Sonos just announced the Sonos One Gen 2, an updated and upgraded model of its Sonos One, and it looks identical and costs for the exact same price ($199) as the original first-generation smart speaker. So what’s the difference?
All the changes with the Sonos One Gen 2 are internal. Sonos added Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), an updated processor and increased memory to the Sonos One Gen 2, but, in truth, none of these upgrades will affect the performance of the speaker. Not yet, at least. The improvements are designed to make the Sonos One Gen 2 a little more powerful and better prepared for the future. The sound quality of the Sonos One Gen 2 will be exactly the same.
Bluetooth Low Energy will help improve the connection between your smartphone and the speaker; it’ll make streaming music on the Sonos One Gen 2 a little more reliable. It’s not clear how the faster processor and memory boost will improve the Sonos One Gen 2, but if we had to guess, it probably has something to do with AirPlay 2. Some of Sonos’s older speakers, like the Play:1, don’t support AirPlay 2, but they can stream AirPlay 2 audio when paired with another Sonos speaker that supports it.
How you’ll be able to tell if its a Sonos One Gen 2 or if you’re dealing with the original? You’ll have to really look for it. It’ll say “Gen 2” on the package when you purchase the speaker, but if it’s out of the box you’ll have to flip the speaker over and find the product label on its bottom.
With the addition of the Sonos One Gen 2, Sonos will phase out its original Sonos speaker. Of course, Sonos will continue to support both speakers with regular updates.
If you don’t see a big difference between the Sonos One and the Sonos One Gen 2 — and you there’s not much difference, at all — it’s actually a pretty good time to get an original Sonos One for a small discount. While Sonos One Gen 2 is transitioning to stores and online marketplaces, Sonos will be selling the original Sonos One for ($179).
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