Sonos Roam 2 review: Compact and powerful

Although Sonos is better known for whole-home audio solutions than wireless speakers, the Sonos Roam 2 delivers the brand’s sound quality in a portable package. It also fixes the biggest issue with the original Sonos Roam — headaches related to enabling Bluetooth functionality — with a new dedicated Bluetooth button. In other words, the Sonos Roam 2 is a better speaker for taking on the go, even if most of the key specs are the same.

As someone who has tested dozens of the best Bluetooth speakers, Sonos has a major thing going for it in an increasingly saturated market: the Sonos Roam 2 is compatible with the entire Sonos ecosystem, including popular products like the Sonos Arc soundbar and Sonos Era 100. Whether it’s playing a part in a larger system or powering your life’s soundtrack on its own, I found it delivers sizable sound for its compact size.

That said, it’s not without its quirks. Again, there is no shortage of Bluetooth speakers out there, including many that offer beefier battery life and connectivity codecs for much less than the Roam 2’s $179 asking price. With those caveats in mind, read my full Sonos Roam 2 review to see whether it’s a good choice for you. 

Sonos Roam 2 review: Cheat sheet

• What is the Sonos Roam 2? The Sonos Roam 2 is a portable Bluetooth speaker that comes in five colors and weighs less than one pound.
• What is the Sonos Roam 2 price? It costs $179.
• Sonos Roam 2 vs. Sonos Roam 1? The newer Sonos Roam 2 has a dedicated button that toggles between Wi-Fi and Bluetooth playback modes. You also can set up a Sonos Roam 2 via Bluetooth. In terms of battery life, speaker specs and durability, the Sonos Roam 2 and original Sonos Roam are the same.
• Is Sonos Roam 2 waterproof? The Sonos Roam 2 has an IP67 waterproof rating meaning it can be submerged in 1 meter of water for up to 30 minutes.
• What is the Sonos Roam 2 battery life? The Sonos Roam 2 has 10 hours of battery life.

Sonos Roam 2 specs

Sonos Roam 2 review: The ups

Great sound for its size

If you’re looking for a Bluetooth speaker with the best sound quality possible in a highly portable package, the Sonos Roam 2 should be on your short list. I’ve yet to meet a Sonos speaker that doesn’t deliver big in the sound department, and the Roam 2 is no exception. Whether it’s bumping my pop shower playlist or filling my backyard party with classic hits, this speaker establishes a large soundstage that defies its small size. The contagious beat and brass instruments in Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” layered distinctly while the rapper’s vocals sounded sharp and accurate.

Like most speakers, if you push the Sonos Roam 2 to full volume, the performance will suffer a bit. Luckily, Sonos’s Automatic Trueplay technology is meant to help the speaker adapt to various environments. This feature first debuted with the original Sonos Move, and is now a hallmark of the Sonos Move 2, the other wireless Sonos speaker currently available. I happen to think the $449 Sonos Move 2 is one of the best speakers you can buy, if you can afford it. It’s not as portable as the Roam 2, but if you’re looking for something that you’ll primarily keep in your home or backyard, I do think it’s a worthwhile investment.

Better Bluetooth pairing and features

The first Sonos Roam only had one control button for power and switching between Wi-Fi or Bluetooth playback. This made it difficult to toggle between the different modes easily, defeating one of the speaker’s most important purposes. For the Sonos Roam 2, there’s now a dedicated button to switch the playback settings, eliminating all the hassle. Also, you can now set up the Sonos Roam 2 out of the box over Bluetooth — previously, you had to first establish the speaker on your home system via Wi-Fi. Although I opted for the Wi-Fi setup as a longtime Sonos system owner, the option to set up over Bluetooth is definitely more inviting to first-time Sonos customers.

At home, the Sonos Roam can function as an Alexa speaker, letting you ask queries or control your smart home devices. It doesn’t have Google Assistant support like previous-gen Sonos speakers, though. Instead, I suggest embracing Sonos Voice Control (which, side note, speaks eerily like actor Giancarlo Esposito.) Sonos Voice Control lets you manage playback settings hands-free, both on Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. While there are many speakers that work with voice assistants on Wi-Fi, having the voice assistant on Bluetooth is a big advantage. I didn’t have to go searching for my phone or return to the speaker location to physically change the volume, I could simply ask Sonos Voice Control to do it for me.

Syncs with other Sonos speakers

Setting up a Sonos home system is an investment, but people love the speakers for a good reason. When you have a Sonos system, all your speakers can be grouped together for synchronized playback via the Sonos app. In the Sonos app, you’re also able to log-in to all your music streaming services and enjoy free content from Sonos Radio. The Sonos Roam 2 can join your home system, and it’s up to you whether to give it a stationary location in a smaller space or have it move around the rooms in your house with you. One benefit to using them inside is that you’re able to pair two Sonos Roams speakers in the same room for a stereo experience.

Sonos Roam 2 review: The downs

Meh battery life

I wish Sonos would have improved the battery life of the Sonos Roam 2, but like the original Roam, the newer version lasts just 10 hours on a full charge. That’s pretty disappointing when you consider the vast number of Bluetooth speakers that last twice as long. The Beats Pill 2024, for example, gets up to 24 hours of playback and costs $30 less than the Roam 2. The Anker Soundcore 3 also lasts 24 hours, and in our testing the Bose SoundLink Flex lasted about 20 hours.

That said, I got a few afternoons at the beach out of the Sonos Roam 2 before it alerted me it was out of juice. It lasted a little over 10 hours playing at 50% volume. I ended up assigning it a dedicated charging location in my home, defaulting to it staying plugged in whenever I’m home.

Sonos Roam 2 review: Verdict

For the time being, the Sonos Roam 2 is my go-to Bluetooth speaker for the beach and backyard. Between the hands-free voice assistant and fabulous sound, this little speaker lives up to its promises. I’ll admit, it’s hard for my eyes not to wander to the Beats Pill that has a much stronger battery life and costs a bit less. Of course, I can also make the case to invest in a Sonos Move 2 for your home and get a more affordable Ultimate Ears or JBL speaker for on-the-go if needed. But Sonos does have an edge when it comes to offering both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi playback via the Sonos app.