Sonos Move Review

By Alex Choros

Last updated 01 October 2019

Sonos Move Review: The Verdict

Bluetooth and battery-power make the Move the most versatile speaker in the Sonos family, but a high-price tag and hefty weight mean it's best for those already in the Sonos ecosystem.

What we love

Great sound quality
Versatile
Super easy to setup
Wide streaming service & assistant support

What could be improved

On the pricier side
Heavy for a portable speaker
Battery life a little short

80/100

$649

The Sonos Move represents a new frontier for Sonos. It's the wireless speaker manufacturer's first speaker that can run off battery power, and its first speaker with Bluetooth. On paper, it's a Sonos speaker that has its cake and eats it too.

Move seamlessly fits into the Sonos ecosystem, connects to your wireless network, and works on mains power. But when you take it out of its charging base and out of the house, it becomes a battery-powered Bluetooth speaker. In some ways, it's two speakers for the price of one.

Still a Sonos

At heart, the Move is still a Sonos. This means the Move is easy to set up. Plug it in, open the app on your phone or PC, press a button on the back of the speaker, and run a short software update. It takes just minutes, and the process is seamless.

It means the Move supports both Alexa and Google Assistant in terms of voice, Apple AirPlay 2, and almost every streaming service under the sun.

It means the Move fits into your existing Sonos setup if you have one. When on WiFi, it behaves exactly like any other Sonos speaker.

It means the Move sounds good. Whether you're using it in wireless mode or Bluetooth, the Move can sure belt out tunes. It's like a louder Sonos One, which was already an excellent speaker, with a hint of extra bass. There's no distortion when you've got it maxed out, and it maintains clarity at lower volumes. It's a generally pleasing, balanced sound. The Move also has automatic TruePlay, which recalibrates sound output to its surroundings. The differences can be quite subtle, but in general, TruePlay ensures a balanced sound. Past Sonos speakers required you to run through a manual tuning process to get this effect.

For the most part, it's all familiar territory. What's new is the versatility offered by a battery and Bluetooth. Sure, you can drag any old Sonos from one room to another, but that means unplugging it, plugging it back in, and waiting for it to reconnect. Outdoors is out of the question unless you've got a power point around or you commit to a serpentine mess of extension cables.

On the other hand, the Move is literally designed to be moved from room to room, as the name suggests. There's even a helpful cut-out on the back that kind of functions as a handle. Take it onto the balcony or into the garden. If your WiFi doesn't reach, switch it into Bluetooth mode and beam music directly from your phone.

Importantly, you don't have to be precious with your Move; it's water and drop resistant. Don't toss it in the pool, but a little bit of rain (or even snow) isn't going to hurt the Move.

What's a tad more problematic is taking the Sonos Move beyond the backyard.

A chonky lad

As ambitious as the Sonos Move is, it's undermined by how damn big it is. The Move is a sizeable speaker, 25cm tall and 16cm wide. It's also heavy, weighing in at around 3kg. It's not exactly something you'll want to lug around. While it's easy enough to throw the Move in the back of your car, it's not a Bluetooth speaker you can just put in your backpack.

Despite the size, the battery life isn't as robust as most other Bluetooth speakers. You'll get about 10 hours per charge, but speakers like the UE Megaboom 3 easily double that. Sure, 10 hours is fine, but it really drives home the point that the Move is better kept at home, for the most part.

When you factor in the Move's $649 price tag, the maths becomes hard. You could spend just under $100 more and get Sonos' high-end Play:5, which sounds better. You could spend $50 less and get a pair of Sonos Ones. You could spend $100 less and get a Sonos One and a Beoplay P2 (our favourite portable, premium Bluetooth speaker). Given the Sonos Move is essentially a louder Sonos One, it becomes a question of whether you want to pay a $350 premium for a bit of extra volume, Bluetooth, and battery power.

Sure, the Sonos Move is technically two speakers in one. It's a high quality wireless speaker and a high quality Bluetooth speaker, but what's the point of a Bluetooth speaker you don't want to take outside of your home?

I almost would have preferred a smaller, cheaper Sonos Move, even if it wasn't quite as loud. Give me a small Sonos I can put in the drink bottle pocket of my backpack. Give me a small Sonos that I can take anywhere. It's nice to have a speaker you can take from room to room, outdoors, or onto your balcony, but that's just scratching the surface of what's possible.

Who is the Sonos Move for?

The Sonos Move is a Bluetooth speaker for those already in the Sonos universe. While the versatility of having both Bluetooth and WiFi certainly has some allure, the Move's asking price is just a little too high to be most people's first Sonos. But if you're already a convert and want to keep your tunes going outdoors or in rooms you can't justify a dedicated speaker for, the Move is easy to recommend, provided you can stomach the cost.