Sonos Move  Speaker Review

Review updated Nov 22, 2023 at 02:02pm
Retest Jan 03, 2024 at 01:24pm
Tested using Methodology v0.8 
Sonos Move

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Notice: This speakers was replaced by Sonos Move 2

The Sonos Move is one of the most portable speakers from the manufacturer. Its design is sleek enough to blend into your home decor, and since it's battery-powered, you can also take it with you when you listen on the go. It has a built-in handle for easy transport and an IP56 rating for dust and water resistance. You can easily pair this speaker with other products in your Sonos ecosystem. It has to downmix stereo sound into mono, unlike the next-generation Sonos Move 2.

Our Verdict

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Music 

The Sonos Move is decent for music. It comes with a room correction feature called Trueplay, which automatically optimizes its audio reproduction based on your room's unique acoustics. With it on, its sound is even and balanced, so voices and lead instruments are clearly reproduced, and there's plenty of punch in the bass range. Plus, you can adjust its bass and treble in its companion app and pair the speaker with other Sonos devices to spread your favorite tunes throughout your home.

Pros
  • One-hand carry.
  • Good directivity.
Cons
  • Bass compression at max volume.
  • No real EQ, only bass and treble adjustment sliders.
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Videos/Movies 

The Sonos Move is fair for videos and movies. It reproduces dialogue with clarity, and you get an adequate rumble in the bass during more action-packed scenes. However, the speaker has fairly high latency over Bluetooth, so you'll want to watch over an Apple AirPlay connection to ensure there aren't any lip-synching issues.

Pros
  • Good directivity.
  • Low Apple AirPlay latency.
Cons
  • Bass compression at max volume.
  • High Bluetooth latency.
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Podcasts 

This speaker is a great choice for podcasts. Right out of the box, it reproduces voices and dialogue accurately, so you can easily follow along with the narration in podcasts and audiobooks. At home, you can stream wirelessly from your phone over Wi-Fi; when you're on the go, you can stream over Bluetooth easily. Plus, if you own other Sonos devices, you can pair them up with the speaker through the S2 app to spread audio throughout different rooms in your home.

Pros
  • Great wireless connectivity options.
  • One-hand carry.
  • Good directivity.
Cons
  • Bass compression at max volume.
  • No real EQ, only bass and treble adjustment sliders.
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Voice Assistant 

With built-in support for Alexa and Google Assistant, this speaker is an excellent choice for voice assistant support. It hears your commands clearly, even if you're further away from the speaker. You can even mute the microphone when not in use.

Pros
  • Great wireless connectivity options.
  • Great voice assistant distance performance.
  • Good directivity.
Cons
  • Bass compression at max volume.
  • No real EQ, only bass and treble adjustment sliders.
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Outdoors 

The Sonos Move is good for outdoor use. It's a portable speaker with a built-in handle to transport it wherever you go. With an IP56 rating for dust and water resistance, it's certified for protection against direct contact with water for up to three minutes and dust for around two to eight hours. It lasts a little over ten hours off of a single charge, too, which will be more than enough to last through your next adventure.

Pros
  • Solid build quality.
  • Great wireless connectivity options.
  • One-hand carry.
  • Good directivity.
Cons
  • Bass compression at max volume.
  • No real EQ, only bass and treble adjustment sliders.
  • 0.0
    Music
  • 0.0
    Videos/Movies
  • 0.0
    Podcasts
  • 0.0
    Voice Assistant
  • 0.0
    Outdoors
  • Changelog

    1.  Updated Jan 03, 2024: During our tests for the next-generation Sonos Move 2, we identified an issue in our results. Multi-Device Pairing changes from 'Up to 2 Devices' to 'No', which drops the Bluetooth score from 7.4 to 6.6.
    2.  Updated Nov 22, 2023: Updated review text for clarity.
    3.  Updated Nov 17, 2023: Added market comparison with the Sonos Move 2 in the Style box.
    4.  Updated Apr 21, 2023: Added market comparison with the Sonos Era 100 in the Soundstage box.

    Differences Between Sizes And Variants

    We reviewed the black variant of this speaker, but it's also available in white. We expect our test results to be valid for both color variants.

    You can also check out our results for the next-generation Sonos Move 2.

    If you find another variant of this speaker, let us know in the forums, and we'll update our review.

    Popular Speaker Comparisons

    The Sonos Move is a fairly versatile and sleek-looking portable speaker. It's one of the manufacturer's only battery-powered speakers, so it offers more flexibility if you want to listen outdoors. You still find lots of premium features typical of Sonos speakers, like Trueplay room correction and multi-room abilities. It's not a true stereo speaker like the Sonos Move 2.

    See also our recommendations for the best Bluetooth speakers, the best smart speakers, and the best home speakers.

