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Sonos is reportedly readying a second-gen version of its Wi-Fi and Bluetooth-enabled big portable speaker Move. People familiar with the company’s product roadmap recently told The Verge that the Move (Gen 2) is in the pipeline for launch in the second half of 2023. The original model debuted in September 2019, so we might be looking at the same late summer/early fall timeframe here.
According to the new report, Sonos’ Move (Gen 2) will not get a design overhaul. Identified by the model number S44, it will look similar to the original speaker. Despite coming rather heavy for a portable speaker, the first-gen model received a lot of praise from reviewers and users globally, both for its design and sound quality. Sonos likely doesn’t want to change that. Instead, it will build on the success of the speaker to offer an improved version.
One of the biggest improvements will be automatic switching between Bluetooth and Wi-Fi playback. The original model requires you to manually switch your connection using a physical button on the back. The upcoming speaker will retain both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi support but can automatically switch the connection. It will also come with upgraded internals, including the processor and memory. These upgrades will allow Sonos to push feature updates for many years to come.
The second-gen Sonos Move will offer line-in playback as well. Line-in playback was missing on the original model, so that’s another big upgrade. The Verge expects the feature will be enabled via the new USB-C line-in adapter in the upcoming speaker. This will allow the company to dual-purpose the USB-C port for charging. The existing wireless charging solution likely won’t go away, though. The Sonos Move uses a proprietary charging base.
The Sonos Move (Gen 2) will drop support for its older platform
Along with these upgrades, Sonos will reportedly drop support for its older S1 software with the Move (Gen 2). It will be S2-only. The original model supported both platforms. That’s all we know about it right now.
The company will likely continue to offer a battery replacement kit, but there are question marks around its audio drivers. It’s unclear if the new Move will switch to stereo speakers. Maybe Sonos will equip the speaker with the transducer technology that it acquired with the $100 million purchase of Mayht in April last year. We shall find out in the coming months. Meanwhile, the company’s new Era 100 and Era 300 speakers will go on sale later this month.
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