Labor Day may have come and gone, but Sonos still wants to let you listen to music inside or out—err, at least with a few speakers. Arguably, the best for use anywhere is the Move, first released in 2019 and still pumping out tunes nearly four years later.
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It's one of my favorite Sonos speakers and one of the best outdoor-approved speakers. And now Sonos is ready to evolve its flagship speaker with a new generation. The Sonos Move 2 is $50 more at $449 but comes in three shades, extends the battery life to 24 hours, and brings bolder sound.
Of course, as the name hints, it's still ultra-portable and begins shipping on September 20. If you're sold, and we have a hunch that if you're in the Sonos ecosystem already, you might be; preorders for the new Move are open now.
Sonos Move 2: Pricing, Colors, & Preorders
Unlike the original Sonos Move, the second generation is launching in three shades. Sonos staples, black and white, are joined by a fresh shade of green coined "Olive." It also compliments the Roam, which is available in the same color.
All the colors feature a matte finish and a coating that ensures the color will stay true to form even in direct, hot sunlight and rain or dust. The Sonos Move 2 has a charging base, USB-C cable, and a 45-watt wall plug in the box.
It's up for preorder at $449 in all three colors from Sonos directly and will begin shipping on September 20, 2023.
- Move 2 in Olive, $449 at Sonos
- Move 2 in Black, $449 at Sonos
- Move 2 in White, $449 at Sonos
Sonos Move 2: What You Need to Know
For it's second-generation, Sonos is refining the Move rather than redesigning it. It's slightly taller, but that won't impact the functionality as it's the same weight and keeps the built-in handle on the back.
You can grab the Move 2 and bring it to the patio, backyard, park, pool, or beach. The entire speaker is IP56 rated against dust and water and self-protecting from drops with shock absorbency built-in. The Move can be used in any season, bringing music's power anywhere.
Sonos is swapping the first generation's physical, tactile buttons for the more modern controls we saw on the Era 100 and Era 300 smart speakers. The Move 2 has a recessed slider to place your finger to adjust the volume or control playback quickly, as well as touch control points for going forward, back a track, muting or unmuting the microphones, and playing or pausing.
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The main upgrade is making an already great-sounding speaker produce even better audio. For starters, it's now a stereo setup that lets the Move 2 deliver a wider soundstage and should allow you to hear more elements of a given track. Two angled tweeters, a single mid-woofer, and three class-D digital amplifiers power the audio and are tuned by Sonos. Like the Era 100 smart speaker, the Move 2 sports "Automatic Trueplay," which uses built-in microphones to adjust the sound in real-time to your space.
All of this should work in the background and leave you with an enjoyable mix that sounds great. Of course, if you want to customize it, you can modify the audio mix in the Sonos app.
Sonos packed a larger battery inside—44Wh versus 36Wh—extending the battery life up to 24 hours, more than double the original’s 11 hours. It makes the Move 2 even more roadworthy. You can set it at home on the wireless charging base in the box, but a USB-C port lets you recharge the speaker anywhere. It also turns the speaker into a power bank, meaning you can recharge your Samsung Galaxy or iPhone via a USB-C cable. This is sure to be one of the best upgrades aside from sound.
Like the Sonos Roam and the original Move, the second-generation packs in two forms of connectivity. It's still Wi-Fi enabled and fully integrated or compatible with other Sonos speakers. This is great as it works like any other Sonos speaker at home, but thanks to Bluetooth, you can press a button, pair from a phone, and play music from anywhere.
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With double the battery life and improved hardware for better playback in any condition, the Move 2 is a considerable upgrade. It's also clear that Sonos is sticking with a design that the team likes and that has been well-received for the last four years. At $449, it's more expensive, but on paper, it delivers an excellent value.
We'll be back soon with a full review, but you can preorder the Move 2 in Olive, black, or white from Sonos for $449.
Move 2, $449 at Sonos
Prices are accurate and items in stock at time of publishing.
