Sonos Move vs One vs Homepod by Apple – Specs Comparison

We are comparing the Sonos Move vs One vs Homepod by Apple which are smart speakers for home entertainment.

The world of smart speakers has changed to a considerable extent. The prime reason we have been using a smart speaker or a powered voice speaker is to ensure that we get our share of music to the best possible degree.

The emphasis of late has been on the music, and that should perhaps explain why the major players like Google and Amazon have been focussing more on the business of music. Other manufacturers like Sonos and Apple have been concentrating more on music performance on their hardware.

Related: Amazon Echo Studio vs Sonos One vs Apple Homepod

When it comes to the smart speakers, both Homepod and the One are the debut products from Apple and Sonos, respectively. Yet another excellent option from Sonos that has been successful in the smart speaker’s genre is Sonos Move. For the sake of this post, we will undertake a comparison between the three of these dominant players – the Sonos One, Sonos Move, and Apple Homepod.

How do Apple Homepod, Sonos One, and Sonos Move fare against each other?

We will compare the three competing options based on a few key features. That would help you understand the features offered by the three smart speakers in a better understandable manner.

The Spec Comparison: Sonos Move vs One vs Homepod by Apple

Having checked out the products, here s a head to head comparison for the best understanding of the smart speakers.

Amazon Echo Studio vs Sonos One vs Apple Homepod:

So, in a related comparison, we are comparing the Amazon Echo Studio as well, since it is closely competing with the above speakers. Check out the table below:

The Design

At 6.36 x 4.69 inches, the Sonos One offers you similar size as its sibling, the Play 1, which was not as smart as the Sonos One. The top has touch buttons, and that should be one of the prime differences from the perspective of looks when compared to the predecessor. The touch buttons come with options for tapping or swiping the tracks. You also have access to mute/unmute Alexa. The buttons do appear to be good enough to handle, but the compassionate touch option can activate the buttons accidentally.

The Apple Homepod comes with a slightly larger size at 6.8 inches tall and 5.6 inches. The entire smart speaker is equipped with a mesh grille that would cover almost everything except for the touch buttons. It isn’t the case with the Sonos One, where you would find that the cloth does not surround the entire speaker.

The minor difference between Sonos One and Sonos Move lies in the fact that you will find the Sonos Move a little longer than Sonos One. The logo is a little more significantly better contrast when it comes to the Sonos One. The Sonos Move is a little heavier.

One of the prime features that would make Sonos Move a better option is the fact that it is a portable Bluetooth Speaker and a WiFi Smart Speaker. The speaker can be carried out, and you can expect a battery backup of around 10 hours.

Sound Quality

Well, when it comes to sound performance and efficiency, the Sonos range of products has always been found to be one of the excellent options ever. If you are an audiophile and looking for a budget alternative, the Sonos range of speakers has been one of the unique options ever.

Between Sonos One and Sonos Move, you would find the Sonos Move comes with excellent audio quality. The Sonos One will produce a little hollowed music in the mid-range, while the Sonos Move offers you a more balanced sound performance.

The Sonos Move comes with a mid-woofer and two class D digital amplifiers. You also have access to a downward-firing tweeter. The Sonos One begins with the two-class D amplifiers as well, along with a mid-woofer. The significant difference between the two options would be the volume offered by the two different speakers. Sonos Move can provide a louder volume, a wider soundstage, and a cleaner delivery of sound. You would find Sonos Move a little better in audio quality, but that should not mean Sonos One is far behind in any manner.

Coming to the Apple Homepod, you would find that it does offer you the same degree of performance standard when you compare it to the Sonos One. The Homepod provides you access to a superb performance with the punchy show, without distortions at higher volumes. Both Sonos One and Homepod do offer you access to a beautiful experience with a room-filling sound.

We found Sono’s range of speakers offers a better degree of performance when compared to the Apple Homepod. The voice assistant Siri appears to be a little trailing when you are looking at the best options when you compare it to Alexa and Google Assistant.

However, you will have access to a wide range of service quality when it comes to the components that form part of the smart speaker. It has seven beam-forming tweeters and an upward-firing woofer. The woofer belongs to the four-inch high excursion woofer category. The onboard Apple A8 chip is one of the best features that would make ideally one of the excellent options. The six microphones come with how it reflects the sound. The Homepod knows where the speakers are placed and thus automatically recalibrates itself. This is one of the excellent smartest features that we observed on Apple Homepod.

Of course, you would find that the Sonos also features a similar Trueplay functionality on its speakers, but it isn’t as powerful as that on the Homepod. Support for AirPlay 2 is yet another excellent option that we found one of the greatest ever options.

The Smart Assistants Feature

Sonos One comes with support for both Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant. As for Alexa functionality, you would find it quite the same as on the Amazon Echo Dot and other Amazon devices. You should be able to handle a lot of activities on the smart speaker. Of course, you cannot make a voice call. However, the speaker lets you interact with Alexa to control your smart devices or ask questions and, of course, ask it to play music.

Apple Homepod, as you would expect, comes with Siri alone. It should be one of the good options as long as you are within the Apple ecosystem. It can easily pick the music from Apple Music and find the tracks from iTunes as well. But, handling the tasks as with Alexa or Google Assistant may not be the more comfortable option as such. Of course, it can read the news, provide you with traffic updates and weather reports. But, there is a limitation to the kind of tasks that it can handle. Lack of multi-user support is yet another negative factor that would perhaps go against it.

Sonos Move comes with similar features as on Sonos One. You would find it supporting both Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa. But then, the smart assistant functionality on Sonos Move is dependent on WiFi and not on Bluetooth. That would mean if you turn off WiFi, you will end up having access to Bluetooth connectivity and no access to Alexa or Google Assistant.

Music Services

Accessibility of music services is one of the areas that would make it one of the features you would frequently use the smart speakers for. You would be in for a mixed experience when it comes to the functionality with all those three speakers.

Apple Homepod is an excellent option for all your needs if you are into an Apple ecosystem. The experience would not be as smooth on the other services such as Deezer or Spotify. The speaker would not be able to pick tracks from any of these services.

Sonos One and Sonos Move are better equipped to handle those situations. The service works with a wide range of music services that would include Spotify, Apple Music, Pandora, iHeartRadio, and Amazon Music.

The Closing Thoughts

Well, that was a complete comparison between the three competing smart speakers. You would find that they have their features and advantages. If you are into listening to a wide range of music services, we would recommend you to opt for the Sonos range of speakers that we have outlined above. Apple Homepod can be a good option only for those situations where you are using an Apple ecosystem alone. In case you are looking for anything outside the Apple range of services, it may be a good idea to opt for either Sonos One or Sonos Move.

Among the two Sonos siblings, Sonos One does come with a few advantages over Sonos Move. However, as the name itself should be indicative, Sonos Move is an exciting choice for portability or ability to be connected to your music even on the move.

Check out the concise reviews for the three products and pick the one that best meets your needs. Also, if you like our article, or have feedback to give, do not hesitate to use the comment box below. Thanks for visiting!