How portable do you want your Sonos sound?
Estimated reading time: 11 minutes
Sonos has been cracking out high-quality multi-room audio with easy integration and great sound quality for a couple of decades, but the Sonos Move – which launched in 2019 – was its first ever portable speaker.
The original Sonos Move has since been replaced with the Sonos Move 2, though you might still see the 2019 model on offer. Neither are a lightweight offering – unlike the Sonos Roam or Roam 2 – but they do bring serious sound to the table, and let you switch between docked and portable modes on the fly.
The question is, should you buy a Sonos Move over the wired Sonos One, or newer Era 100? You can see how the Era 100 and the Sonos One compare in our separate feature, but here we are looking at how the Sonos Move models (we’ve mentioned both the original Move and Move 2) compare to the older Sonos One.
Sonos Move v Sonos One: Design
There’s one really major design difference between the Sonos Move speakers and the Sonos One, and it’ll slap you in the face if you place them side-by-side: the Sonos Move and Move 2 are a lot bigger than the One.
The One, which had a couple of generations before being replaced by the Era 100, is a relatively dinky little number. But, for its size, it packs some real sonic muscle, more of which later. The One has got the textbook Sonos looks, too – subtle and refined, though perhaps a little dated now compared to the newer models.
It’s got an all-over grille, hiding the drivers, and a chunky power cord to plug in to get it all going. If you’re looking for a speaker that won’t upset your carefully calibrated decor, the Sonos One is unlikely to offend.
Sliding over to the Move and Move 2, Sonos has bumped up its speaker’s profile significantly (and made the logo contrasting to stand out a little more on the original, though color-matched on the Move 2).
They’ve also got a hefty weight to them, 3kg to match their 10-inch height, meaning they are not quite as portable as some might hope. However, the size allows them to pack in that all-important battery (which is bigger in the Move 2) and some better speakers than the One.
The Move and Move 2 have a charging cradle that they sit on to power up, along with USB-C as an option. You can place them anywhere you like – until their batteries run out however so they don’t need to be on charge constantly.
Of course, with the Move models equipped to journey outside, Sonos has thought about all the bad things that could await it in the great outdoors. For example, it has been careful to make sure you can drop and abuse the Move and Move 2 (within reason) without breakage. They have also got IP65 water and dust resistance to make sure that anything short of a full-on water dunking should pose no problem.
The Move and Move 2 also have a rubber bottom to give them a sturdier base for standing on whatever surface is available, and that’s particularly useful for outside where it might be placed on grass, mud, or any other dirty or uneven surface.
Both the One and the original Move have the same touch buttons on their tops, giving control over volume and the microphones, as well as play and pause.
For the Move 2, there is a volume trough that matches what you’ll find on the Era 100 and Era 300. The original Move also has a power button and Bluetooth switch on its rear, to let you turn the speaker on and off, or connect it to a new source while on the go. For the Move 2, there is a power button, Bluetooth button rather than a switch and a microphone hardware switch.
Both the Move and Move 2’s back button areas are actually recessed into the speakers, creating a handle you can use to pick the Move and Move 2 up and carry it around.
Sonos Move v Sonos One: Features
There are some key feature differences to be aware of between the Sonos Move speakers and the Sonos One.
The most obvious one is what we’ll tackle first: the Sonos Move and Move 2 are a portable Bluetooth speaker and Wi-Fi smart speaker in one. You can take the speaker out and about by lifting them off their charging cradle, or unplugging the USB-C cable, and expect 10 hours of playback use before needing to recharge it in the case of the original Move, or 24 hours for the Move 2.
If you put them into low-power mode (which they will do automatically after 30 minutes), you could come back to it up to five days later and still be able to use the original Move, or up to 10 days later with the Move 2. It all means you don’t have to think too much about it, given they are also a wired smart speaker when you need them to be.
One more advantage that the Move and Move 2 bring to the table is the evolution of Sonos’ Trueplay feature, which works automatically here. For other speakers, including the One, Era 100, Era 300 and Five, Sonos allows iOS users to wave their phones around during setup, while the speaker makes loud noises, to work out the best sound profile for the space it’s in.
Read next: The ultimate guide to your Sonos multi-room audio system
But the Move and Move 2, as well as the Roam models, will adjust their sound profiles on the fly, ensuring they are optimizing the sound at all times. That’s a great change and a far easier way to get better sound. This will work in both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi modes.
