IT General

Animorphs, the sci-fi YA series with the greatest, most cursed book covers ever, is headed to Disney+.

As reported by Variety, the streamer is developing an Animorphs TV show. Bayan Wolcott (The Testaments, The Summer I Turned Pretty) is set to write and executive produce the series, and Oscar winner Ryan Coogler, Sev Ohanian, and Zinzi Coogler are executive producing through Proximity Media.

SEE ALSO: 'The Testaments' review: 'The Handmaid's Tale' sequel finds new power in its YA perspective

Based on the series co-written by Katherine Applegate and her husband Michael Grant, Animorphs follows a group of teenagers who stumble across a powerful alien technology. It allows them to morph into different animals, but it also thrusts them into a galactic war between the Andalites and the parasitic Yeerks. As the Yeerks begin a stealthy invasion of Earth, it's up to Animorphs Jake, Rachel, Tobias, Cassie, and Marco — along with Andalite ally Ax — to rebel and save the world.

There are 54 books in the primary Animorphs series, along with eight companion novels that enrich the world's lore. There is also already an Animorphs TV show, one that ran on Nickelodeon for 26 episodes between 1998 and 2000.

Obviously, 26 episodes is not enough to get through 62 books' worth of plot, so there's still so much more Animorphs glory to explore. And Disney+, you'd better listen to me when I say I need all of it. I need the grotesque animal transformations, I need them to look as messed-up as they do on the book covers, and I need the show to lean into the darkness of the books. That means including the many war crimes these teens commit — never forget the instant maple and ginger oatmeal! — as well as the psychological toll they take.

There are a lot of things Windows 11 has been criticized for, but some of the big problems are with seemingly basic features. Even years after they were implemented, these four Windows features are still giving me trouble.

Windows collects quite a bit more data about your browsing habits than you might expect, and between the operating system itself, optional programs and settings, and bad habits, there are dozens of different ways your browsing history can leak.

Do you remember how graphics cards used to be fun? And no, I don't just mean that they used to have mind-blowing specs and huge gen-on-gen performance gains. I mean when their designs were actually fun. And mildly horrifying, but that's another thing entirely.

Every smart home is a work in progress, though some aspects need a little more attention than others. The reality is that your smart home probably has a few problems that you can solve right now, and others that you can at least acknowledge and start to fix.

When enthusiasts talk about smartphone displays, there’s a long list of specs to obsess over. While resolution was and still remains the headline feature everyone cares about, there’s a different spec that makes the biggest difference day to day—yet it doesn’t get nearly the attention it deserves. Of course, I’m talking about refresh rate.

Welcome to your guide to Pips, the latest game in the New York Times catalogue.

Released in August 2025, the Pips puts a unique spin on dominoes, creating a fun single-player experience that could become your next daily gaming habit.

Currently, if you're stuck, the game only offers to reveal the entire puzzle, forcing you to move onto the next difficulty level and start over. However, we have you covered! Below are piecemeal answers that will serve as hints so that you can find your way through each difficulty level.

How to play Pips

If you've ever played dominoes, you'll have a passing familiarity for how Pips is played. As we've shared in our previous hints stories for Pips, the tiles, like dominoes, are placed vertically or horizontally and connect with each other. The main difference between a traditional game of dominoes and Pips is the color-coded conditions you have to address. The touching tiles don't necessarily have to match.

SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for April 4, 2026

The conditions you have to meet are specific to the color-coded spaces. For example, if it provides a single number, every side of a tile in that space must add up to the number provided. It is possible – and common – for only half a tile to be within a color-coded space.

Here are common examples you'll run into across the difficulty levels:

• Number: All the pips in this space must add up to the number.

• Equal: Every domino half in this space must be the same number of pips.

• Not Equal: Every domino half in this space must have a completely different number of pips.

• Less than: Every domino half in this space must add up to less than the number.

• Greater than: Every domino half in this space must add up to more than the number.

If an area does not have any color coding, it means there are no conditions on the portions of dominoes within those spaces.

