Sonos just launched Play, a new $299 portable speaker

Sonos is returning to focus on the system that made it a driving force in the whole home audio space. To support this system, it is launching its first new consumer speakers since 2024, the Sonos Play and Era 100 SL, which join the Multi amp Which the company recently announced for custom installations.

The $299 Play is a portable speaker designed to live in your home, but can also be taken out into the world. It includes a removable tool loop for carrying or hanging, weighs less than three pounds, and has a cylindrical oval shape that measures approximately 7.5 inches long, 4.5 inches wide, and 3 inches deep. There are physical controls on top of the speaker to play/pause tracks, skip, replay, change the volume, mute the voice assistant, and even group and ungroup the speakers.

Inside are a pair of force-cancelling passive radiators for bass response, a mid-woofer, and angled tweeters supported by three Class H tweeters. If enabled in the Sonos app while connected to Wi-Fi, the Play supports automatic Trueplay to constantly adjust the speaker according to its environment (as long as its microphone is 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, offers up to 24 hours of playback, and can be used as a power bank to charge your devices via USB-C. On the go, play can also be bundled with up to three additional games or Move 2 The speakers are via Bluetooth — a first for Sonos — so it’s not just Wi-Fi collection.

When you’re at home, the Play can live on its own charging dock to keep the battery topped up. And if you ever need to replace the battery, there’s an optional battery replacement kit available for $69, which Sonos told me is extremely easy to replace.

Meanwhile, the Era 100 SL is a simplified version of The era 100. It’s the same size and has the same speaker configuration (angled tweeters with a single midrange tweeter), so it’s sonically identical to the Era 100; It does not have a built-in microphone. Priced at $189, the speaker allows existing Sonos customers to build their system for less or new customers for an easier entry point into the Sonos experience.

Both the Play and Era 100 SL are available for pre-order now, with general availability starting March 31.