Audio review
Sonos Move 2 Review: Portable the Way a Cast Iron Skillet Is
Three kilograms, a carry handle, and a battery Engadget could not run flat in 23 hours. This moves between rooms, not to the beach.
By Paulo GerchonPublished 2 min read
Illustration, not a photo — we don’t have a licensed image of this product yet.
Sonos
Sonos Move 2
Good · researched from 3 sources
The battery is extraordinary and the build genuinely handles a garden, but at three kilograms this is a speaker you carry to the patio rather than take anywhere. If you are not already in the Sonos system, the price is hard to justify.
- Buy if
- Moving one good speaker between rooms and a garden · Existing Sonos households wanting a portable that joins the system · Long outdoor days, on a battery nobody could run flat
- Skip if
- Backpacks, beaches or anything involving carrying it far · Anyone outside the Sonos ecosystem, on price · Listeners wanting genuine stereo width from one box
We don’t list prices, because Amazon’s change hourly.
The battery nobody could exhaust
Engadget played it over WiFi for 22 hours 50 minutes and stopped with 46 percent still showing.
Sonos claims 24 hours. On that evidence the real figure at their listening level is somewhere past forty.
Kunal Ganglani translates it into ownership: charging goes from daily to once or twice a week, against the original Move's ten or eleven hours. Recharging takes about three hours in the cradle, and SoundGuys notes leaving it there permanently does not damage the cell.
In a catalogue where most portable speakers fall short of their claims, this one is not close to its limit.
And the weight nobody can ignore
Three kilograms.
Kunal Ganglani's description is the one to remember: portable the way a cast iron skillet is portable. It has a handle, it moves between rooms, it goes out to a patio, and it does not go in a bag.
SoundGuys reaches the same place from the other direction, noting that despite the IP56 rating this is not a first choice for taking out, and makes most sense moved around a house.
The Sonos Roam elsewhere in this catalogue weighs 430 grams. These two products are both called portable and mean different things by it.
Stereo, sort of
The original Move was mono. This has two angled tweeters and a mid-woofer driven by three amplifiers, borrowed from the Era 100 design.
Engadget's verdict on what that buys: improved clarity over the original, and tweeters too close together to create meaningful left-right panning.
Kunal Ganglani hears more, describing instruments in distinct positions rather than a wall of sound.
SoundGuys hears less, rating the audio merely okay with a low end that is arguably too much and reduced detail in the upper register, and noting the app offers only bass and treble sliders rather than a real equaliser.
IP56 is not IP67
Dust-tight and safe against high-pressure water jets. Not submersible.
That is the difference between this and the Roam, and it decides whether it can sit near a pool. Engadget adds a working range of 14°F to 131°F, and Kunal Ganglani notes drop-resistant materials.
Rain on a patio, yes. The edge of the water, no.
The price argument
Engadget lays it out and it is hard to answer: the Move 2 costs the same as the Era 300, which adds spatial audio and is a better speaker standing still, and more than an Era 100 and a Roam bought together, which covers both jobs properly.
Kunal Ganglani's conclusion is that this makes sense for people already invested in Sonos who want one very good speaker that can go outside.
That is a real niche and a narrow one. Automatic Trueplay now working over Bluetooth as well as WiFi, a USB-C port that takes a line-in dongle and charges a phone, and a physical microphone kill switch are all genuine additions, and none of them changes the arithmetic.
How it scored
The overall 8.1 is the weighted average of these five criteria — we never adjust it by hand.
Sound quality
Engadget calls it clear and well balanced across all ranges. SoundGuys rates the multidimensional audio merely okay and finds the low end arguably a little too much.
Value
Engadget points out it costs the same as an Era 300 with spatial audio, and more than an Era 100 and a Roam bought together. SoundGuys scored it 7.2 out of 10.
Build quality
IP56, so dust-tight and safe against high-pressure water jets, though not submersible. Kunal Ganglani notes drop-resistant materials and a rated range from 14°F to 131°F.
Ease of use
Automatic Trueplay now works over Bluetooth as well as WiFi, and there is a physical microphone kill switch. SoundGuys notes EQ is limited to bass and treble sliders.
Battery
Engadget played it for 22 hours 50 minutes over WiFi and still had 46 percent remaining, against a 24 hour claim.
Pros and cons
What we liked
- Engadget had 46 percent battery left after 22 hours 50 minutes of playback
- Stereo from two angled tweeters, where the original Move was mono
- IP56 and drop-resistant materials, per Kunal Ganglani
- Automatic Trueplay works over Bluetooth as well as WiFi
- A USB-C port that takes a line-in dongle and charges other devices
- A physical microphone kill switch rather than a software toggle
What we didn’t
- 3 kg, which SoundGuys calls hefty and Kunal Ganglani compares to a cast iron skillet
- Engadget says the tweeters are too close together for meaningful stereo separation
- SoundGuys finds the low end arguably overdone and the upper register short of detail
- Engadget notes it costs the same as an Era 300, which offers spatial audio
- SoundGuys says EQ is limited to bass and treble sliders
- Trueplay requires the microphones to stay active, which SoundGuys flags as a privacy trade
Specifications
| Battery | 24 hours claimed; 46 percent remaining after 22 h 50 m per Engadget |
|---|---|
| Recharge | About three hours in the cradle per SoundGuys |
| Drivers | Two angled tweeters and one mid-woofer, with three amplifiers |
| Water resistance | IP56, dust-tight and jet resistant, not submersible |
| Weight | 3 kg per SoundGuys; about 6.6 lb per Kunal Ganglani |
| Dimensions | 241 x 160 x 127 mm per SoundGuys |
| Connectivity | WiFi, Bluetooth 5.0, AirPlay 2 and USB-C line-in |
| Temperature range | 14°F to 131°F per Engadget |
| EQ | Bass and treble sliders only per SoundGuys |
| Trueplay | Automatic, and now works over Bluetooth |
How we researched this
We have not had this unit on the bench. This review synthesises the manufacturer’s published specifications, independent measurements and owner reports listed below. Every figure on this page comes from one of those sources rather than our own measurement.
3
sources reviewed
SoundGuys supplies the driver configuration, the dimensions and weight, the IP rating detail, the EQ limitation and the Trueplay privacy observation, and scored it 7.2 out of 10. Engadget ran the battery down over WiFi and supplies that measurement, along with the stereo separation finding, the temperature range and the price comparisons against other Sonos models. Kunal Ganglani supplies the portability framing, the connectivity detail including USB-C line-in and reverse charging, and the comparison against non-Sonos alternatives. The sources disagree about how much stereo separation the two tweeters produce, and both positions are reported.
What we read
Common questions
How long does the Sonos Move 2 battery last?
Is it actually portable?
Does it sound like stereo?
What does IP56 actually cover?
Is it worth the price?
The bottom line on the Sonos Move 2
The battery is extraordinary and the build genuinely handles a garden, but at three kilograms this is a speaker you carry to the patio rather than take anywhere. If you are not already in the Sonos system, the price is hard to justify.
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