Two new speakers from Sonos mark the company's return to product launches after abandoning a planned Apple TV competitor and spending months fixing its software platform after a poorly-executed revamp.
The company recently canceled a planned streaming device known internally as Pinewood, which had been intended to compete with Apple TV 4K. Pinewood had been under development as Sonos explored expanding beyond speakers into video streaming hardware.
Instead, Sonos introduced two new speakers on March 10 — the portable Sonos Play and the lower-cost Era 100 SL. The launch marks the company's first new consumer speakers since 2024 after layoffs and executive departures slowed its hardware roadmap.
CEO Tom Conrad is now steering Sonos back toward its core focus on multi-room audio systems. The shift moves the company away from experimenting with new entertainment hardware categories.
Both speakers are meant to expand Sonos' multi-room audio system. CEO Tom Conrad has said the company is refocusing on whole-home audio after a turbulent period for the platform.
Sonos Play portable speaker and Era 100 SL
The Sonos Play portable speaker is a $299 designed to sit between the company's Roam 2 and Move 2 models in the lineup. The speaker supports both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth playback, offers up to 24 hours of battery life, and carries an IP67 rating for water and dust resistance.
The speaker includes two passive radiators, a midwoofer, and two angled tweeters powered by three amplifiers. Automatic Trueplay tuning can adjust sound based on the room when the speaker is connected through the Sonos app.
Sonos Play portable speaker
The Play works with the Sonos system, allowing multi-room playback across compatible speakers throughout a home. Support for Apple AirPlay 2 also lets users stream audio directly from Apple devices.
Sonos also introduced the Era 100 SL, a $189 version of the Era 100 that removes the built-in microphone. The speaker keeps the same acoustic design and can be paired for stereo sound or used to expand a home theater setup with Sonos soundbars.
Both speakers are available for preorder starting March 10 with general availability scheduled for March 31.
New hardware arrives after Sonos app controversy
The release follows a difficult period for Sonos after the company introduced a redesigned mobile app in 2024. The overhaul removed features and introduced bugs that disrupted speaker connectivity and playback for many users.
Customers flooded Sonos forums and social media with complaints about speakers vanishing from networks and controls behaving unpredictably. The backlash led to executive departures and slowed the company's hardware plans as engineers focused on fixing the platform.
Sonos spent much of 2025 stabilizing the software and trying to rebuild trust with longtime customers.
Sonos also introduced the Era 100 SL
The strategy shift follows Sonos canceling a planned streaming set-top box that would have competed with devices such as Apple TV 4K. The product had been under development internally.
Company leadership ultimately decided to scrap the project and focus engineering resources on fixing the core Sonos software platform. Executives concluded that building and supporting a video platform would stretch resources needed to improve reliability.
Strategy shifts back to the Sonos ecosystem
Under Conrad, Sonos is leaning back into the idea of a connected home audio system instead of chasing individual flagship devices. The strategy encourages customers to expand their setups over time by adding speakers in more rooms.
Sonos speakers connect over Wi-Fi and can be grouped for synchronized playback throughout a home. Lower-cost models such as the Era 100 SL provide a simpler entry point into the system while still supporting features such as Apple AirPlay 2 and Bluetooth streaming.
The new speakers signal a return to the approach that originally built the Sonos brand: expanding a whole-home audio system instead of pushing into new entertainment hardware categories.