    Sonos Move 2

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    The Sonos Move 2 is the next generation of the Sonos Move, and it has some noticeable improvements. Namely, the Move 2 can playback stereo content without downmixing it to mono. Both speakers have a similar design, and while the Move 2 is advertised to have a longer battery life, it performed about the same as its predecessor in our tests.

    Sonos Roam/Roam SL

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    The Sonos Move is a better speaker than the Sonos Roam/Roam SL. The Move can get louder, and it has a more extended low bass. It also has a longer battery life, though this can vary slightly depending on usage. However, the Roam has a smaller, more portable design, which some users may prefer.

    Sonos Era 100

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    The Sonos Move is more versatile than the Sonos Era 100. As its name implies, the Move is built with portability in mind, and since it's battery-powered, you can take it on the go with more ease than the wired-only Era 100. It's even rated for dust and water resistance in case you run into the elements, which the home-only Era 100 doesn't require. Both speakers support Bluetooth, and they both have built-in voice assistants. However, only the Era 100 supports stereo audio, resulting in a wider sound with better instrument separation between the right and left drivers.

    Sonos Era 300

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    The Sonos Move is a portable alternative to the Sonos Era 300. They're both premium smart speakers with built-in Alexa support for hands-free control. With Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity, pairing both speakers to your mobile devices is easy. The Era 300 is a stereo speaker, though, and it has Dolby Atmos capabilities, unlike the Move. It's especially helpful if you want to listen to compatible music or pair the speaker with a soundbar to watch Dolby Atmos video content. The Move is battery-powered, so it's much more portable, and its IP56 rating for dust and water resistance is ideal for outdoor use.

    Show more 

    Test Results

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    RATINGS
    Category:
    All
    Design
    Style
    RGB LightsLockedLocked

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    0.0
    Portability
    Volume
    LockedLock in³ (Lock cm³)
    Weight
    LockedLock lbs (Lock kg)
    Power Source
    LockedLocked
    One-Hand Carry
    LockedLocked

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    0.0
    Build Quality
    Material Quality
    LockedLocked
    Water Resistance
    LockedLocked
    Dust Resistance
    LockedLocked
    Impact Resistance
    LockedLocked
    Floats In Water
    LockedLocked

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    0.0
    Controls
    Ease Of Use
    LockedLocked
    Feedback
    LockedLocked
    Music Play/Pause
    LockedLocked
    Call Answer/End
    LockedLocked
    Volume Up/Down
    LockedLocked
    Track Next/Previous
    LockedLocked
    Microphone On/Off
    LockedLocked
    Additional Controls
    LockedLocked

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    In The Box

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    Sound
    0.0
    Frequency Response Accuracy
    Slope
    LockedLock
    Std. Err.
    LockedLock dB
    Low-Frequency Extension
    LockedLock Hz
    High-Frequency Extension
    LockedLock kHz

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    Raw Frequency Response
    Binaural Recording @ 1m
    JOIN NOWto hear audio samples
    Binaural Recording @ 2m
    JOIN NOWto hear audio samples
    0.0
    Soundstage
    Directivity Index
    LockedLock dB
    Stereo
    LockedLocked

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    0.0
    Dynamics
    SPL @ Max Volume
    LockedLock dB SPL
    DRC @ Max Volume
    LockedLock dB

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    Active Features
    0.0
    Battery
    Battery Life
    LockedLock hrs
    Charge Time
    LockedLock hrs
    Power Saving
    LockedLocked
    Charging Port
    LockedLocked
    Battery Powered
    LockedYes

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    0.0
    Voice Assistant
    Alexa
    LockedLocked
    Google Assistant
    LockedLocked
    Speakerphone
    LockedNo
    Siri
    LockedLocked
    Voice Assistant
    LockedYes
    Voice Activation
    LockedLocked
    Microphone Mute
    LockedLocked
    Far-Field Performance
    LockedLocked
    Ambient Noise Performance
    LockedLocked

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    0.0
    App
    App Name
    LockedLocked
    iOS
    LockedLocked
    Android
    LockedLocked
    EQ
    LockedLocked
    Stereo Pair Mode
    LockedLocked
    Party Mode
    LockedLocked
    Multi-Room
    LockedLocked

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    Connectivity
    Wired
    Aux Input
    LockedLocked
    USB Audio
    LockedLocked
    Other Ports
    LockedLocked

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    0.0
    Bluetooth
    Bluetooth
    LockedYes
    Bluetooth Version
    LockedLocked
    Bluetooth iOS Latency
    LockedLock ms
    Bluetooth Android Latency
    LockedLock ms
    Bluetooth Range
    LockedLock ft (Lock m)
    Multi-Device Pairing
    LockedLocked

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    0.0
    Wi-Fi
    Wi-Fi Version
    LockedLocked
    Wi-Fi Frequency Band
    LockedLocked
    Wi-Fi
    LockedYes
    Apple AirPlay
    LockedLocked
    AirPlay Latency
    LockedLock ms
    Google Chromecast
    LockedLocked
    Chromecast Latency
    LockedN/A

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