Sonos Launches Second-Generation Roam Portable Smart Speaker

TapTechNews May 21st news, Sonos today launched the second-generation Roam portable smart speaker. Compared to the first-generation product, it mainly upgrades the user experience, and the price is 179 US dollars (TapTechNews note: currently about 1296 RMB).

Unlike the first-generation product that requires cumbersome initial settings through the Sonos App before use, Roam 2 is ready to use out of the box and can be directly used as a Bluetooth speaker without connecting to the Wi-Fi network. This is crucial for a portable speaker, and Sonos has finally realized this.

Roam 2 also adds a dedicated Bluetooth pairing button, replacing the complex design of the first-generation product that combines pairing and other functions on the power button. Previously, users needed to achieve different functions by holding the power button for different lengths of time, and now it becomes much simpler and easier to understand.

However, old users may be more concerned about the battery life issue. Unlike the Move series with replaceable batteries, the battery of the Roam series is not replaceable. Many users complain that the battery life of the first-generation Roam will gradually decrease with the use time. The new-generation Roam 2 still provides a maximum continuous playback time of 10 hours, but Sonos CEO Patrick Spence said they optimized the battery, We optimized the battery, and the battery life will be improved, but he did not disclose specific details. Spence said that the main lesson they learned from the first-generation Roam is that users want to have more physical buttons and want to use the speaker immediately after purchase.

Roam 2 still supports the sound switching function, which can easily switch music between Roam and other Sonos speakers. Users can also connect any Bluetooth-enabled device to the speaker and then share its audio to the entire Sonos system. However, its USB-C interface is still only used for power supply, not having the line input function like Move 2.

In the internal structure, this speaker still uses the same speaker layout as before: one tweeter and one mid-bass unit, and there is no claim of any improvement in sound quality.

Roam 2 is available in black, green, orange, and white. The new logo is the same color as the body, while the old logo uses white text. The speaker has been on sale at retailers today.