Sonos Roam confirmed: Release date, price & specs
Got a Sonos Move but feel like it’s too bulky to take beyond the garden? Well, say hello to the smaller, cheaper and smarter Sonos Roam.
It was clear that Sonos had a new product on the way and it was a toss-up between this Bluetooth speaker and the highly anticipatedSonos Headphones. Well, the wait goes on for a pair of cans but the firm is still in a better place to rival the likes of Sony, Bose and others.
Sonos Roam release date
As expected, Sonos announced the Roam at itslaunch eventon 9 March and leaked details were right about it getting a release date of20 April.
It’s available in more than 30 countries including the UK, US, Australia, Canada and France.
Sonos Roam price
Rumours were also correct about the cost as the Sonos Roam price isUS$159or£159. In Europe, it’s €179.
That makes it the cheapest Sonos today and you canpre-order it now from Sonoswith retailers coming later in March.
Sonos Roam specs and features
The firm says the Roam is the ‘smartest’ speaker it’s ever made and it’s not wrong. The device is packed with features designed to make it easy to use wherever you go.
Like theSonos Movethat came before it, it has both Wi-Fi (version 5, aka 11.ac) and Bluetooth 5.0. This means it can function on your home network just like other Sonos speaker but can turn into aUE Boom 3rival when you leave the house.
And for ease, it can switch between the two connectivity options automatically. Plus, for the first time, Auto Trueplay (which tunes the speaker based on its environment) is available on Bluetooth.
Sound Swap is a completely new feature and means you can easily group with other Sonos speakers or move the audio completely. Long pressing the play button will ask others to send an ultrasonic signal to work out which is closest.
Compared to the Move, which is 3kg, the Roam is just 430g and 1/6th of the size, hence Sonos dubbing it ultra-portable. You can throw it in a rucksack and still have room for other things.
The durability is also better than the Move at IP67 meaning it’s full dust and waterproof. You can immerse it in 1m of water for up to 30 minutes like many smartphones.
The design – available in Lunar White or Shadow Black – features a concave shape at the end that aims to avoid accidental button presses.
Continuing the list of features is a far-field microphone array so you can use your voice with Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant. There’s also support for AirPlay 2 for devices with iOS 11.4 or later.
The Sonos Roam and offers up to 10 hours of battery life or 10 days on standby. It charges via USB-C with 15W charging, although an adapter is not supplied in the box to be eco-friendly. The speaker also supports Qi wireless charging and the firm has an optional magnetic charging base for US$49 or £44.
We haven’t even talked about audio specs yet so the Roam has a ‘custom racetrack mid-woofer’ along with a tweeter driven by two class-H amps. As this is a mono speaker it’s designed to work in both landscape or portrait orientations.
Sonos says that a high-efficiency motor increases power and range.
As per the Move, the Sonos Roam can’t be used as rear surround sound satellite speakers in a home theatre system. Nor can it be paired with the Sonos Sub. However, you can create a stereo pair if you buy two.
Check out our guide to thebest Sonos speaker.
Author: Chris Martin, Reviews Editor, Tech Advisor
Chris got his break as a reporter at infamous site The Inquirer and has been at Tech Advisor for more than 12 years. With a BA degree in Music Technology, audio is his specialism, but over the years he has reviewed all kinds of gadgets, from smartwatches to mesh Wi-Fi to coffee machines.
