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
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.
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One-hand carry.
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Good directivity.
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Bass compression at max volume.
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No real EQ, only bass and treble adjustment sliders.
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.
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Good directivity.
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Low Apple AirPlay latency.
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Bass compression at max volume.
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High Bluetooth latency.
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.
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Great wireless connectivity options.
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One-hand carry.
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Good directivity.
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Bass compression at max volume.
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No real EQ, only bass and treble adjustment sliders.
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.
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Great wireless connectivity options.
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Great voice assistant distance performance.
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Good directivity.
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Bass compression at max volume.
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No real EQ, only bass and treble adjustment sliders.
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.
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Solid build quality.
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Great wireless connectivity options.
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One-hand carry.
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Good directivity.
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Bass compression at max volume.
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No real EQ, only bass and treble adjustment sliders.
- 7.0 Music
- 6.5 Videos/Movies
- 7.9 Podcasts
- 8.6 Voice Assistant
- 7.3 Outdoors
- 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.
- Updated Nov 22, 2023: Updated review text for clarity.
- Updated Nov 17, 2023: Added market comparison with the Sonos Move 2 in the Style box.
- Updated Apr 21, 2023: Added market comparison with the Sonos Era 100 in the Soundstage box.
- Updated Apr 18, 2023: Added market comparison for the Sonos Era 300 in the Frequency Response Accuracy box.
- Updated Nov 24, 2022: Updated the review text for accuracy and clarity.
- Updated Oct 12, 2022: Changed 'Bluetooth Version' test result from 'Unspecified' to '4.1' in the 'Bluetooth' box.
- Updated Nov 30, 2021: Updated review for accuracy and clarity.
- Updated Dec 14, 2020: Review published.
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.
Compared To Other Speakers
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.
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.
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.
The Sonos Move is a better speaker than the Sonos One Gen 2/One SL overall. The Move is battery-powered and has a handle built into it, making it more portable. It's rated IP56 for dust and water resistance, so you can take it outdoors without needing to worry about it getting a bit wet. It can produce a more extended low bass than the One Gen 2 and can get louder.
The Sonos Move is a better speaker than the Bose Portable Smart Speaker overall. The Sonos has a better-balanced sound profile than that of the Bose. It's also better built with an IP56 rating for dust and water resistance. It also has a longer-lasting battery life, though battery performance can vary depending on usage, and your experience may vary. That said, the Bose is smaller and more portable than the Sonos. It also has much better directivity, resulting in a wider and more open sounding soundstage.
The Sonos Move is a better speaker than the Ultimate Ears HYPERBOOM overall. The Sonos is more portable and better built. It can produce deeper bass than the Ultimate Ears and has both Alexa and Google Assistant built-in. That said, the Ultimate Ears can play stereo content without downmixing it to mono. It can also get louder than the Sonos, with fewer compression artifacts at max volume.
The Sonos Move is a better speaker than the JBL Charge 5 overall. The Sonos has a better-balanced sound profile that produces a more extended low-bass than the JBL. Its sound profile is more customizable, thanks to the bass and treble adjustments featured on its companion app. It even offers outstanding voice assistant support with Alexa and Google Assistant built-in. That said, the JBL is smaller than the Sonos, making it easier to transport when you're on the go.
The Sonos Move and the Sonos Five have different strengths. The Move is better suited for outdoor use as it's battery-powered and has an IP56 rating for dust and water resistance. It also has outstanding voice assistant capabilities, and you can wirelessly stream audio to the device using Bluetooth. However, the Five is better suited for music as it can produce more low-bass, and it can be used in stereo or mono mode, depending on how it's placed.
The Sonos Move is a better speaker than the JBL Xtreme 3. The Sonos has a better-balanced sound profile and built-in voice assistant support for Alexa and Google Assistant, and you can tweak its sound using the bass/treble adjustment sliders on its companion app. It also supports Wi-Fi. However, the JBL has lower Bluetooth latency on iOS and Android.
The Sonos Move and the Devialet Mania are both portable Bluetooth speakers with smart capabilities, meaning that you can control their features with their built-in voice assistants. The Sonos is likely a better value for most users since it features a longer battery life and a more balanced sound out-of-the-box. It gets a bit louder, too, although there's some compression when you press it to max volume.
