Comparison of Sonos Move vs Sonos One Speakers – Which one is Better?

The Sonos Move and the Sonos One; two formidable speakers that home sound enthusiasts swear by. But which one is right for you?

This is our Recommended Sonos Speaker

In this Sonos Move vs Sonos One comparison, we’ve pitted the two speakers against each other by looking at their features, sound quality, performance, price etc.

Let’s first see a side-by-side comparison of the two speakers with their most important characteristics:

Quick Comparison Table

Sonos Home Speakers

Sonos is a heavyweight player in the home speakers arena. Its entry-level home speaker, the Sonos One, is probably the most popular of the brand’s indoor sound devices. But this is likely to change with the entry of the Sonos Move.

The Move is a new offering from Sonos that is, undoubtedly, an upgrade of the One. This is the company’s first portable speaker, and it has got homeowners talking.

The Move and the One may look similar in terms of shape (both having the distinct cylindrical shape of Sonos speakers), but there are some key differences in terms of design and performance that you should know about.

Let’s see how the two speakers pit against each other.

Sonos Move Vs One: Features Comparison

Power

First off, the Move is a portable Bluetooth+WiFi speaker with smart capabilities. The speaker is powered both by AC and a built-in battery. That’s why the Move is a lot heavier than the One model (because of the battery and larger speakers inside).

Anytime you feel like bumping your jams outdoors, simply unplug the speaker from the charging cradle and move with it. According to Sonos, the speaker offers up to 10 hours of playback before having to be recharged.

Sonos Move Outdoors

If you are going camping or prefer the off-grid life, you can set the speaker to low-power mode to conserve its power. This way, the speaker will serve you for up to five days.

When you are not actively operating the Move (streaming, using the mic, etc.), it will automatically go to low-power mode after 30 minutes.

On the other hand, the Sonos One model is purely for indoor use, connected to a power outlet. This makes it obviously, less portable.

Sound-tuning Control

Another feature that sets the Move apart from the One is sound tuning control. The Move comes with Sonos “Auto-TruePlay” feature, which automatically tunes and balances the sound according to the surrounding area to generate the optimum sound profile. This is convenient and the difference in output is clear.

For example, when you move from an open space to a closed-in space, such as a media cabinet, the Move speaker detects the change and automatically lowers the bass while increasing the mids and treble. This happens in seconds, with no input required from your end. However, the microphones have to be on for the tuning to take place.

With the Sonos One, you’ll need to use your iOS mobile device and wave it during setup as the speaker tries to work out the best sound profile.

Bluetooth

Only Sonos Move is equipped with Bluetooth connectivity option in order to pair the speaker with music sources (e.g your smartphone, another music device etc) for streaming your music to the speaker.

The Move does not complicate or change the Sonos experience. When switching off from Bluetooth, it will automatically connect to your home’s Wi-Fi.

However, you’ll need to regroup it with other Sonos speakers through the Sonos app. Moreover, when you switch on Bluetooth on the Move, you’ll lose the smart assistant capability since the Wi-Fi will be shut off.

These are the major differences in features between the Sonos Move and Sonos One speakers.

Coming to other areas, these two speakers stem from the same family. You will be pressed to find any major differences in terms of functionality and capability between them.

For example, both the Move and the One have built-in smart assistant functionality. Alexa and Google Assistant are available in both speakers. However, the Move has both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth capability while the One lacks Bluetooth.

Sound Quality

Sonos has built a reputation for itself as the ultimate home speaker brand.

“Sonos Move” Sound Quality

The Move offers the familiar warm and lively ‘Sonos sound’. The speaker features a forward-firing woofer and a downward-firing tweeter, which provide 360-degree sound experience.

Comparing the Move and the One, you’ll immediately notice a difference in the sound when you turn them on. The Move has superior sound that appears more balanced, steadily aiming to match the Sonos Play 5. On the other hand, the One barks at the mid ranges and feels hollowed out.

Both speakers have 2 Class-D amps and a midwoofer. However, the Move’s subwoofer is superior and is actually the same one used on the Sonos Play 5. This subwoofer makes all the difference, allowing the Move to produce higher volume than the One.

The Move is the ultimate indoors party speaker. Its sound is of slightly higher-quality than the One. However, this is not to say the One’s sound is poor. In fact, most people will be happy with the maximum volume and quality of sound produced by the One.

