The Sonos Playbar may finally, at long last, be getting an upgrade, according to an image discovered by Dave Zatz over at Zatz Not Funny. The renders don’t show a power outlet or HDMI ports, which Zatz speculates may mean ports and any buttons are either recessed within the ledge or elsewhere along the sound bar.
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.
