Sonos Three? New Sonos speaker could be Play:3 update

New Sonos speaker: Is a new Play:3 on the way?

Sonos looks set to announce a new wireless speaker some time soon, after details of a new product were revealed in an FCC filing. The product name wasn't revealed, the filing instead referring to a Sonos S18 satellite speaker, but some features were confirmed... although they don't give much away.

Naturally enough the filing shows compliance for wi-fi and Bluetooth. While Bluetooth streaming would be a first for Sonos, the inclusion here is instead likely to be for set-up purposes rather than wireless music.

Elsewhere, Variety spotted the new speaker was tested alongside the Playbar soundbar, and so suggested the speaker could be designed especially for use in a Sonos cinema system. A smaller satellite speaker for surround sound channels? Possibly. Or even a Dolby Atmos compatible speaker? Probably a long shot, not least as none of the soundbars support Atmos (and Sonos isn't convinced).

We think it's more likely that the speaker is a new version of an older Sonos speaker: the Play:3. The mid-sized speaker in the family was released back in 2011 and now looks a little dated. A new design, complete with touch buttons and voice control in line with the Sonos One, would make a lot of sense. The Sonos Three, then?

The existing One, Play:1, Play:3 and Play:5 can all already be used alongside the Beam, Playbar and Playbase as surround speakers for a cinema system, which would explain the Playbar testing.

While CES 2019 might be a little too soon for an announcement, it seems we may not have too long to wait until we see something new from Sonos.

Joe is the Content Director for What Hi-Fi? and Future’s Product Testing, having previously been the Global Editor-in-Chief of What Hi-Fi?. He has worked on What Hi-Fi? across the print magazine and website for almost 20 years, writing news, reviews and features on everything from turntables to TVs, headphones to hi-fi separates. He has covered product launch events across the world, from Apple to Technics, Sony and Samsung; reported from CES, the Bristol Show, and Munich High End for many years; and written for sites such as the BBC, Stuff and The Guardian. In his spare time, he enjoys expanding his vinyl collection and cycling (not at the same time).