The Sonos Beam (Gen 2) is still reduced to it's Black Friday price – could this be a hint towards a next-gen soundbar for 2026?

Black Friday is firmly in the rear-view mirror, and yet the deals persist. That's good news for anyone who regrets not snapping up a deal, especially if you were thinking of grabbing the Award-winning Sonos Beam (Gen 2).

Compact, sleek, smart and, most importantly, great-sounding; the Dolby Atmos-touting Beam does it all. It's discounted to £335 at Richer Sounds and Amazon, and many other retailers have it listed at a similar price.

Considering we reviewed it at £399, and Sonos has since raised the price to £449, we think this is a pretty tempting discount.

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Sonos Beam (Gen 2): was £449 now £335 at Richer Sounds

This compact Sonos Dolby Atmos soundbar is small and mighty, delivering crisp, immersive and rich cinematic sound from a footprint that suits smaller rooms and setups perfectly. It's packed with features, including voice control and wireless streaming.
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Now, I'm not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, but I do have to wonder why the Beam (Gen 2) is staying at this discounted price.

While it's totally reasonable that Sonos simply felt as if the discounted price should stick around to tempt prospective Beam buyers, the optimist (or should I say conspiracy theorist) in me wonders if Sonos could be clearing the decks for a new soundbar in 2026.

Put simply, the Beam (Gen 2) is due for an update. It launched in October 2021, meaning it's just celebrated its fourth year on sale. While a handful of manufacturers launch new soundbars every year – Samsung, for example – Sonos is often more reserved, choosing instead to refresh its soundbar range every few years.

The company launched the Sonos Arc Ultra towards the end of last year, replacing the original Sonos Arc, which was launched in June 2020. That's a four-year gap, which is where the Beam (Gen 2) finds itself now.

The Arc Ultra featured Sonos' new Sound Motion technology, which meant it could deliver impressively deep and controlled bass from newly designed, trimmed-down drivers.

A smaller driver that's designed to deliver punchier bass is, frankly speaking, destined to end up in a Sonos Beam one way or another. It just makes sense to imbue a new compact 'bar with this driver tech, as it would be right at home in the Beam's smaller footprint.

I've been crossing my fingers tightly for a Sonos Beam Ultra announcement all year, especially considering that the Arc Ultra blew my socks off upon first listen.

Unfortunately, Sonos has remained eerily quiet on the subject. The American audio brand has had a quiet year, which is to be expected after launching an onslaught of products in 2024, including the Ace, Arc Ultra, Sub 4 and Roam 2.

Alongside that, it's dealt with leadership changes and backlash regarding updates to its app and streaming platform. Understandably, it chose this year to take some time to compose itself.

I hope Sonos comes out swinging next year, and the Beam (Gen 3) or Beam Ultra (whichever name it chooses) is a perfect excuse to kick 2026 off with a bang.

That, of course, remains speculation. If you can't wait, then the Beam (Gen 2) is sure to impress, especially at this price. It features HDMI eARC connectivity with Dolby Atmos audio support, wireless streaming capabilities, and it can be tied into the wider Sonos ecosystem if you have existing speakers.

Pair it with a Sonos Sub Mini and two Era 100 speakers, and you'll have a compact surround sound package, too.

For £335 at Richer Sounds and Amazon, this soundbar is very easy to recommend.

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Read our full Sonos Beam (Gen 2) review

Check out our picks for the best Dolby Atmos soundbars

And find more of the best soundbar deals here