The Sonos Roam/Roam SL is one of the most portable speakers in the manufacturer's lineup. This speaker boasts a small and compact design that's ideal for on-the-go listening. It's even rated IP67 for dust and water resistance, meaning it can hold up against some exposure to the elements. With built-in Alexa and Google Assistant, you can control this device with your voice. If voice assistant support isn't ideal for you, you can also check out the SL variant of this speaker, which comes without a microphone.
Our Verdict
The Sonos Roam is acceptable for music. Like more premium speakers on the market, it has a room correction tool called Trueplay that optimizes its frequency response based on your room's unique acoustics. It's suitable for listening to most music genres, given the clear and accurate reproduction of voices and lead instruments in the mix. Its bass and treble adjustments allow you to switch up its sound. Trueplay isn't available with the SL version of this speaker since it relies on a microphone to work.
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Bass and treble adjustments.
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Trueplay room correction feature (not available with SL variant).
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Lacks some low bass.
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Not loud enough for large rooms.
The Sonos Roam isn't meant for listening to movies, but if you happen to watch a video on your paired smartphone, it can get the job done. Dialogue is clear in the mix, meaning you can follow along with the plot, and low latency over Apple AirPlay ensures that you don't have to worry about lip-synching issues. However, it isn't loud enough to fill up larger rooms with sound, and the lack of low bass is noticeable in action-packed scenes.
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Bass and treble adjustments.
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Low AirPlay latency.
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Lacks some low bass.
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Not loud enough for large rooms.
The Sonos Roam is decent for podcasts. Dialogue is clearly reproduced, so you can easily follow along with your favorite shows, and the portable design lets you bring it with you from room to room. You can adjust its bass and treble. If you purchase the Sonos Roam variant, you can use its room correction tool, Trueplay, to improve its sound. That said, it only pairs to one device at a time, which can be annoying if you want to switch your source frequently.
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Bluetooth and Wi-Fi compatibility.
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Not loud enough for large rooms.
The Sonos Roam offers excellent voice assistant support thanks to the built-in microphone. Built-in Alexa and Google Assistant are available so you can control the device with your voice, and it easily picks up all your commands. You can mute the microphone, which is great for privacy. Naturally, if you buy the SL variant of this speaker, this feature isn't available.
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Mic mute button (not available with SL variant).
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Excellent far-field performance.
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Not loud enough for large rooms.
The Sonos Roam is fair for outdoor use. It's a portable and lightweight speaker that's easy to carry in one hand, with a sturdy build and an impact resistance rating. An IP67 rating for dust and water resistance means it's certified to withstand some exposure to the elements. However, it doesn't get super loud, so you'll want to stay close by when listening outdoors.
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IP67 rating for dust and water resistance.
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Rated for impact resistance.
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Not loud enough for large rooms.
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5.1-hour battery life.
- 6.3 Music
- 6.2 Videos/Movies
- 7.2 Podcasts
- 8.5 Voice Assistant
- 6.5 Outdoors
- Updated Jun 20, 2024: We've added a comparison between this speaker and the Sonos Roam 2 in Controls.
- Updated Feb 26, 2024: We've merged the review for the Sonos Roam SL into the Sonos Roam review since they're essentially the same speaker. The SL variant lacks a microphone, so we've adjusted the text in the Controls, Frequency Response Accuracy, and Voice Assistant boxes to elaborate on this difference. While our usage scores haven't changed, we've updated the text in these boxes to distinguish between the two variants more clearly.
- Updated Feb 02, 2024: We've added a comparison between this speaker and the Bose SoundLink Mini II Special Edition in Bluetooth.
- Updated Jan 17, 2024: We've updated this review to ensure accuracy and added relevant comparisons to other speakers.
- Updated Nov 17, 2023: Added market comparison with the Sonos Move 2 in the Dynamics box.
- Updated Jun 22, 2023: Added additional information about the speaker's performance over a Wi-Fi connection on firmware version 15.4 to the Batterybox.
- Updated Jan 18, 2023: Updated review text for accuracy and clarity. No changes in test results.
