Sonos Is Expected to Release Its First Headphones This Year — Here’s What We Know

If the rumors are true, Sonos could announce its first headphones as early as this June.

Published March 11, 2024

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Sonos has been one of the biggest names in wireless speakers — and certainly the biggest name in wireless multi-room speakers — for nearly two decades, but the company has experienced quite the change in the last few years. Ever since Patrick Spence took the reins as the company’s new CEO in 2017, Sonos has ramped up the cadence at which it releases new speakers and audio components. That’s exciting.

Not only is Sonos making more speakers than ever, but the company has also broadened its horizon into the types of speakers it makes. It’s now in the business of making portable and ultra-portable speakers, thanks to the Move 2, Roam and Roam SL, respectively. Sonos now makes more affordable speaker options, which we’ve seen in the Ray and Beam soundbars, as well as the Sub Mini.

Sonos is now making speakers that are more versatile than ever — the Era 100 and Era 300 (as well as the Move 2) are prime examples. In addition to streaming over Wi-Fi, its newest speakers support Bluetooth and line-in (via USB-C) connections. This means you can more easily play tracks from a non-streaming service, like from a YouTube video, or more easily connect another audio device, like a CD player or turntable.

Overall, 2023 was a big year for Sonos — you can check out all its recent speaker releases at the bottom of this post — but what’s next? Maybe headphones? We break down some of the biggest Sonos rumors below.

What Speakers Will Sonos Next Announce?

The first Sonos headphones

Likelihood: Medium-high
Sonos has been rumored to be working on its own headphones for years. In fact, Bloomberg first reported that they were in the works back in January of 2019; then, a year later, it was picked up by Protocol that Sonos had been awarded a patent for headphones. In November 2023, Sonos announced plans to enter a new “multi-billion dollar product category” in 2024 — most believe it’s going to be headphones.

A lot is still unknown about Sonos’s possibly upcoming headphones. They could potentially support both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity, just like Roam, so that you could take them with you while you travel or listen to higher-resolution audio at home. As for price, Bloomberg suggested that they’ll cost somewhere in the $300 range … but we’re guessing they’ll be quite a bit more expensive than that.

The first Sonos wireless earbuds

Likelihood: Medium
Sonos is rumored to be working on a set of true wireless earbuds, too. A patent was discovered in February 2021 that showed a pair of wireless earbuds with a unique long-and-flat (wedge-shaped) design and a silicone eartip for fit.

The other unique thing about the patent is it shows a unique symmetrical charging case that houses the earbuds at either end of its body. (T3 was among the first to spot a sketch of these earbuds and charging case.) Like the rumored wireless headphones, not a lot else is known about these potentially upcoming wireless earbuds.

diagram, engineering drawing — From the look of this sketch, it appears the Sonos earbuds could be quite different from just about everything else out there.

A revival of the Sonos Play:3 speaker

Likelihood: Low
Sonos officially discontinued the Play:3 in 2018 and since then there’s been a bit of a gap in its offerings — a big jump from the $199 One SL to the $549 Five. However, that gap kind of closed up with the introduction of the Era 300 ($449).

It would be awesome if Sonos introduced an updated Play:3 with a new look and new streaming capabilities. And, like the Five, the new “Three” would play stereo sound instead of immersive audio like the Era 300, which is still pretty niche.

Unfortunately, there have been few rumblings of Sonos releasing a new “Three” speaker, but given that the company is trending towards smaller speakers (with the Roam and Sub Mini), we aren’t giving up all hope just yet.

What Speakers Has Sonos Recently Released?

Here’s a roundup the last several speakers that Sonos launched in the past few years. There are quite a few.

September 2023: Sonos released the Move 2, a second-generation version of its large portable speaker. It has a new design, stereo (instead of mono) sound, drastically improved battery life and USB-C line-in connectivity. Read our review of the Sonos Move 2.

March 2023: Sonos released the Era 100 and Era 300 speakers. The Era 100 is a new-and-improved version of the One (which will be replaced) and the Era 300 is a new kind of speaker designed to play immersive audio that supports Dolby Atmos. Read our review of the Sonos Era 300.

September 2022: Sonos announced the Sub Mini, a smaller and more affordable wireless subwoofer designed to be paired with the company’s Ray and Beam soundbars. Read our review of the Sonos Sub Mini.

May 2022: Sonos announced the Ray soundbar, the company’s most entry-level soundbar that costs $279 — which is $180 cheaper than the Beam (Gen 2) — but lacks support for Dolby Atmos. Read our review of the Sonos Ray.

March 2022: Sonos announced Roam SL, which is a slightly more affordable version of its ultra-portable Roam speaker. The only real tradeoff is the “SL” lacks a built-in microphone and can’t function as a smart speaker. Read our post on the Sonos Roam SL.

September 2021: Sonos announced the second-generation Beam 2, its mid-tier smart soundbar that costs $449 ($50 more than the original Beam) but adds support for Dolby Atmos. Read our review of the Sonos Beam (2nd-generation).

March 2021: Sonos announced the Roam, its first ultra-portable speaker that can connect to both Bluetooth or Wi-Fi. Read our review of the Sonos Roam.