As the company has strongly hinted in recent weeks, Sonos will indeed release its first-ever pair of headphones next year. That’s according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, who pegs a release as early as April. The over-ear headphones are rumored to cost between $400 and $500 — very premium territory for a company that’s brand new to the category.
At least one marquee feature will be their ability to synchronize music with other Sonos products in your home. The headphones will also include Sonos Voice Control, which is already heavily focused on music-related commands, unlike other broader voice assistants from Amazon, Apple, and Google. Bloomberg says Sonos has been working on the headphones since 2019 but has canceled earlier versions of the product, so the company’s past patent filings will likely have little bearing on the final hardware. Sonos could follow the headphones with its own set of wireless earbuds.
The company, best known for high-end smart speakers, has been trying to develop headphones since 2019. Its new products are an attempt to revive sales, which have slumped this year. On an earnings call earlier this month, Sonos CEO Patrick Spence said that he expects brand new products to account for a “large portion” of the company’s revenue by the second half of 2024.
Sonos plans to release the over-the-ear headphones by April next year. Bloomberg reports that they will come in black and white color options, sync with other Sonos speakers, and also let people use their voice to navigate between songs. Sonos is also working on software to let people control all Sonos equipment in their house from their phones when they are away.
The streaming box will reportedly be released by the end of 2024 or early 2025. It will run an Android-based operating system and run streaming apps, similar to how existing streaming boxes work. Sonos is currently in talks with Netflix and companies offering live television to support its device.