SEE ALSO: NYT Strands hints, answers for April 4, 2026 Easy difficulty hints, answers for April 4 Pips

Number (6): Everything in this space must add up to 6. The answer is 6-1. placed horizontally.

Equal (6): Everything in this space must be equal to 6. The answer is 6-2, placed horizontally; 6-4, placed horizontally.

Equal (2): Everything in this space must be equal to 2. The answer is 6-2, placed horizontally; 2-0, placed vertically.

Number (7): Everything in this space must add up to 7. The answer is 6-4, placed horizontally; 3-5, placed horizontally.

Number (5): Everything in this space must add up to 5. The answer is 2-0, placed vertically; 3-5, placed horizontally.

Medium difficulty hints, answers for April 4 Pips

Less Than (6): Everything in this space must be less than 6. The answer is 5-2, placed vertically.

Less Than (7): Everything in this space must be less than 7. The answer is 5-2, placed vertically; 6-4, placed vertically.

Number (10): Everything in this space must add up to 10. The answer is 5-5, placed vertically.

Number (6): Everything in this space must add up to 6. The answer is 3-2, placed horizontally; 3-0, placed vertically.

Number (5): Everything in this space must add up to 5. The answer is 3-2, placed horizontally; 3-4, placed vertically.

Number (5): Everything in this space must add up to 5. The answer is 1-0, placed vertically; 3-4, placed vertically.

Number (0): Everything in this space must add up to 0. The answer is 3-0, placed vertically; 1-0, placed vertically.

Hard difficulty hints, answers for April 4 Pips

Number (9): Everything in this space must add up to 9. The answer is 4-5, placed vertically.

Number (4): Everything in this space must add up to 4. The answer is 4-2, placed vertically.

Greater Than (9): Everything in this space must be greater than 9. The answer is 6-4, placed vertically.

Number (6): Everything in this space must add up to 6. The answer is 6-3, placed vertically.

Less Than (4): Everything in this space must be less than 4. The answer is 6-3, placed vertically.

Number (2): Everything in this space must add up to 2. The answer is 2-2, placed vertically.

Less Than (3): Everything in this space must be less than 3. The answer is 2-2, placed vertically.

Less Than (3): Everything in this space must be less than 3. The answer is 2-3, placed vertically.

Less Than (4): Everything in this dark blue space must be less than 4. The answer is 2-3, placed vertically.

Less Than (4): Everything in this red space must be less than 4. The answer is 2-1, placed vertically.

Greater Than (4): Everything in this space must be greater than 4. The answer is 5-3, placed vertically.

Less Than (4): Everything in this space must be less than 4. The answer is 5-3, placed vertically.

Equal (5): Everything in this space must be equal to 5. The answer is 5-5, placed vertically.

Number (8): Everything in this space must add up to 8. The answer is 4-4, placed vertically.

Number (5): Everything in this space must add up to 5. The answer is 0-5, placed vertically.

Greater Than (4): Everything in this orange space must be greater than 4. The answer is 6-5, placed vertically.

Greater Than (4): Everything in this dark blue space must be greater than 4. The answer is 6-5, placed vertically.

Number (0): Everything in this space must add up to 0. The answer is 3-0, placed vertically; 0-3, placed vertically.

Less Than (4): Everything in this space must be less than 4. The answer is 0-3, placed vertically.

Number (1): Everything in this space must add up to 1. The answer is 1-6, placed vertically.

Number (7): Everything in this space must add up to 7. The answer is 3-4, placed vertically.

Number (5): Everything in this space must add up to 5. The answer is 5-2, placed vertically.

Less Than (3): Everything in this space must be less than 3. The answer is 5-2, placed vertically.

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

I finally got tired of not having my photo library properly backed up and decided to do something about it—deploy SyncThing. This free and open source backup tool keeps my entire photo library neatly backed up to my storage server without me having to lift a finger or spend a dime, and here’s how I did it.

Today's Connections: Sports Edition is for people who love college basketball.

As we've shared in previous hints stories, this is a version of the popular New York Times word game that seeks to test the knowledge of sports fans.

Like the original Connections, the game is all about finding the "common threads between words." And just like Wordle, Connections resets after midnight and each new set of words gets trickier and trickier — so we've served up some hints and tips to get you over the hurdle.