Beyond those key distinctions, there’s a whole lot of common ground between the Move speakers and the One. They all feature the gamut of Sonos connectivity – from joining your Wi-Fi network of multi-room speakers to AirPlay 2 and the ability to pair two units for stereo sound – though they do need to be the same units.
They also all have smart assistant functionality built-in, with Alexa or Google Assistant available according to preference in either the Move or One, though only Alexa in the Move 2. It’s also worth noting, that the Move and Move 2’s smart assistant feature is Wi-Fi dependent, so when you switch it over from Wi-Fi to Bluetooth, you’ll be limited to Bluetooth playback only, with no smart assistant help, including Sonos Voice Control too.
Sonos Move v Sonos One: Sound quality
Sonos made its name for a reason – its speakers have some of the best sound on the market outside of true enthusiasts and hugely expensive systems.
In terms of sound, there’s an immediate break between the Move, Move 2 and One – and it only takes a few seconds of listening to realize the Move and Move 2 have the superior sound. The One has always felt like its middle ranges were hollowed out, while the Move and Move 2 have a more balanced range – especially in the case of the Move 2 – that puts them closer to the Sonos Five in terms of quality.
The original Sonos Move actually has the same mid-woofer driver as Sonos’ Play:5, along with two Class-D digital amplifiers and a downward-firing tweeter. The One also has two Class-D amps and a mid-woofer, but the core difference in sound is volume. In short, the Move can crank a lot louder. It’s got a wider soundstage, and cleaner delivery (if it’s pointing at you). The Move 2 further enhances the sound offering with three class-D digital amplifiers precision-tuned for the speaker’s unique acoustic architecture, along with two angled tweeters for stereo separation.
With Move, Sonos wanted to produce a portable speaker that wouldn’t necessarily irk neighbors or passersby in all directions, which is why the Move doesn’t project behind itself. Stand behind it and it doesn’t sound nearly as good.
Really, though, the Move speakers and One are all great-sounding speakers. The Move and Move 2 are bolder and louder in sound, but, for most people’s purposes, the One’s maximum volume is plenty loud enough. The Move and Move 2 are also slightly higher quality in terms of audio finish, but, again, the One is already setting a great standard.
Sonos Move v Sonos One: Price
You might be noticing a theme here – there’s also a pretty significant difference when we turn to the prices of the Sonos Move, Move 2 and One.
The original Move remains available through Sonos and costs $299 / £299, which is $100 / £100 cheaper than it launched at. It’s still expensive – a heck of a lot for a Bluetooth speaker, and a serious whack for a smart speaker. Then again, it’s both of those things, and is pretty close to best-in-class in both categories on the performance side, which is also quite a boast.
The Sonos Move 2 is more expensive again, costing $449 / £449, though occasionally it does get discounted.
The Sonos One by contrast, older but proven, was priced at $199 / £199, although as mentioned, it has now been replaced by the Era 100. You may or may not find it cheaper than that now. Even if you don’t though, it’s almost half the price of the Move – so for the price of one Move you could almost get a paired stereo set of Ones for your living room, or to contribute to a surround sound system for your TV.
Sonos Move v Sonos One: Which is the best?
The original Sonos Move was indicative of a pretty radical new strategy from Sonos, moving out of the home and into a market that it previously spent so long ignoring. We were incredibly impressed by all its usual Sonos strengths, too, when we first reviewed it and the same can be said for its successor in the Sonos Move 2.
Both have top-quality sound, great build quality, and adaptability. Being able to rely on brilliant sound in your home, in parks and on camping trips is great, and opens up a whole new world for Sonos.
If you’ve been waiting on tenterhooks for Sonos to give you a portable option, either the Move or Move 2 are a no-brainer. But, but, at $299 / £299 for the original Move, it’s currently a pricey choice and portability at a much cheaper price tag is now available with the Roam and Roam 2.
The One is a proven champion of the smart home. It’s got a great sound and the same smart home capabilities as the original Move, and it’s almost the price.
If you’re looking to get into Sonos for the first time, the Sonos One is still a sensible choice, but we would urge you to consider the Era 100 before you hit buy. That said, the One will get you started and is plenty modular, so you can easily build from it.
If you’re a partier, or if the booming sound in the open air appeals, the Move or Move 2 are favorites of ours, and won’t disappoint.
The good news is that there’s no wrong choice here, really. Both Move speakers and the One are excellent – so you will likely be happy with whatever option you pick.