- Updated May 12, 2022: Updated the 'Style' and 'Variants' boxes to include new speaker colors.
- Updated Mar 02, 2022: Added information regarding the new Sonos Roam SL to the Variants box.
- Updated Jan 20, 2022: Updated review for accuracy and clarity.
- Updated Jul 28, 2021: Updated review for accuracy and clarity.
- Updated May 12, 2021: Review published.
- Updated May 07, 2021: Early access published.
- Updated May 04, 2021: Our testers have started testing this product.
- Updated May 04, 2021: The product has arrived in our lab, and our testers will start evaluating it soon.
- Updated Apr 05, 2021: We've purchased the product and are waiting for it to arrive in our lab.
Differences Between Sizes And Variants
This speaker is available in 'Shadow Black,' 'Lunar White,' 'Sunset,' 'Wave,' and 'Olive.' We tested the 'Black' variant but expect the other color variants to perform similarly. You can see the label for the model tested here.
The Sonos Roam SL is essentially the same speaker but comes without a microphone for voice assistant support.
If you encounter another version of this speaker, let us know in the discussions, and we'll update the review.
Compared To Other Speakers
The Sonos Roam is a very lightweight, portable speaker with built-in support for Google Assistant and Alexa. Like the Sonos Move, it comes with the Trueplay room correction feature to help optimize audio reproduction based on the room you're listening in. However, this is only available on iOS devices, which may disappoint some Android users. That said, since it's smaller than the Move, it doesn't get as loud and can't reproduce a very extended low bass. Its SL variant is also a good alternative for those who don't want voice assistant support.
See our recommendations for the best Bluetooth speakers, the best Sonos speakers, and the best waterproof Bluetooth speakers.
The Sonos Roam 2 is the next generation of the Sonos Roam/Roam SL and, in many ways, is a very similar speaker with a nearly identical look and feel. With the second generation, you get separate Bluetooth and power buttons. While built-in Google Assistant is phased out, it's replaced with a Sonos voice assistant. Other than that, the sound performance is very similar. The second-gen can get a bit louder, but it's still not enough to fill a large room with sound.
The Sonos Move is a better speaker than the Sonos Roam/Roam SL. The Move can get louder, and it has a more extended low bass. It also has a longer battery life, though this can vary slightly depending on usage. However, the Roam has a smaller, more portable design, which some users may prefer.
Depending on your listening habits, you may prefer either the Sonos Roam/Roam SL or the Bose SoundLink Flex. The Sonos is Wi-Fi enabled, and its Roam variant offers fantastic voice assistant support with Alexa and Google Assistant built-in. It's smaller and more portable, too, with bass and treble adjustments to tweak its sound to your liking. That said, the Bose can get a bit louder with less compression at max volume. The Bose also has a better-balanced sound profile out of the box and has a longer-lasting battery life, though this can depend on your usage.
The Sonos Roam/Roam SL and the JBL Charge 5 are similar speakers, though they have different strengths. The Sonos is smaller and more portable than the JBL. Its Roam variant has an outstanding voice assistant performance. However, the JBL can get louder than the Sonos and has fewer compression artifacts at max volume. It can be paired to two devices at once via Bluetooth and has outstanding battery life, though this can vary depending on your usage habits, so your real-world experience may differ.
The original Sonos Roam/Roam SL and the Beats Pill are similar portable, battery-powered speakers. Ultimately, which speaker you go for depends on whether you're looking for integration with the Sonos ecosystem. The Sonos can be connected to other Sonos products for a multi-room sound, thanks to Wi-Fi and companion app support. It also has built-in support for both Alexa and Google Assistant, so it's easy to input commands with your voice. On the other hand, the Beats comes with a wired audio option, so you can connect to a device via USB-C and play audio from high-resolution sources. The Beats also has a slightly longer continuous battery life and delivers a more bass-heavy default sound. Its sound can't be adjusted though.