If you just want to be told today's puzzle, you can jump to the end of this article for the latest Connections solution. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable What is Connections: Sports Edition?

The NYT's latest daily word game has launched in association with The Athletic, the New York Times property that provides the publication's sports coverage. Connections can be played on both web browsers and mobile devices and require players to group four words that share something in common.

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Each puzzle features 16 words and each grouping of words is split into four categories. These sets could comprise of anything from book titles, software, country names, etc. Even though multiple words will seem like they fit together, there's only one correct answer.

If a player gets all four words in a set correct, those words are removed from the board. Guess wrong and it counts as a mistake — players get up to four mistakes until the game ends.

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Players can also rearrange and shuffle the board to make spotting connections easier. Additionally, each group is color-coded with yellow being the easiest, followed by green, blue, and purple. Like Wordle, you can share the results with your friends on social media.

SEE ALSO: Wordle-obsessed? These are the best word games to play IRL. Here's a hint for today's Connections: Sports Edition categories

Want a hint about the categories without being told the categories? Then give these a try:

• Yellow: Stats

• Green: Running a set

• Blue: Winners

• Purple: Perfect season

Here are today's Connections: Sports Edition categories

Need a little extra help? Today's connections fall into the following categories:

• Yellow: Basketball Stats, In Singular Form

• Green: Basketball Offenses

• Blue: Championship-Winning Men's College Basketball Coaches

• Purple: Men's College Basketball Teams to Complete Undefeated Season

Looking for Wordle today? Here's the answer to today's Wordle.

Ready for the answers? This is your last chance to turn back and solve today's puzzle before we reveal the solutions.

Drumroll, please!

The solution to today's Connections: Sports Edition #558 is...

What is the answer to Connections: Sports Edition today?

• Basketball Stats, In Singular Form - BLOCK, MINUTE, STEAL, TURNOVER

• Basketball Offenses - MOTION, PICK AND ROLL, PRINCETON, TRIANGLE

• Championship-Winning Men's College Basketball Coaches - DREW, FISHER, SELF, WOODEN

• Men's College Basketball Teams to Complete Undefeated Season - INDIANA, NORTH CAROLINA, SAN FRANCISCO, UCLA

Don't feel down if you didn't manage to guess it this time. There will be new sports Connections for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we'll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.

Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today's Strands.

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to today's Connections.

If you were an early adopter of the smart speaker revolution, chances are there's an older model of the Amazon Echo lying in a drawer, especially if you ditched the brand. This device isn't just a paperweight; it's a powerful piece of hardware that's underutilized. Don't sell your spares for pennies or toss them out, instead use them as dedicated smart home tools to solves everyday household problems.

Terminal multiplexers like screen or tmux are invaluable if you're working on a PC over SSH or sitting in front of one that only has a command-line interface. Despite its age, screen is always my first choice. This is why.

I like a good escapist fiction show or movie to remove me from reality from time to time, or most of the time, really. But when reality often proves wilder and stranger than fiction, it's even more compelling. A good documentary or docuseries can transport you and teach you something new you didn't know.

3D printing can feel wasteful. Every discarded bit of filament you throw away costs you money, and over time, these off-cuts can add up. Though necessary to ensure overhanging elements print correctly, supports can be a major source of 3D printing waste.

An operating system is only as good as the apps it runs. Linux has been able to challenge proprietary systems because it can deliver some "killer apps." Here are some of the best applications, both on servers and on the desktop, that have grown up alongside Linux.

A second Ethernet port is fairly common among NAS devices. Even affordable options usually come with two ports, often 2.5GbE or faster. While you could spend a lifetime without touching the second port, there’s a breadth of useful features that open up once you plug a network cable into it.

Linux has more than a dozen different desktop environments available, and a big part of what differentiates distros is how they choose to customize those desktop environments. POP!_OS used GNOME for most of its history, but in late 2025, they released an entirely new desktop environment called COSMIC.

