Sonos products have a reputation for superb build quality, and whether we’re talking about a Sonos One SL (formerly the Play:1) or a Sonos Sub, each speaker feels solid and substantial. The only remaining question is, given the considerable investment it requires, is the Move worth it? Big yet balanced
The company’s first truly portable (and Bluetooth-capable) $399 Move is here. Only Sonos knows all the reasons why the company held back, but that chapter is now closed. Hey Google, can you say Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and AirPlay 2?.It’s expensive, but as investments go, if you’re looking for the next step in smart portability, the Move is your best bet, especially as a worthy addition to an already-existing Sonos setup. The sound quality is formidable, the design is sturdy and characteristic of Sonos, and it’s (much) smarter than the average speaker. The Move takes everything good about Sonos and puts a handle on the back, a long-awaited development from the brand, and one that doesn’t disappoint.
However, the Move is more than just a Bluetooth speaker, offering the best smart speaker specs available in a portable unit.
It sounds great, but there are other Bluetooth speakers that sound as good and cost less. If you’re in the market for a no-frills Bluetooth speaker, the Move’s £399 price tag might put you off, and with good reason.
To offer this quality of sound alongside the Move’s other attractions – aspects that are more likely to be the clincher for any purchase, such as its smart capabilities – is something to be praised. However, this is a Jack-of-all-trades in the original sense: it does everything very well, leaving nothing unconsidered, including audio. It isn’t the best sound on the portable speaker market, with more audio-dedicated speakers offering better all-round sound. It also means no more frantic waving of your phone around the room like a drunk festival goer to make sure the acoustics are perfect. The Move is the first Sonos product to have Trueplay tuning built in, meaning that the speaker automatically analyses your space and adjusts the Move’s sound accordingly to create optimum listening quality. The volume it can reach is also impressive for a portable speaker, outgunning many of its competitors with a minimal loss in sound quality at the upper end. The downward-firing tweeter is a welcome development, creating a much more rounded sound from anywhere in the room, and the bass is pleasingly punchy, better than the majority of speakers of its size. The Move sticks with the familiar sound profile of the Sonos range – great for background ambience and more concentrated listening, with clarity across all frequencies. Speaking of charging, the Move’s replaceable battery is a refreshing addition, and marks a nod from Sonos towards a more modular approach to design. If you’re out for the day, however, you can also handily use the USB-C port. It makes the process a doddle, fits with the speaker’s sleek aesthetic, and should give the Move around 11 hours of battery life (depending on volume levels).
Switching between wifi and Bluetooth is as simple as pressing one of two buttons on the back of the speaker: controls are neat and minimal, as you’ll most likely be using either the app or voice commands, via the ever-listening microphones (although you can switch them off).
This is particularly useful when you want full access to your music library, with the Sonos app searching each streaming service simultaneously for the track you want. Bluetooth connectivity comes in handy when taking the Move a little further afield, either into the garden or on a picnic.Ĭonnecting to the Move isn’t too tricky, bar a little initial fiddling between wifi and Bluetooth, and the Sonos app, once you’re registered, is an easy one stop shop for pretty much every streaming service around. This isn’t a problem for the Move, with the connection remaining strong on our home network. In terms of connectivity, you’ll want to stick to wifi for the most part, due to its superior sound quality. The silicone rubber bottom adds to its grip on surfaces, while most of the rest of the body is wrapped in an encouragingly solid metal grille. It’s quite a hefty beast, a 3kg portable speaker that’s more suited to being carried from the kitchen to the garden than up Ben Nevis, but with this heft comes sturdiness and a dust and water resistant IP56 rating. It’s slightly taller and has more of an edge than the Sonos One, but the Move fits seamlessly into the Sonos family. Battery life: 11 hours (dependent on volume)Ĭonnectivity: Wifi (2.4gHz and 5gHz), Bluetooth, AirPlay 2, Spotify Connect, Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa Design