The Sonos Roam/Roam SL and the JBL Flip 6 have different strengths. The Sonos comes with a Trueplay room correction feature, though it's currently only available with iOS devices. With Trueplay enabled, it produces a more extended low bass than the JBL. It's Wi-Fi-compatible and offers fantastic voice assistant support with Alexa and Google Assistant built-in. It also supports Apple AirPlay. However, the JBL can get a bit louder than the Sonos with less compression at max volume, resulting in cleaner audio at louder volumes. Its sound is more customizable, thanks to the graphic EQ in its JBL Portable app. It can also be paired to up to two devices at once, which is handy when you need to quickly switch between audio sources.
The Sonos Roam/Roam SL is a smaller, more portable alternative to the Sonos Move 2. However, the larger Move 2 gets louder, brings more bass, and lasts longer on its battery. It can playback stereo content, too, unlike the Roam, which has to downmix it into mono.
The Sonos Roam/Roam SL is a better speaker than the JBL Charge 4. The Sonos is better built with a more neutral sound profile out-of-the-box. It has bass and treble adjustments, and its Roam variant supports voice assistants. However, the JBL has a longer battery life.
The Sonos Roam/Roam SL is a better speaker than the Apple HomePod mini. The Sonos is more portable and better built, and it also gets louder. Its voice assistant performance is also better with its Roam variant, and it supports Bluetooth. However, the Apple speaker has superior soundstage performance.
The Sonos Roam/Roam SL and the Bose SoundLink Mini II Special Edition are similar speakers with slightly different strengths. Both are very portable and have similar default sound profiles, although you can adjust the bass and treble levels on the Sonos via the companion app. The Sonos is also better built, and its Roam variant features built-in Alexa and Google Assistant integration. The Bose has a longer continuous battery life, supports multi-device pairing, and can get a little louder with less compression at max volume.
Depending on your listening habits, you may prefer either the Bose SoundLink Revolve or the Sonos Roam/Roam SL. The Sonos is better built, and its Roam variant has a better voice assistant performance. It also supports Wi-Fi and comes with bass and treble adjustments for sound customization. However, the Bose has a better soundstage performance and a longer battery life.
The Ultimate Ears MEGABOOM 3 is a better speaker than the Sonos Roam/Roam SL. The Ultimate Ears is better built, gets louder, and has a longer battery life. Also, its soundstage performance is better. While the Sonos comes with bass and treble adjustments, the Ultimate Ears has a graphic EQ for sound customization. That said, only the Sonos Roam variant supports voice assistants.
The Sonos Roam/Roam SL is a better speaker than the Bose SoundLink Micro overall. The Sonos has a better-balanced sound profile and can produce deeper bass than the Bose. Its companion app also features bass and treble adjustments you can use to tweak its sound to your liking. Its Roam variant offers fantastic voice assistant support with built-in Alexa and Google Assistant. That said, the Bose offers a wider-sounding soundstage and has a longer battery life, though the latter can depend on your usage, and your experience may differ.
Depending on your listening habits, you may prefer either the Marshall Emberton or the Sonos Roam/Roam SL. The Marshall offers a wider-sounding soundstage and can play stereo content without downmixing it to mono. It has a longer-lasting battery life, which can vary depending on your usage. The Sonos Roam variant offers outstanding voice assistant support with built-in Alexa and Google Assistant. Its sound is also more customizable, thanks to the bass and treble sliders featured on its companion app.
The Sonos Roam/Roam SL is a better speaker than the JBL Flip 5. The Sonos Roam variant has built-in voice assistant support over Wi-Fi, offering incredible voice assistant performance. It also comes with a room correction feature and bass and treble adjustments. However, the JBL has a longer battery life, though battery life can vary slightly depending on usage.
The Marshall Emberton II is a better speaker than the Sonos Roam/Roam SL. The Marshall offers a better soundstage and can produce stereo content without downmixing it to mono. It also has a significantly longer-lasting battery life of around 22 hours, as opposed to Sonos' 5 hours of playtime. That said, the Sonos is Wi-Fi compatible. Its Roam variant comes with Alexa and Google Assistant built-in and has little trouble registering your commands from far away and in noisier environments.