But for party animals or for bringing music to your outdoors backyard while having a barbeque, the Move wins hands-down in terms of volume and the quality of sound.

Wrapping up the sound arena, Sonos users will not fail to realize that the sound quality and power of the Move is somewhere in between Sonos One and the larger and more expensive Play 5.

Here are All the Features of Sonos Move

“Sonos One” Sound Quality

Both speakers can be paired between them to create a stereo quality sound. However, the cheaper price of Sonos One make it ideal for such a scenario.

You can buy two “Sonos One” speakers and create a great stereo-sound environment covering with music your whole home.

Here are All the Features of Sonos One

Connectivity

The Move has brilliance integrated into it. The drop-resistant and weatherproof speaker has ample connectivity options to keep the party going.

You can operate the speaker by talking, through Apple Airplay 2 or using the Sonos App. Streaming is also possible through either Wi-Fi or Bluetooth.

The One is also great at connectivity but falls short of matching the Move’s features. You can also control the One with AirPlay, stream through Wi-Fi or fix your router into the Ethernet port if Wi-Fi is unstable. However, this speaker lacks Bluetooth functionality.

Microphones

Both Sono speakers feature a microphone on their tops, that is powered by a touch button control. Through the controls, you can adjust the volume, play and pause the microphone.

Both models are equipped with Far-field microphone arrays which cancel-out noise and capture voice commands with ease.

Price

Price is another area where the two Sonos speakers differ significantly. The newer Move is priced at around $399 currently while the older One goes at $199. That’s a price difference of about 2X.

Despite the higher price, the Move is a bold portable speaker that boasts of some serious sound power. If you are new with the Sonos brand, you may want to get the One as a test-run, and later upgrade to the Move.

Which Speaker is Right for You?

Both the Sonos Move and the Sonos One speakers produce enviable sound and unmatched performance in the home speakers’ arena. However, the particular differences between the speakers make them ideal for different situations.

For sound quality and features, you’ll want to go with the Move. This speaker produces rich sound and has the additional capability of streaming via Bluetooth or using it outdoors on batteries.

However, the smart assistant feature relies on Wi-Fi. Turning on Bluetooth will deny you the ability to use Google Assistant or Alexa with the speakers.

The Move is an all-round speaker that can be used both indoors and outdoors. With the battery capable of providing up to 10 hours of playback, and even more when it’s in low-power mode, the speaker easily beats the One in terms of value. Take this speaker with you to the kitchen, garage, playroom, tent, or wherever you go to listen to your music.

Buy Sonos Move from the Official Website

Budget-wise, the One will be the speaker to go for. While you won’t be able to use the speaker outdoors, its sound is still great and you won’t have to worry about battery performance. A pair of One speakers would be suitable for backroom entertainment and great stereo sound where the speakers are not likely to be moved at any time.

Buy Sonos One from the Official Website

What to Watch Out For

Since the Move is the better home speaker when compared to the One, let’s touch on a few things you should watch out for if you decide to buy it.

First off, when the Move is used as a Bluetooth speaker, it loses some of the features that rely on Internet connection. For example, it cannot function as a smart speaker when Bluetooth is turned on. This means you can’t access Google Assistant or Alexa.

Apart from this, Auto-TruePlay does not work in Bluetooth mode. Therefore, the speaker won’t be able to tune its sound quality according to the environment.

Finally, you cannot operate the speaker as a stereo pair with another Sonos Move when Bluetooth is on. For the speakers to be connected for stereo pairing, Wi-Fi mode has to be turned on.

Apart from the features, you’ll also have to worry about the battery. The Move is the first Sonos speaker with an inbuilt battery.

According to Sonos, the battery is good to last for three years or 900 charges. This is certainly not a dealbreaker as you can still use the speaker when it is connected to a power outlet.

However, if you will be mostly using the speaker outdoors, when the time comes, you will definitely need to get a new battery for your unit.

Should You Buy the Sonos Move or the Sonos One?

Ultimately, it’s up to you to decide which speaker to buy. If you are looking for an entry-level speaker, you could buy two Ones for $199 each. Their sound quality is nearly the same as that of the Move.

On the other hand, if you want a versatile unit that you can move with around the house or outdoors, then the Move is definitely your speaker. However, you’ll have to contend with the higher price tag, which is almost double that of the One.

We hope this brief comparison of Sonos Move vs Sonos One has been helpful for you.