The Sonos Move is a slightly better speaker than the Bose Home Speaker 500 overall. The Sonos has a better-balanced sound profile that can produce a more extended low-bass than that of the Bose. It's also battery-powered, making it easier to take outdoors with you. Additionally, it's better built with an IP56 rating for dust and water resistance. That said, the Bose offers a wider-sounding soundstage thanks to its 360-degree design and can play stereo content without downmixing it to mono which is more immersive.
The Sonos Move is a better speaker than the JBL Boombox 2. The Sonos offers a somewhat wider-sounding soundstage, as well as incredible voice assistant support with Alexa and Google Assistant built-in. Its sound is also more customizable thanks to the bass and treble adjustments featured in its companion app. That said, the JBL can get a bit louder with less compression at max volume, resulting in cleaner audio at louder volumes. It can also last up to almost 24 hours from a single charge, though this can depend on your usage and your experience may differ.
The Sonos Move is a better speaker than the JBL Flip 5 overall. The Sonos offers a better-balanced sound profile that can produce a more extended low-bass than the JBL. It also comes with bass and treble adjustments to tweak its sound to your liking. It offers outstanding voice assistant support with Alexa and Google Assistant built-in and is Wi-Fi compatible. That said, the JBL is smaller, making it more portable and easier to bring along when you're out and about.
The Sonos Move is a more versatile speaker than the Bang & Olufsen Beolit 20. The Sonos offers fantastic voice assistant support with Alexa and Google Assistant built-in. It's better built with an IP56 rating for dust and water resistance. It also has a longer-lasting battery life, making it better suited for longer listening sessions. The Bang & Olufsen can play stereo content without downmixing it to mono, resulting in a more immersive-sounding soundstage. It can also produce a slightly more extended low-bass.
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.
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.
The Sonos Move is a better speaker than the Bose SoundLink Revolve+ II. The Sonos can produce a deeper bass than the Bose and is more customizable thanks to the bass and treble adjustments featured in its companion app. It also offers outstanding voice assistant support with Alexa and Google Assistant built-in, and it can understand you from far away and in noisier settings. However, the Bose has better directivity, resulting in a wider-sounding soundstage. It also has lower latency with iOS and Android devices via Bluetooth, making it suitable for watching videos and movies over this connection.
The Sonos Move is a better speaker overall than the Amazon Echo Gen 4. The Sonos is better built, and because it can be battery-operated, it's suitable to use outdoors. Also, its default sound profile is better-balanced, and it can get louder. However, the Amazon is a bit better for voice assistants, as it can understand your voice commands better in noisy environments.
The Sonos Move is a slightly better speaker than the Amazon Echo Studio. The Sonos has a sound profile that can produce a more extended low bass than the Amazon. It's also battery-powered, better built, and has a built-in carrying handle, making it more portable and better suited to use outdoors. That said the Amazon has less compression present at max volume, resulting in cleaner audio at louder volumes. It also has a built-in Zigbee hub, which allows you to connect it to compatible smart home devices like light bulbs or thermostats and control them using Alexa.
The Sonos Move is a better speaker for most uses than the Apple HomePod (1st generation). The Sonos is better built, and its portable design makes it suitable for outdoor use. Its sound profile is more neutral, and it has bass and treble adjustments to help you customize its sound. However, the Apple speaker has a better soundstage, and its voice assistant understands your voice better in noisier environments. It has been discontinued and may be harder to find in new condition.
The Sonos Move is a better speaker than the IKEA SYMFONISK Bookshelf. The Sonos has a better-balanced sound profile and a wider-sounding soundstage. You can also use it to stream your audio over a Bluetooth connection, and it offers outstanding voice assistant support with Alexa and Google Assistant built-in. It's also outstandingly portable. That said, the IKEA has fewer compression artifacts present at max volume, and it has lower latency over Apple AirPlay than the Sonos.
The Sonos Move is a better speaker than the IKEA SYMFONISK Speaker lamp. The Move is a portable speaker that's both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi-compatible. It has a better-balanced sound profile and can get louder with a bit less compression at max volume, so audio quality doesn't degrade as much as you increase its volume. It's battery-powered and better built, so you can take it outdoors with you. It also offers fantastic voice assistant support with Alexa and Google Assistant built-in. That said, the SYMFONISK is a collaboration between IKEA and Sonos that has a dual function as a Wi-Fi speaker and a lamp.
