As hardware upgrades go, few are as significant as the Sonos Move 2. This portable speaker gets a hefty boost to battery life (from 11 hours to 24 hours), and adds stereo sound. But seeing as the original Move came out only in 2019, chances are your Move is probably still in good shape. If not, the new version is a no-brainer upgrade, even with a S$70 price hike.

The Sonos Move 2 looks identical to the previous version, with the same shape, and even the same built-in handle at the back. At 3kg, it even weighs around the same. It's portable, but not in a carry-on-your-daily-run kind. The speaker, though, is designed for outdoor use with IP56 water and dust resistance. The Move 2 also integrates the changes Sonos has made in its latest speakers, namely the Era series (100 and 300). For starters, it has the new touch-capacitive volume slider that's really nice to swipe back and forth. More importantly, the Move 2 now has a USB-C port that can support line-in (with a separately-sold S$39 dongle accessory). This USB-C port can also be used to charge the speaker, and to charge other devices. The latter is handy in a pinch to top up your phone, especially given the Move 2's excellent battery life.

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Of course, you can still charge the Move 2 using the included charging base, which now comes with a USB-C cable that can detached from the wall adapter. You can use this charging base with the one included with the original Move (and vice versa). It's nice to see such backward compatibility for both cost and sustainability reasons. As you'd expect of a portable speaker, the Move 2 supports both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. However, you must first set it up using Wi-Fi with the Sonos S2 app. There's a built-in mic, which is used for both voice control, and Sonos' Trueplay sound calibration feature. But while the Move 2 supports Sonos' own voice control, and Amazon's Alexa voice assistant, there's no Google Assistant now unlike the original Move, probably because of the legal dispute between the two firms.

The Sonos Move 2 sports a larger 44-watt battery. This replaceable battery also works with the Move, though Sonos says the older model won't see as much benefit as the Move 2's all-day battery. Apparently, the new speaker is just more power efficient. The other big improvement: The Move 2 has two angled tweeters for stereo sound. It's pretty much like going from the Sonos One to its sequel, the Era 100. The audio separation is there, albeit limited. You can also have two Move 2 speakers in a stereo pair. Sound-wise, the Move 2 packs plenty of bass and volume. It's truly room-filling, which is not unexpected for a speaker designed with outdoor use in mind. It's somewhat similar to an Era 100 in sound quality. The speaker sounds great (and similar) from different locations around the room, thanks to the automatic Trueplay feature.

At S$799, the Sonos Move 2 is S$70 more expensive than the original Move (S$729 at launch, now officially at S$669). There's no doubt that the Move 2 is a huge upgrade, from the battery life to the stereo sound to the switch to USB-C. And you only lose out on the Google Assistant, which is probably not a priority for most users. But the Move 2 is pricey when comparing portable speakers. For example, the Marshall Middleton (S$499) may not sound as good, but it's more rugged, and lighter. Then again, there's the S$1,360 Devialet Mania. For the same S$799 price, I would personally go for the Sonos Era 300, simply because it offers a unique listening experience with Dolby Atmos. But if you really need a speaker for your next BBQ, the Move 2 is available from local distributor TC Acoustic, Lazada, and Shopee.

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Note: Review unit provided by Sonos.