Sonos is refocusing on its core whole-home audio system by launching two new consumer speakers: the portable Sonos Play and the simplified Era 100 SL. The $299 Play is an IP67-rated portable speaker with 24-hour battery life, Bluetooth grouping capabilities, and a user-replaceable battery. The $189 Era 100 SL offers the same audio as the Era 100 but without a microphone, providing a lower-cost entry into the Sonos ecosystem.
This product launch follows a turbulent period for the company marked by a problematic app rollout in 2024, which led to executive changes, layoffs, and declining revenue. The new speakers signal Sonos's intent to move past those difficulties and return to its audio hardware strengths.
The main topics covered are the features and pricing of the new Sonos Play and Era 100 SL speakers, the company's recent struggles with its app and leadership, and its strategic refocusing on core audio products.
Sonos is returning to focus on the system that made it a driving force in whole-home audio. And to support that system, it’s releasing its first new consumer speakers since 2024, the Sonos Play and Era 100 SL, which join the Amp Multi that the company recently announced for custom installs.
Sonos just launched Play, a new $299 portable speaker
After moving past the app debacle, Sonos is getting back to what it does best by adding the Play and Era 100 SL to its arsenal.
After moving past the app debacle, Sonos is getting back to what it does best by adding the Play and Era 100 SL to its arsenal.
The $299 Play is a portable speaker that’s designed to live in your home, but can also be taken out into the world. It includes a removable utility loop to carry or hang it, weighs under three pounds, and has a cylindrical oval shape that’s about 7.5 inches tall, 4.5 inches wide, and 3 inches deep. There are physical controls on top of the speaker to play / pause tracks, skip, replay, change volume, mute the voice assistant, and even group and ungroup speakers.
Inside, there are a pair of force-canceling passive radiators for bass response, a midwoofer, and two angled tweeters powered by three class-H amplifiers. If it’s been enabled in the Sonos app while on Wi-Fi, the Play supports automatic Trueplay to constantly tune the speaker to its environment (as long as its mic is turned on), whether you’re at home or away. Treble, bass, and volume can also be adjusted in the Sonos app.
It’s IP67 rated to keep it safe from water and dust when you take it with you, provides up to 24 hours of playback, and can be used as a power bank to charge your devices via USB-C. While on the go, the Play can also be grouped with up to three additional Play or Move 2 speakers over Bluetooth — a first for Sonos — so you’re not restricted to only grouping over Wi-Fi.
When at home, the Play can live on its charging base to keep the battery topped off. And if you ever need to replace the battery, there’s an optional battery replacement kit available for $69, which Sonos told me is incredibly easy to replace.
The Era 100 SL, meanwhile, is a simplified version of the Era 100. It’s the same size and has the same speaker configuration (two angled tweeters with a single midwoofer), so it’s sonically matched to the Era 100; it just doesn’t have a built-in mic. At $189, the speaker allows existing Sonos customers to build out their system at a lower price point or for new customers to have an easier point of entry to the Sonos experience.
The past couple of years have been rough for Sonos. Its app launch in 2024 was a disaster, causing multiple rounds of layoffs, prompting CEO Patrick Spence to step down, and leading to a notable decline in revenue. But now that time has passed and interim CEO Tom Conrad is in the position permanently, the company has refocused. I think it’s an encouraging sign that Sonos is moving past that turbulent period and getting back to what it does best.
Both the Play and Era 100 SL are available for preorder now, with general availability starting March 31st.
Meridiano
