Sonos is reportedly giving the Playbar a long-awaited redesign
It should be slicker and more connected.
You’d be forgiven for thinking that Sonos had forgotten about the Playbar — while it’s been happy to introduce newer hardware like the Beam and Playbase, its original soundbar still has that 2013-era design and core functionality. At last, though, Sonos appears ready to give the Playbar a makeover. Zatz Not Funny has obtained what it says are “incomplete” renders of a redesigned Playbar. It’s not clear what physical ports the leaked bar would have, but it looks to be a much sleeker, curvier design that would feel more at home with modern TVs. A 9to5Mac tipster hinted at possible Dolby Atmos support, which might explain the new design — it’d need a place to put upward-firing speakers.
It’s not clear what connectivity the new Playbar would have, but it’s safe to say it would catch up with more recent Sonos devices to add features like AirPlay 2 streaming. It’s also possible you’ll see native voice control, although we certainly wouldn’t plan around it at this stage. You can be sure of support for Sonos S2, at least.
The ZNF leak didn’t mention release dates or pricing. This suggests Sonos is getting relatively close, though. Just be prepared to pay a hefty amount. The existing Playbar still has an official $749 price tag, and we wouldn’t expect it to dip below that given audio and connectivity upgrades. Not that this will necessarily be a problem. As with the Beam, the new Playbar might serve as a combination soundbar and high-end smart speaker that could ultimately save you money.
