Sonos Play is the new do-it-all wireless speaker that costs $299

Best Buy might have spoiled the surprise when it leaked the Sonos Play wireless speaker. But it’s official now. The company announced that the Sonos Play will be available to buy starting March 31 for $299.

The Play will be available in black and white colors, have 24 hours of battery life, and come with a wireless charging pad in the box, similar to the charging ring that comes with the Sonos Move 2.

The Sonos Play falls between the Roam and Move 2 in size, potentially hitting a sweet spot for listeners looking for a speaker they can integrate into their home, but also one that can be taken out to the park on the weekend. The speaker measures 7.56 by 4.43 by 3 inches and weighs 2.87 pounds. Packed inside are two tweeters, a mid-range woofer, and dual force-canceling passive radiators.

Hands-on impressions of the speaker’s audio quality will be coming in the future. But aside from how much punch the portable speaker can pack, the star of the show is that the Play will be able to sync with up to three other speakers (Play or Move 2) and create a multi-device system outside of your home. The speaker can do fine outdoors with an IP67 rating to handle water submersion and dirt and dust.

With Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and support for AirPlay 2, Spotify Connect, and direct wired input through the USB-C port on the back, this speaker is well-suited to play music in nearly every way imaginable. There are buttons on the top for playback control without a phone. Automatic Trueplay is Sonos’ auto-tuning to adjust the speaker’s sound based on its environment. If you don’t like the microphones listening for the tuning, there is a physical mute switch.

A cheaper wireless home speaker

If the Play’s $299 price tag is a bit scary, Sonos also announced the Era 100 SL, which is a much cheaper home wireless speaker.

Sonos says the Era 100 SL is built on the Era 100 acoustic design, but removes the microphones. This removes the ability for automatic Trueplay and voice assistants, but it also lowers the cost by $30 from the Era 100’s previous $219.

Much like the Play, the Era 100 SL can stream music in nearly every way. It features Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and support for AirPlay 2, Spotify Connect, and wired input. It has two tweeters and one midwoofer inside.

The Era 100 originally debuted three years ago in 2023. It remains a terrific-sounding speaker with boisterous volume and a robust soundstage. For its price, it’s ideal for solo use around the kitchen, or as a stereo pair for a record player, or as rear home theater speakers.

Both speakers are available to pre-order now and will be available for purchase on March 31.