Depending on your listening habits, you may prefer either the Sonos One Gen 2/One SL or the Sonos Roam/Roam SL. The One Gen 2 offers a better-balanced sound profile that can produce a more extended low bass. However, the Roam is battery-powered, making it significantly more portable. It's also rated IP67 for dust and water resistance, meaning it's certified to be dust-tight and immersible in up to a meter of water for 30 minutes. Its Roam variant also offers slightly better voice assistant support since it better understands your commands in noisier settings.
Depending on your listening habits, you may prefer either the Sonos Roam/Roam SL or the Bose SoundLink Revolve II. The Sonos Roam variant has a better voice assistant performance and comes with bass and treble adjustments for sound customization. However, the Bose has a better soundstage performance and longer battery life.
The Bose Portable Smart Speaker is better than the Sonos Roam/Roam SL. The Bose has a better soundstage performance and a more extended low bass. It also gets louder. However, the Sonos is better built, and its Roam variant comes with a room correction feature.
The Anker Soundcore Motion+ is a better speaker for most uses than the Sonos Roam/Roam SL. The Anker gets louder and supports stereo content. It also has a longer battery life. While the Sonos comes with bass and treble adjustments, the Anker has a graphic EQ for sound customization. However, the Sonos has a better voice assistant performance as long as you stick with the Roam variant.
The Bang & Olufsen Beosound Explore and the Sonos Roam/Roam SL are similarly performing portable Bluetooth speakers. That said, the Sonos offers a more neutral sound profile with Trueplay enabled and offers excellent voice assistant support through its Roam variant. The Bang & Olufsen can play stereo content without downmixing it to mono and has a better soundstage performance.
The Sonos Roam/Roam SL is a better speaker than the IKEA SYMFONISK Bookshelf overall, though you may prefer one over the other depending on your listening habits. The Sonos is an incredibly portable Bluetooth speaker with outstanding voice assistant support, as long as you purchase the Roam variant. The IKEA can produce a deeper low bass than the Sonos. It can also get louder with fewer compression artifacts at max volume, so your audio sounds cleaner at louder volume settings.
Depending on your preferences, you may like either the Ultimate Ears BOOM 3 or the Sonos Roam/Roam SL. The Ultimate Ears is better built, gets louder, and has a longer battery life. Its soundstage performance is better, too. While it comes with a graphic EQ and presets, the Sonos has bass and treble adjustments. The Sonos has a more neutral sound out-of-the-box, and its Roam variant also supports voice assistants.
The Bose SoundLink Revolve+ II is a better speaker for most uses than the Sonos Roam/Roam SL. The Bose speaker gets louder, has a better soundstage performance, and has a longer battery life. However, the Sonos Roam variant offers a better voice assistant performance and is more customizable, thanks to its bass and treble adjustments.
The Sonos Roam/Roam SL is a better speaker than the Bose SoundLink Color II overall. With its room correction feature enabled, the Sonos offers a better-balanced sound profile that can produce a more extended low bass than the Bose. Its Roam variant also offers outstanding voice assistant support with Alexa and Google Assistant built-in. That said, you can pair the Bose to two devices simultaneously, which can be useful if you need to quickly switch between audio sources. It can also get slightly louder than the Sonos with less compression at max volume, resulting in cleaner audio at louder volumes.
The Yamaha MusicCast 50 is a better speaker than the Sonos Roam/Roam SL overall, though you may prefer one over the other, depending on your listening habits. With its default 'Bass Booster' sound program enabled, the Yamaha can produce a more extended low bass than the Sonos. It can get louder than the Sonos with fewer compression artifacts at max volume, resulting in cleaner audio during louder listening sessions. It can also play stereo content without downmixing it to mono, which is more immersive. The Sonos is smaller and battery-powered, making it more portable than the Yamaha. It also offers fantastic voice assistant support with Alexa and Google Assistant built-in as long as you get the right variant.
