Sonos Play review: Better with Wi-Fi

The Sonos Play combines Bluetooth convenience with the Wi-Fi features that make the Sonos ecosystem appealing. At $299, it aims to strike a middle ground between the smaller Roam 2 and larger Move 2.

But whether it’s worth $299 depends on how you plan to use it. At home, the Play makes sense. Away from Wi-Fi, it starts to feel like an expensive Bluetooth speaker. So is it the sweet spot in Sonos’ portable lineup, or just a better fit for existing Sonos users? Let’s find out in this Sonos Play review.

Editor’s note: This is the first version of the article. Updates will follow as the market changes.

What’s it like to use the Sonos Play?

The Sonos Play rocks the same sleek design language as the rest of the Sonos lineup, so it looks more like part of your home setup than something you hide away when you’re not using it.

Its upright shape keeps the footprint small, so it works well on a desk, shelf, or kitchen counter without taking up much space. It’s also easy to carry around the house with one hand, and the built-in attachment loop gives you another way to move or hang it. The IP67 rating means it’s protected against dust and can handle splashes or an accidental dunk in water, so using it outside shouldn’t be a problem. Sonos also says the speaker is drop-resistant, though it doesn’t specify a drop height or surface rating.

At 1300g, it’s heavier than most portable Bluetooth speakers. For comparison, the JBL Charge 6 weighs about 988g. The Play is still portable, but it feels more like a speaker you move from room to room than something you toss in a bag every day.

You also get a welcome set of physical controls. The top buttons handle playback and voice activation, while the back houses dedicated controls for power and Bluetooth. There’s also a physical switch that completely disables the microphones, which privacy-minded listeners will appreciate. Sonos also includes a charging dock, which makes it easy to drop the speaker in place instead of plugging in a cable every time.

What are the key features of the Sonos Play?

Most of the Sonos Play’s extra features live inside the Sonos app, and this is where the speaker makes the most sense. It’s designed to control a full multi-room system rather than a single speaker, so it can feel a little dense if this is your first Sonos device. From here, you can group the Play with other Sonos speakers around your home, stream music directly from services like Apple Music or YouTube Music, and control playback across multiple rooms. If you have two Play speakers, you can also stereo pair them over Wi-Fi for true stereo performance.

You can adjust the EQ, but it’s fairly limited with just bass and treble sliders. I’d prefer to see a custom EQ, or at least a midrange slider, because you really can’t fine-tune the sound of these speakers all that much. The Play also supports Apple AirPlay 2 for streaming from compatible devices. You can still access these controls while playing over Bluetooth, but the app itself still needs your phone to stay connected to Wi-Fi, which is a frustrating limitation for a speaker that’s supposed to be portable.

This is also where Automatic Trueplay comes in. Instead of running a one-time calibration, it continuously adjusts the speaker’s sound based on the environment around it. Whether the Play is on a kitchen counter, a patio table, or a bookshelf, it adapts automatically as long as the microphones are enabled.

Setup was the biggest pain point in my testing. I ran into several connection errors while trying to link the speaker to my account, and it took a few tries before everything finally connected. Given Sonos’ reputation for software issues, I was hoping for a smoother setup process, but that wasn’t the case. You may need a little patience to get everything up and running. In my experience, doing a hard restart of the speaker seemed to fix most of the issues, so that’s worth trying early if setup starts acting up.

Once everything was set up, the experience improved. The app worked reliably, and I didn’t run into the same connection issues during regular use.

How does the Sonos Play connect?

The Sonos Play is a Wi-Fi speaker first and a Bluetooth speaker second. While you can use it over Bluetooth right out of the box, you’ll need to connect it through the Sonos app over Wi-Fi to get the most out of it, so this isn’t really the kind of speaker you’d buy just for instant Bluetooth use.

Bluetooth is how you’ll use the Play when taking the speaker outside the house or on trips. But even here, Sonos still doesn’t fully let go of Wi-Fi. You can still use the Sonos app while playing over Bluetooth for things like EQ and battery status, but the app itself still requires your phone to stay connected to Wi-Fi. If that connection drops, the app stops working even though your music keeps playing. That means features like EQ and system control are unavailable when you’re away from a network, which makes the Play less flexible than a typical Bluetooth speaker for travel or camping.

You can still use the Sonos app while playing over Bluetooth for things like EQ and battery status, but the app itself still requires your phone to stay connected to Wi-Fi.