Kernel version numbers in Linux are famously arbitrary. Linus Torvalds changes the major digit when the minor number feels too big. However, version 7.0 is shaping up to be a substantial release, solving some decade-old annoyances and making the kernel future-ready. Here’s a quick look at everything you should know about Linux kernel 7.0.

The 2026 version of my favorite robot vacuum from last year has arrived: As of March 23, the $1,5999.99 Roborock Saros 20 is available to buy in the U.S.

This is hardly a matter of whether the Saros 20 is better than the Saros 10R — from a technical standpoint, it literally is. As the direct new version of the Saros 10R, the Saros 20 is obviously packed with several specs upgrades over its predecessor. So in my at-home testing, I'm considering whether I'm as excited about the Saros 20 in 2026 as I was about the Saros 10R in 2025.

What's special (or not) about the Roborock Saros 20?

The premium robot vacuum market is much more crowded than it was last year, so the Saros 20 has to work harder to stand out. The Dreame X60 Max Ultra Complete is extremely similar in cleaning capabilities, ultra-slim design, and price. The Roborock Qrevo Curv 2 Flow has weaker suction and a completely different style of mopping, but is still a fantastic vacuum from the same brand at a much chiller price point. Both of those have been on the market for at least a month, taking a bit of edge off the Saros 20's debut.

And then there's the Roborock Saros 20 Sonic, which is set to release later this spring. "Sonic" refers to a vibrating D-shaped mopping pad like the Saros 10 had, but this one isn't relegated to the vacuum's circular body. It shares most of its other features with the Saros 20. Still, I can't assess the Saros 20 in a vacuum when I know there's another version out soon.

SEE ALSO: A tale of two robot vacuums with arms: How the Dreame Cyber 10 could beat the Roborock Saros Z70

At any rate, the Saros 20 has a few main improvements over the 10R. Not only does its 36,000 Pa suction power topple the Saros 10R's 22,000 Pa, but it's now the strongest suction power on the market by a hair (the Dreame X60 Max Ultra Complete has 35,000 Pa). The Saros 20 is also outfitted with the AdaptiLift Chassis 3.0: a legged tri-wheel system that can hoist the vacuum body over thick thresholds up to 3.46 inches, like floor type changes, U-shaped chair legs, or plush rugs. (That's a big theme this year.) The Saros 20's small obstacle avoidance feels lightyears ahead of the Saros 10R's.

It was a pleasant surprise to see that the Saros 20 costs $1,599.99 — the same debut price as last year's Saros 10 and Saros 10R models. You're getting an extra 14,000 Pa of suction and better navigation for the same price someone paid last year. If you already have a Roborock, you can save up to $1,050 on the Saros 20 by trading in the old one.

The Saros 20's small obstacle avoidance is phenomenal

The Saros 20 uses the same StarSight 2.0 navigational system that the Saros 10 did. This alternative to traditional LiDAR got a lot of marketing hype last year, but in my testing, it wasn't any better at avoiding small obstacles than other robot vacuums I was testing. I expected the Saros 20 to be similarly fine, but I've actually been blown away by its accuracy — there's no question that the Saros 20 has a far deeper understanding of the various items that could pop up on the floor.

This is what your vacuum app looks like when you don't have a shoe rack. Credit: Screenshot / Roborock I had to laugh at the Saros 20 catching me and my cat watching it vacuum. Credit: Screenshot / Roborock

I think this is the first time a robot vacuum in my apartment has had a 100 percent obstacle avoidance rate for multiple days on end. The Saros 20 knows that a shoe is a shoe, a reusable grocery bag is a bag, and an extension cord or charger is a cord. It'll sweep or scrub right up against the shoes or bags without snatching them up, but keeps its distance from cords to stay on the safe side. Its acute peripheral vision even clocks that the rolling desk chair is a chair type that's easy to get stuck in, maneuvering back to the dock accordingly.

Is the Roborock Saros 20 good on carpet?

The Saros 20 has had generally reliable rug performance so far, but it hasn't been as foolproof as I expected for 36,000 Pa.

