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Sonos just quietly refreshed its Roam 2 portable speaker, and you'll appreciate the changes
Sonos has unveiled the second generation of its smallest portable speaker, the Roam 2. Priced at $179, the new speaker offers some minor yet significant improvements over its predecessor, including easier controls and a quicker setup.
The Roam 2 can now be used out of the box as a Bluetooth speaker, eliminating the need for an initial setup process with the Sonos app on a home Wi-Fi network. Additionally, it features a dedicated Bluetooth pairing button on the back, simplifying the pairing process compared to the previous model.
Also: Sonos's new $449 Ace headphones beat the AirPods Max in three major ways
While the Roam 2 maintains the same compact design, Sonos CEO Patrick Spence has confirmed that the speaker's battery life has been optimized, offering slightly longer usage time. The Roam 2 boasts of up to 10 hours of continuous playback on a single charge. The speaker also retains popular features from its predecessor, such as Sound Swap and the ability to share audio from a Bluetooth-compatible source across an entire Sonos system.
Although the Roam 2 does not feature a user-replaceable battery like the Move and Move 2, Spence emphasized that Sonos has learned from customer feedback, prioritizing tactile buttons and immediate usability. While the speaker's driver layout remains the same, Sonos has not made any explicit claims about improved sound quality. The company does claim the Roam 2 delivers the same rich, detailed sound and bass with the clarity, depth, and fullness you'd expect from a larger speaker. Dust proof and fully waterproof with a rigorously tested IP67 rating, it can handle splashes, dirt, and the elements with ease.
The Roam 2 is now available for purchase at various retailers, with some Best Buy locations already displaying the speaker ahead of its official release. Roam 2 is available globally starting today, May 21 for $179 at sonos.com, and in five color options -- olive, sunset, wave, black, and white -- to fit your style.
In addition to Roam 2, Sonos is also rolling out updates and bug fixes for the Sonos app via a software release today. The company also released its first-ever pair of headphones today in the form of the $449 Ace.