooth speakers we'll see this year.