Its two standout tests involved dried quinoa dumped from the bag onto the kitchen Ruggable (the printed flatweave texture) and a giant field of dryer lint dragged around the tufted living room rug. I had to get down on the floor to find stragglers from either mess. The lint roller test in the living room only revealed a few stray cat hairs and the fuzzies that shed off the rug constantly.

Some lint tufts were loose, some were pushed down into the rug fibers. Credit: Leah Stodart / Mashable I let this rug go un-vacuumed for days to test the Saros 20, so this is pretty impressive. Credit: Leah Stodart / Mashable

The Saros 20 also did a great job of sucking spilled pancake mix off of that flat rug. However, its performance on powder and small debris was iffy on a fluffier rug. It left behind a considerable amount of protein mix and oats, which the Dreame X60 Max Ultra Complete had no problem clearing afterward.

The ability to clean a bathroom without getting into an altercation with a bath mat is rare, but an extension of rug performance nonetheless. The AdaptiLift Chassis definitely works as intended in that regard — several times, I've watched the Saros 20 lift and tilt the vacuum body to skirt over the corner flaps instead of dragging them underneath.

Is the Roborock Saros 20 good on hard floors?

The Saros 20's dual spinning mopping pad system is nearly identical to the Saros 10R's, but that's not a bad thing. Though a few roller mop robot vacuums I've tested can actually mop closer to walls than I expected, the length of the roller prohibits them from mopping closely in 90-degree angles (the entire roller needs to be pulled in to change directions). Corner precision is much higher when there are two round spinning pads that can move independently of each other.

SEE ALSO: The Shark vs. Roomba debate is stale in 2026, but at least Shark is trying to revive its robot vacuum line

If you're picky about dusty corners or sticky spots near the kitchen cabinets, your ideal robot vacuum and mop combo will have this hinged spinning mop pad system. These pads are also thin enough to scoot into super tight gaps near the floor, like under the bottom shelf of my island/bar cart. A disgusting amount of dust bunnies and dirt from the front door gathers right under it, but a cylindrical roller mop definitely can't swipe under that one-inch clearance.

A taller robot vacuum can't get under low-clearance furniture and cabinets. Credit: Leah Stodart / Mashable The Saros 20 easily cleans under cabinets. Credit: Leah Stodart / Mashable

The Saros 20's overall height would make it a great pick for homes with low-clearance furniture. It measures a little bit over three inches tall, which is well short enough to fully clean under my TV stand and bed frame. The same goes for cleaning under the overhangs of kitchen cabinets and appliances: If a robot vacuum can't fit underneath to tackle those daily crumbs and splatters, it's always a no from me. I don't want to live a life where I can't simply push crumbs off the counter and let a vacuum deal with it.

I knew the Saros 20 would ace that test, snatching up between 98 and 99 percent of sprinkles, shredded cheese, and some pinches of basil under the counter on the hardwood kitchen floor. It has also reliably kept up with its litter box area duties on hardwood and on tile in the bathroom, consistently picking up around 97 percent of kitty litter and litter dust.

I really have a newfound appreciation for ultra-slim robot vacuums after testing (and always having to rescue) the Dyson Spot+Scrub Ai. It's nearly an inch taller than models like the Saros 20 and Dreame X60 Max Ultra Complete, which is enough to get itself wedged under my dishwasher or bottom kitchen drawer during almost every clean.

It feels so good to watch a robot vacuum fit under the Litter-Robot step. Credit: Leah Stodart / Mashable Sansa is shocked at the height difference between the Dyson Spot+Scrub Ai (left) and Roborock Saros 20 (right). Credit: Leah Stodart / Mashable Bonus test: Could the Roborock Saros 20 be used in a hair salon?

It also seemed appropriate to give the big, fancy 36,000 Pa suction a harder test than my usual robot vacuum obstacle course entails. After giving a friend a quick at-home buzz cut (no, I don't know what I'm doing), I decided to see how the Saros 20 would handle the mess of hair clippings.