Over Bluetooth, the Play supports the standard SBC and AAC codecs, which is typical for a speaker that relies more on Wi-Fi streaming for higher-quality playback.

At home, the speaker makes much more sense. Over Wi-Fi, it can group with other Sonos speakers around the house, stream music directly from supported services, and use features like Apple AirPlay 2. If you have two Play speakers, you can also stereo pair them over Wi-Fi for true stereo playback, but note that the feature is not available over Bluetooth.

Lastly, there’s also a USB-C port on the back that can charge small devices like a phone for a quick top-up while listening. You can also use it with Sonos’ $25 Line-In Adapter to hook up external gear like a turntable via a 3.5mm connection.

How long does the Sonos Play’s battery last?

Sonos rates the Play for up to 24 hours of battery life, but like any portable speaker, that number depends heavily on what you’re listening to and how loud you play it.

I like to test speakers a little louder than usual to better reflect real-world use, like a small gathering or backyard hang. I ran a continuous stream of music at 80dB, measured 1 meter away, and the Sonos Play lasted 14 hours and 25 minutes.

That’s a solid result for a speaker this size, and it’s easily enough for all-day listening. If you’re using it more casually at lower volumes, especially around the house, you’ll likely get more runtime. Paired with the included charging dock, the Play is easy to keep topped up, so battery life shouldn’t be a major concern for most people.

How does the Sonos Play sound?

Reviewer’s notes

Editor’s note: this review uses a hover-enabled glossary to describe sound quality based on a consensus vocabulary. You can read about it here.

How would most people rate the sound from 1 to 5?

The chart below shows how the sound of the Sonos Play was assessed using the Multi-Dimensional Audio Quality Score (MDAQS) algorithm from HEAD acoustics.

The Sonos Play earns a 3.5 overall MDAQS score, which is a good result for a portable speaker. Based on evaluations from a group of over 200 listeners, it scores 3.6 for Timbre, 3.7 for Distortion, and 2.4 for Immersiveness.

That lines up with what I heard in my testing. The Play delivers a sound that most people will find easy to enjoy right out of the box, even if it leans a bit heavy on bass and treble. It doesn’t sound perfectly neutral, but for casual listening, it works well for a wide range of music.

Can you use the Sonos Play for phone calls?

No. The Sonos Play includes built-in microphones, but they’re used for voice assistants and features like Automatic Trueplay rather than speakerphone functionality. If a call comes in while you’re listening, you’ll still need to answer it on your phone instead of using the speaker.

Should you buy the Sonos Play?

The Sonos Play makes the most sense if you plan to use it as part of the Sonos ecosystem. Over Wi-Fi, it can group with other speakers around the house, stream music through the app, and take advantage of features like Automatic Trueplay. In that role, it works well as a speaker you can move from room to room or take outside when needed. It also makes sense as an “extra” speaker for places like a patio, garage, or office.

If you’re mostly planning to use Bluetooth, though, the value becomes much harder to justify. While the app works when you’re playing over Bluetooth, it still depends on Wi-Fi to function. That means if you’re away from a network, you lose access to things like EQ and a lot of the flexibility that helps justify the price. At that point, the Play starts to feel a lot more like an expensive Bluetooth speaker than a true take-anywhere option.

That’s really what holds it back. This isn’t the kind of speaker I’d recommend for camping trips or travel, even though it’s technically portable. It’s a speaker for your home that you can take outside, not the other way around.

If you already use Sonos and want a portable speaker that fits into that system, the Play makes sense. If you just want a Bluetooth speaker for casual listening, you can spend much less and get similar or better results.

What should you get instead of the Sonos Play?

If you like the idea of a portable Sonos speaker but want something smaller, the Sonos Roam 2 () is the obvious alternative. It’s lighter, easier to toss in a bag, and still supports both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, letting it work inside the Sonos ecosystem while being easier to travel with. If you want something bigger and more powerful, the Sonos Move 2 () is the step up. It offers more output, but it’s also much heavier and less convenient to carry around than the Play.

If you’re mostly looking for a durable outdoor Bluetooth speaker and don’t care about Wi-Fi features, the JBL Charge 6 () is a better value. It’s lighter than the Play, built for rugged use, and delivers solid battery life for camping trips, beach days, or backyard listening.

For a home smart speaker, something like the Amazon Echo Studio 2nd Gen () may make more sense. It’s designed to stay plugged in, offers deep Alexa integration, and can deliver strong room-filling sound without the higher price that comes with Sonos’ portable ecosystem.

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