Sonos Move: Your Speaker of Choice?

Mark Preston

Sonos has been producing high-quality wireless audio equipment for almost two decades now, and the Sonos Move is its first foray into the portable speaker market. With such a strong company heritage to back it up, the tech expert has certainly come up with an excellent piece of kit. But does this mean it’s going to become your go-to speaker? Let’s find out.

Pros and Cons

Pros

Solid weatherproof build
Compatible with Alexa and Google Assistant
Fast charging cradle
Great audio quality with a smooth, deep bass
Automatic Trueplay comes built-in

Cons

It’s a little expensive
It’s large for a portable speaker

Features

Multiple smart features - The Sonos Move has multiple device connectivity via Bluetooth and WiFi, built-in Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant, as well as a special Trueplay option. This is probably the device’s most impressive trick and involves the speaker detecting the environment it’s being played in and adjusting the sound to better match it to studio-quality audio
Great charging cradle - We’re surprised more portable speakers don’t come with a charging cradle like this, one that not only stores the device but charges it too. This means your Sonos Move is almost always ready to go when you want to take it on the move
Weather and dust resistant - It’s a robust piece of kit that's been designed to take a bit of a battering and has a very respectable 10-hour battery life, making it an ideal outdoor portable speaker. However, these extra layers of protection have made it somewhat bulky, and it’s a lot heavier than competitor products, coming in at a hefty 3kg/6.6lbs
Intuitive app - This is one of the better apps we’ve seen and you get a lot of customization options. Feel free to adjust bass and treble sliders to your heart's content and stream music from libraries held on multiple devices
Great integration with audio streaming services - It makes sense that a company with its roots in excellent sound quality would want to integrate with popular streaming apps of the day, and the device works seamlessly with the likes of Spotify and YouTube Music

Sound Quality

We’ve already mentioned that the Sonos Move utilizes a Trueplay function, which adapts the audio depending on the environment the device has been placed in, and this really does make a noticeable difference. For example, the volume and bass tones will auto adjust when moving from a quiet living room to your garden, and the speaker is great at detecting background chatter and pitching up the sound accordingly.

Being a much bigger device than its rival counterparts, it’s able to provide a corresponding boost in volume and can even be heard clearly at large gatherings, like garden parties and BBQs. Although, bear in mind that, at higher volumes, you’re going to hear a slight dip in clarity and quality.

Audio is well-balanced overall, but it definitely feels like it performs better in an indoor setting, and this is borne out by some of the features that are only available via a WiFi connection and not on Bluetooth, limiting your outside options a little. For example, the much-vaunted Trueplay option must have a Wi-Fi connection, so you’ll be stuck making manual sound adjustments yourself if you’re away from home or a public hotspot.

Design

While we love the features and sound quality of the Sonos Move, it falls down a little when it comes to design. We’ve already talked about the bulky size, which somewhat defeats the purpose of making the device portable, and you have to plan your journeys around it. This is especially true if you’re someone that takes their speaker on vacation so you can lounge around the pool. This beast will take up a significant chunk of your baggage allowance!

It has a stylish matte black finish, but this is, unfortunately, the only color currently available. It’d be nice to have some other options to match different home decors. Still, despite these very minor issues, we don’t have any other complaints about the design and love the durability of it. You’ll even find run-off channels for rainwater within the casing itself. Sonos claims the Move can withstand drops, bumps, and scrapes any typical outdoor speaker might expect and comes with a one-year warranty to back up these claims.

Specifications

Battery life - Up to 10 hours from one full charge. Charging takes around 2.5 hours
Weight - 3kg/6.6lbs
Dimensions - 240 X 160 X 126mm / 9.4 X 6.3 X 4.9 inches
Water-resistance level - IP56 - Meaning resistant to rain, dust, snow, and extreme temperatures
Connectivity - WiFi, Bluetooth, Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, Spotify Connect, Airplay 2

Final thoughts

There’s a whole lot to love about the Sonos Move, from its smart Trueplay function and excellent sound quality to its robust build and impressive battery life. However, with most features restricted to Wi-Fi, we’d recommend this for users that mostly do their listening at home or out in the yard. It’s still a great piece of kit if you’re traveling with it, but the high price tag and bulky nature of the device might have some people thinking twice.