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  1. Table of Contents
  2. Top
  3. Main Differences
  4. Design
    1. Pictures
    2. Style
    3. Portability
    4. Build Quality
    5. Controls
    6. In The Box
  5. Sound
    1. Frequency Response Accuracy
    2. Raw Frequency Response
    3. Soundstage
    4. Dynamics
  6. Active Features
    1. Battery
    2. Voice Assistant
    3. App
  7. Connectivity
    1. Wired
    2. Bluetooth
    3. Wi-Fi
  8. Comments

Apple HomePod (1st generation) vs Sonos One Gen 2/One SL

Side-by-Side Comparison

Products

Apple HomePod (1st generation)
Sonos One Gen 2/One SL

Tested using Methodology v0.8

Updated Sep 04, 2024 07:33 PM

SEE PRICE
Amazon.com

Tested using Methodology v0.8

Updated Aug 14, 2024 02:03 PM

SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Apple HomePod (1st generation)  Picture
Sonos One Gen 2/One SL Picture

Variants

  • HomePod (1st generation) (Space Gray)
  • HomePod (1st generation) (White)
  • One Gen 2 (Black)
  • One SL (Black)
  • One SL (Shadow Edition)
  • One Gen 2 (White)
  • One SL (White)

Our Verdict

Apple HomePod (1st generation)

Sonos One Gen 2/One SL

The Apple HomePod (1st generation) is a better speaker than the Sonos One Gen 2/One SL. The Apple has a better-balanced sound profile and has fewer compression artifacts at max volume. Its built-in Siri voice assistant can better register your commands, even if you're speaking in a noisy environment. That said, it may be harder to find in new condition now that it's been discontinued.

0 

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White
HomePod (1st generation)
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Space Gray
HomePod (1st generation)
Searching
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Shadow Edition
One SL
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Main Differences for
Music

Threshold 

0.10

Music 

7.0
6.6

Soundstage 
 

7.5
5.9

Dynamics 
 

6.8
5.3

EQ 
 

No
Bass/Treble

Full Comparison

Design

Style  

Style Photo  

Apple HomePod (1st generation)  Style Photo
Sonos One Gen 2/One SL Style Photo

RGB Lights  

No
No
Show text

Portability 
 

4.2
5.3

Dimensions Photo  

Apple HomePod (1st generation)  Dimensions Photo
Sonos One Gen 2/One SL Dimensions Photo

Volume 
 

203 in³ (3,332 cm³)
140 in³ (2,302 cm³)

Weight 
 

5.5 lbs (2.5 kg)
4.0 lbs (1.8 kg)

Power Source 
 

AC Only
AC Only

One-Hand Carry 
 

No
Yes
Show text

Build Quality 
 

6.4
6.7

Build Quality Photo  

Apple HomePod (1st generation)  Build Quality Photo
Sonos One Gen 2/One SL Build Quality Photo

Material Quality 
 

Good
Great

Water Resistance 
 

No
No

Dust Resistance 
 

Unspecified
Unspecified

Impact Resistance 
 

No
Unspecified

Floats In Water 
 

No
No
Show text

Controls 
 

8.0
8.0

Controls Photo  

Apple HomePod (1st generation)  Controls Photo
Sonos One Gen 2/One SL Controls Photo

Controls Photo 2  

Apple HomePod (1st generation)  Controls Photo 2
Sonos One Gen 2/One SL Controls Photo 2

Ease Of Use 
 

Great
Great

Feedback 
 

Great
Great

Music Play/Pause 
 

Yes (Tactile)
Yes (Tactile)

Call Answer/End 
 

Yes (Tactile)
No

Volume Up/Down 
 

Yes (Tactile)
Yes (Tactile)

Track Next/Previous 
 

Yes (Tactile)
Yes (Tactile)

Microphone On/Off 
 

No
Yes (Tactile)

Additional Controls 
 

Yes
Yes
Show text

In The Box 
 

In The Box Photo  

Apple HomePod (1st generation)  In The Box Photo
Sonos One Gen 2/One SL In The Box Photo
Show text
Sound

Frequency Response Accuracy 
 

7.3
7.2

Frequency Response Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Slope 
 

0.19
-0.22

Std. Err. 
 

2.35 dB
2.96 dB

Low-Frequency Extension 
 

53.4 Hz
52.6 Hz

High-Frequency Extension 
 

19.1 kHz
19.1 kHz
Show text

Raw Frequency Response 
 

Raw Frequency Response Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Binaural Recording @ 1m 
 

Binaural Recording @ 2m 
 

Soundstage 
 

7.5
5.9

Directivity Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Directivity Index 
 

0.97 dB
3.97 dB

Stereo 
 

No (mono)
No (mono)
Show text

Dynamics 
 

6.8
5.3

Dynamic Range Compression  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

SPL @ Max Volume 
 

88.5 dB SPL
86.5 dB SPL

DRC @ Max Volume 
 

2.41 dB
4.89 dB
Show text
Active Features

Battery 
 

0.0
0.0

Battery Life 
 

N/A
N/A

Charge Time 
 

N/A
N/A

Power Saving 
 

No
No

Charging Port 
 

No Battery
No Battery

Battery Powered 
 

No
No

Voice Assistant 
 

10
8.0

Alexa 
 

No
Built-in (Wi-Fi Only)

Google Assistant 
 

No
Built-in (Wi-Fi Only)

Speakerphone 
 

Yes
No

Siri 
 

Built-in
No

Voice Assistant 
 

Yes
Yes

Voice Activation 
 

Yes
Yes

Microphone Mute 
 

Yes
Yes

Far-Field Performance 
 

Excellent
Excellent

Ambient Noise Performance 
 

Excellent
Bad
Show text

App 
 

6.6
9.3

App Picture  

Apple HomePod (1st generation)  App Picture
Sonos One Gen 2/One SL App Picture

App Name 
 

Apple Home
Sonos S2

iOS 
 

Yes
Yes

Android 
 

No
Yes

EQ 
 

No
Bass/Treble

Stereo Pair Mode 
 

Yes
Yes

Party Mode 
 

Yes
Yes

Multi-Room 
 

Yes
Yes
Show text
Connectivity

Wired 
 

Aux Input 
 

No
No

USB Audio 
 

No
No

Other Ports 
 

No
Yes
Show text

Bluetooth 
 

0.0
0.0

Bluetooth 
 

No
No

Bluetooth Version 
 

No Bluetooth
No Bluetooth

Bluetooth iOS Latency 
 

N/A
N/A

Bluetooth Android Latency 
 

N/A
N/A

Bluetooth Range 
 

N/A
N/A

Multi-Device Pairing 
 

No
No
Show text

Wi-Fi 
 

8.1
7.5

Wi-Fi Version 
 

Wi-Fi 5
Wi-Fi 3

Wi-Fi Frequency Band 
 

2.4GHz & 5GHz
2.4GHz

Wi-Fi 
 

Yes
Yes

Apple AirPlay 
 

Yes
Yes

AirPlay Latency 
 

37 ms
28 ms

Google Chromecast 
 

No
No

Chromecast Latency 
 

N/A
N/A
Show text

Check Price

White
HomePod (1st generation)
Searching
Finding store
Space Gray
HomePod (1st generation)
Searching
Finding store
 
 
Shadow Edition
One SL
Searching
Finding store

Apple HomePod (1st generation)

Sonos One Gen 2/One SL

Comments

  1. Comparison

Apple HomePod (1st generation) vs Sonos One Gen 2/One SL: Main Discussion

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