The Sonos Roam/Roam SL is a better speaker than the Sony SRS-XB23. The Sonos is better built and has a more neutral sound profile out-of-the-box, and the Roam variant supports voice assistants. While it comes with bass and treble adjustments, the Sony has a graphic EQ for sound customization. Also, the Sony supports stereo content and has a longer battery life.
Depending on your listening habits, you may prefer either the Anker Soundcore Flare 2 or the Sonos Roam/Roam SL. The Sonos is better built, and its Roam variant has better voice assistant performance. However, the Anker has a better soundstage performance, longer battery life, and more sound customization options.
The Sonos Roam/Roam SL is a better speaker than the Sony SRS-XB33. The Sonos has a more neutral sound profile out-of-the-box, and the Roam variant supports voice assistants. While it comes with bass and treble adjustments, the Sony has a graphic EQ for sound customization. Also, the Sony supports stereo content and has a longer battery life.
The Bose Home Speaker 500 is better than the Sonos Roam/Roam SL, though they're designed for different uses. The Bose is a stereo speaker designed for use at home and needs to remain plugged into a power source to work. It has a more spacious sounding soundstage and can produce a more extended low bass than the Sonos. It can also get louder with less compression at max volume. The Sonos is smaller, battery-powered, and designed to be taken with you when you're out and about. It's better built, with an IP67 rating for dust and water resistance, so you don't have to worry about it getting a bit wet or dusty while outdoors.
The Bang & Olufsen Beosound A1 Gen 2 and the Sonos Roam/Roam SL are similar speakers with different strengths. The Bang & Olufsen has better directivity, resulting in a wider-sounding soundstage. Also, it has lower Bluetooth latency with iOS and Android devices, making it more suitable for watching movies and videos. The Sonos offers a slightly better-balanced sound profile and fantastic voice assistant support with its Roam variant. It's also Wi-Fi compatible and supports Apple AirPlay 2, which is ideal for Apple users.
The Sonos Roam/Roam SL and the Ultimate Ears WONDERBOOM 3 are small speakers with different strengths. While they're both portable and very well-built, the Ultimate Ears speaker has better directivity and a wider soundstage. It also has less compression at maximum volume and a longer battery life. That said, the Sonos allows you to adjust its bass and treble levels, and its Roam variant has voice assistant compatibility. Its Wi-Fi compatibility makes it a great choice to integrate into an existing Sonos home setup or establish one.
Depending on your listening habits, you may prefer either the Sonos Roam/Roam SL or the JBL Xtreme 3. The Sonos has a more portable design, and its Roam variant supports voice assistants. It also comes with bass and treble adjustments for sound customization. However, the JBL supports stereo content, gets louder, and has a longer battery life.
Depending on your listening habits, you may prefer either the Sonos Roam/Roam SL or the Sony SRS-XB43. The Sonos is more portable and better built, and the Roam variant supports voice assistants. It comes with bass and treble adjustments, while the Sony has a graphic EQ for sound customization. Also, the Sony supports stereo content, gets louder, and has a longer battery life.
Depending on your listening habits, you may prefer either the Ultimate Ears WONDERBOOM 2 or the Sonos Roam/Roam SL. The Sonos Roam variant has built-in voice assistant support over Wi-Fi, and it comes with more sound enhancement features, including room correction and bass and treble adjustments. However, the Ultimate Ears has a better soundstage performance and a longer battery life and gets louder. It's also advertised to float in water.
The Sonos Roam/Roam SL is a better speaker than the JBL Clip 4. The Sonos has a more neutral sound profile out-of-the-box and gets louder. It also has a companion app with bass and treble adjustments. Voice assistant support is even available with the original Roam variant.
Test Results
The Sonos Roam is a small portable speaker with a simple design. You can place it either horizontally or vertically, and you can find it in 'Shadow Black,' 'Lunar White,' 'Sunset,' 'Wave,' and 'Olive.'
This speaker is outstandingly portable. Its small and lightweight design makes it easy to bring along when you're out and about. It's also battery-powered, so you don't need to worry about plugging it into a power source.