The Sonos Move is a better speaker than the Ultimate Ears MEGABOOM 3 overall. The Sonos can get louder and has a better-balanced sound profile out-of-the-box that can produce a deeper low-bass than the Ultimate Ears. It also offers fantastic voice assistant support with Alexa and Google Assistant built-in and can understand your commands from far and in noisy environments. The Ultimate Ears can play stereo content without downmixing it to mono which is more immersive. Thanks to its 360-degree design, it also has a more natural-sounding soundstage.
The Sonos Move is a better speaker than the Sony SRS-RA5000 overall. The Sonos has a better-balanced sound profile that can produce deeper bass than that of the Sony. It's also smaller and battery-powered, making it more portable than the Sony. Additionally, it offers outstanding voice assistant support, with Google Assistant and Alexa built-in. The Sony supports '360 Reality Audio' content and has an 'Immersive Audio enhancement' feature to enhance the speaker's soundstage, though we didn't test these. It's also more customizable thanks to the graphic EQ and presets available on its companion app.
The Sonos Move is a better speaker than the Google Nest Audio. The Sonos is better built, and its portable design makes it suitable to use outdoors. Also, its default sound profile is more neutral and balanced, though both speakers come with bass and treble adjustments.
The Sonos Move is a more versatile speaker than the Amazon Echo Dot Gen 4. The Sonos can be battery-operated, so it's portable enough to use outside. It has an IP56 rating for dust and water resistance, so you don't need to worry about it getting a bit dirty or wet when taking it outdoors with you. It also has a better-balanced sound profile out-of-the-box, and it can get louder. However, the Amazon is a bit better for voice assistants thanks to its ambient noise performance, which helps the voice assistant understand your commands more clearly in noisy environments.
The Sonos Move is a better speaker for most uses than the JBL PartyBox 100. The Sonos is better built and has a more portable, lightweight design. Also, it's compatible with voice assistants, and it has bass and treble adjustments so you can customize its sound. That said, the JBL is better for music, thanks to its better soundstage and the fact that it gets louder.
The Sonos Move is a better speaker than the Sony SRS-RA3000. The Move is better built, with an IP56 rating for dust and water resistance. It's battery-powered, so you can take it outdoors with you without needing to plug it into an outlet. It also offers outstanding voice assistant support. That said, the SRS-RA3000's sound is more customizable. It can also play stereo content without downmixing it to mono, resulting in a more immersive soundstage.
The Sonos Move is a significantly better speaker than the Theater Solutions B83GR. It's rated IP56 for dust and water resistance. It's more portable, better built, has a built-in voice assistant, and can support Wi-Fi. It also has a longer battery life, a room customization feature, and a significantly more balanced sound profile with treble and bass adjustment features. That said, the B83GR may be a better option for those looking for a louder speaker that blends better with various outdoor landscapes.
The Sonos Move is a better speaker than the Yamaha MusicCast 50 overall. The Sonos has a better-balanced sound profile that can produce deeper bass than that of the Yamaha. It's also battery-powered and is rated IP56 for dust and water resistance, making it more portable than the Yamaha. Also, it offers outstanding voice assistant support with Alexa and Google Assistant built-in. That said, the Yamaha can get louder with less compression at max volume, resulting in cleaner-sounding audio at louder volume levels. It's also more customizable, thanks to the graphic EQ and presets featured on its companion app.
The Sonos Move is a better overall speaker than the Sony SRS-XB33. The Sonos has a more balanced sound profile, supports built-in voice assistants, and has a better companion app. You can also wirelessly stream audio to it via Wi-Fi. However, the Sony feels a bit better built, its companion app offers a basic graphic EQ, and it has lower Bluetooth latency on iOS and Android.
The Sonos Move is a better speaker than the OontZ Angle 3. The Sonos is better built, with a more even sound profile that can produce thumpier low-bass. It also supports Wi-Fi as well as voice assistants and has an app with bass and treble adjustments so you can tweak its sound to better suit your needs. However, the OontZ has a longer-lasting battery life and while it doesn't get as loud as the Sonos, it has fewer compression artifacts at max volume.