It has an amazing build quality. The speaker is mostly plastic, including the grille that covers its sides. The end caps are made of silicone, and the materials feel pretty solid and durable. It's even rated IP67 for dust and water resistance, certifying it to be fully dust-tight and immersible in up to a meter of water for 30 minutes. The manufacturer also says it's drop-resistant, but there's no IK rating specified.
There's a play/pause button that you can hold to pair the speaker with another compatible speaker. You can double-press this button to skip to the next track and triple-press it to return to the previous one. You can swap audio between your speaker and other Sonos products by holding the Roam close to the other device and holding the Play/Pause button. Also, you can hold the Power button to activate Bluetooth pairing. However, it can be easy to accidentally turn your speaker off if you're trying to pair it to your smartphone, so if you prefer having two separate buttons, you'll want to check out the next-generation Sonos Roam 2 instead. The SL variant comes without a microphone, so you'll only find the microphone mute button with the original Sonos Roam.
There are audible chimes when you adjust the volume and when you reach max volume, which is handy. Additionally, the microphone light and the status light turn different colors based on their status.
This speaker has an adequate frequency response. It comes with a Trueplay room correction feature that uses microphones inside the speaker to analyze the unique acoustics of your living area and optimize audio reproduction accordingly. Since it relies on a microphone, this feature isn't available with the SL version of this speaker. You can only set it up through the Sonos S2 app with compatible iOS devices, so it's not available to Android users.
This speaker's sound profile is quite balanced, especially in the mids, which is where most voices and lead instruments reproduce. As a result, it's suitable for listening to many different types of audio content. You can also customize the bass and treble levels while using the Sonos app or Sonos radio. Of course, given its small size, there isn't much rumble in the low bass for genres like EDM and hip-hop.
This speaker has an unremarkable soundstage performance. It has decent directivity, so audio sounds consistent regardless of your orientation to the speaker. However, while it can pair with another compatible speaker to create a stereo pair, it has to downmix stereo content to mono when using it on its own.
This speaker gets loud enough to fill an average-sized living room with sound. With larger and more open spaces, however, it can't fill the entire space, especially when compared to larger models like the Sonos Move 2. There are some compression and pumping artifacts as you crank up the volume, especially in the bass range.
Over Bluetooth, this speaker lasts a little over five hours off a single charge. However, if you connect it to your device over Wi-Fi, the speaker's battery performance is more in line with the manufacturer's advertised 10 hours of playtime—in our tests, the speaker lasts over 8 hours on a Wi-Fi connection. Updating the speaker to firmware version 15.4 gives you access to a unique tool that extends battery life over a Wi-Fi connection. You can also press the power button to activate Sleep Mode to help conserve its battery. However, battery life can vary depending on usage, so your experience may vary.
This speaker offers outstanding voice assistant support. Built-in Alexa and Google Assistant are designed to understand your commands, even if you're far away or in the middle of a noisy room. You can even use the mic mute button when you no longer want it to hear you. That said, it's important to note that the voice assistants only work when you're connected to Wi-Fi and don't work over a Bluetooth connection, which may disappoint users who want to use their voice assistants on the go while outdoors. Of course, if you purchase the SL variant of this speaker, voice assistant support isn't available.
The Sonos S2 app is incredible. Bass and treble adjustments are available to help you customize its sound more to your liking. When connected to Wi-Fi, you can use the app to create a stereo pair with another compatible speaker. You can also pair multiple units together for a party or to play audio across different rooms of your home. However, these features aren't available over Bluetooth.
You can't use this speaker wired. There's a USB-C port, but it's just for charging the speaker.
This speaker doesn't support multi-device pairing, a feature that's present in other small speakers like the Bose SoundLink Mini II Special Edition. This can be limiting if you switch your audio source frequently. It has low latency when paired with iOS devices, so your audio and video will be in sync. However, it doesn't perform as well with Android devices, so it may not be suitable for watching movies over this connection. Different apps can compensate for latency differently, so your real-world experience may vary.
This speaker is Wi-Fi compatible and supports Apple AirPlay 2. It has low latency over this connection, making it suitable for watching videos and movies. It doesn't support Google Chromecast, which is disappointing for Android users.