Depending on your listening habits, you may prefer either the Sonos Move or the Ultimate Ears WONDERBOOM 2. The Sonos can produce a more extended low-bass and can get louder. It also offers incredible voice assistant support with Alexa and Google Assistant built-in. That said, the Ultimate Ears is smaller, and better built, making it more portable and better suited for outdoor use. It can also play stereo content without downmixing it to mono and has a more natural-sounding soundstage thanks to its 360-degree design.
Test Results
The speaker has a very sleek and simplistic design that's very similar to the next-generation Sonos Move 2. It rests on its wireless charging base but is battery-powered, meaning you can move it around easily. If you're looking for a Sonos speaker that can blend in even better with most home decor, check out the IKEA SYMFONISK Speaker lamp.
As its name indicates, this speaker is extremely portable. It isn't very big and can be used wirelessly with its built-in battery. There's a hollow part at the back of the speaker that acts as a handle for one-hand carrying. If you're looking for a smaller Sonos speaker that's even easier to bring along with you when you're out and about, check out the Sonos Roam/Roam SL.
Its build quality is great. It feels solid and well-built, and it's certified IP56 for dust and water resistance in case you plan to bring it outdoors. That said, it doesn't have the most premium feel. The plastic on the top feels a little cheap, for example.
The control scheme is very straightforward. The four-dotted touch-sensitive buttons can be tapped for volume control or swiped to skip tracks. You can also mute the microphone, and it has a dedicated play/pause button. Also, it features physical buttons to switch between Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connections and power the speaker on and off.
This speaker comes with a built-in room correction feature that automatically optimizes its audio reproduction based on the acoustics of the room you're in. Sonos calls it Auto Trueplay. Unlike most other Sonos models, when you move the speaker, it recalibrates itself on its own, so you don't have to worry about running room correction yourself.
Overall, its frequency response is good. The speaker's balanced and even sound profile makes it suitable for listening to lots of different types of audio content. Voices and lead instruments are reproduced with accuracy, and you get plenty of punch in the bass to bring genres like EDM and hip-hop to life. You can customize its output by adjusting its bass and treble in the app. That said, compared to the Sonos Era 300, it doesn't have any extra features for Dolby Atmos content like Dolby Atmos Music.
Unlike the next generation Sonos Move 2, this speaker has to downmix stereo content into mono to play it. If you're looking for a stereo speaker, other options include the Sonos Era 100 and the Sony SRS-RA3000. On the upside, this speaker's directivity is good, so you get consistent sound from all sides.
This speaker can get loud enough to fill larger and more open spaces with sound. However, as you crank up the volume, you notice more pumping and compression artifacts, especially in the bass range.
This speaker lasts for around 10 hours off a single charge. You can use the charging dock or a typical USB-C connector for recharging, although no cable is included. It goes into sleep mode after being idle for a while, or you can force the sleep mode with a single press of the power button. The manufacturer also sells replacement battery kits for this speaker if its original battery wears out.
The speaker's voice assistant functionalities are amazing. It has both Alexa and Google Assistant built-in and has no trouble understanding you at a great distance. You'll need to be connected via Wi-Fi, as the voice assistants don't work via Bluetooth. On the upside, if you don't like knowing that the speaker's always listening, you can easily turn off the microphone with the press of a single button. However, its ambient noise performance isn't as impressive as the Amazon Echo Dot Gen 4 or the Amazon Echo Gen 4, so it may have trouble understanding your commands if you're in a noisy setting.
The Sonos S2 app is fantastic. There are bass and treble sliders you can use to tweak the speaker's sound to your liking. You can use the app to pair this speaker with another compatible speaker to create a stereo pair. There's also a multi-room feature to listen to different audio in different rooms of your home simultaneously. Unfortunately, it lacks more robust sound customization features like a graphic EQ. However, you can still use the app to toggle the automatic room correction feature called Auto Trueplay on and off.
There's a USB-C port for charging the speaker, but there aren't any AUX or USB Audio ports you can use to wire older devices to the speaker.
This Bluetooth-enabled speaker has excellent range but won't be suitable for playing videos as its latency is too high. Some apps compensate for this, so your experience may vary.
This Wi-Fi-compatible speaker allows for easy multi-room setup. Like the Sonos One Gen 2/One SL, it features very low latency via AirPlay, but unfortunately, it doesn't have Chromecast built-in.