I'd typically reserve hair clippings cleanup for powerful stick vacuum testing. Credit: Leah Stodart / Mashable The Saros 20 dragged this clump to the rug edge, then couldn't snatch it up. Credit: Leah Stodart / Mashable

The Saros 20 picked up about 90 percent of the hair, but simply could not wrangle a few of the bigger clumps after four or five tries. The damp mopping cloths were integral during the second pass, wiping up the layer of fine, loose hairs that were initially missed in plain vacuum mode. (And that's why hair salons can't ditch the classic broom and dustpan.) The performance wasn't perfect, but a vast majority of the mistakes were ones that could only be avoided by a human with a manual vacuum. To be fair, the Dreame X60 Max Ultra Complete missed those clumps, too.

SEE ALSO: Shark's new scrubbing-centric robot vacuum finds stains with a UV light. I tested it against other top robot mops. Factors I'm keeping an eye on

I shouldn't have had to send the Saros 20 back for a third pass as often as I did, especially for being the strongest robot vacuum one can buy right now. While it was typically able to throw together a quite wholesome clean after three tries, most people aren't observing their vacuum like I am to know whether a third pass is needed. Shouldn't a vacuum this expensive be better at conducting some sort of "before and after" check?

My kitchen floor felt greasy after testing the Saros 20's effectiveness on condiments like ranch and sesame oil. Maybe I've been spoiled with roller mops that rinse themselves as they're cleaning. But now, it feels unsanitary for non-roller mops to not go back to wash the mops every three minutes. The Dreame X60 Max Ultra Complete doesn't have self-rinsing mopping pads, either, but at least it mops with hot water.

As the user, avoiding this isn't rocket science: For larger spills that you don't want dragged across the floor, you just need to enact a target zone cleaning rather than letting it tackle the whole room. Maybe I need to let the AI stain detection cook for another week or so. But right now, I don't feel confident sending the Saros 20 over a spill larger than a dime-sized droplet.

That doesn't mean I would recommend buying the Saros 10R over the Saros 20. (Even though the Saros 10R goes on sale for $999.99 now, I'd tell you to just spend that same amount on the Roborock Qrevo Curv 2 Flow.) Though I feel a little let down by the sequel to my favorite, I still have high hopes for the Saros 20 Sonic to be one of the best robot vacuums of 2026.

From YouTubers and TikTok stars to streamers and podcasters, Mashable talks to creators about how they built their platforms, the gear they swear by, and the trends they see coming next. Read more of our creator coverage, meet The Mashable 101 to discover the internet’s most exciting voices, and tell us about your favorite creators today.

Sonos has a new portable speaker.

This may not sound groundbreaking, given the company already has two portable speakers in its lineup, the Sonos Move 2 and Sonos Roam 2, putting the new Play smack in the middle in terms of size. But I bet the news put a smile on many Sonos fans' faces, as Play was just what Sonos needed.

The Roam 2 is portable (Sonos calls it ultra-portable, but we're not sure about that), but it doesn't come near other Sonos speakers in terms of sound. (One Mashable editor described it as "tinny.") The Move 2, on the other hand, sounds amazing, but it's just too big to be called a true portable Bluetooth speaker. I'm not kidding, it weighs 3 kilograms.

But the Sonos Play isn't just an ordinary product launch. It's part of a potential Sonos redemption arc following a disastrous 2024 app re-launch. The company has been off the audio scene as it solved software problems, making the Play part of a larger potential comeback.

After spending a week with the new Sonos speaker, I found it's just the right mix of portability and sound.

Not too heavy, not too small

Sonos sent me a black review unit of the Sonos Play 2 (it also comes in white), and as soon as I unpacked it, I thought this was the right size for a Sonos portable speaker. You can comfortably grab it with one hand, hand it over to someone, or put it in a bag. It's not super light, but at 1.3 kilograms, it's manageable.

On the back, you'll find a tiny carrying loop for extra portability, though I never found an actual use for it.

Sonos Play weighs 1.3kg, and is quite a bit smaller than Sonos Move 2. Credit: Stan Schroeder/Mashable

Design-wise, well, it's a Sonos speaker. Like pretty much every other Sonos, it's wrapped in a black mesh with an understated, black-on-black company logo on the front. On top, however, it has a rubber surface with buttons you need to actually press, unlike the touch buttons on the Move 2. It's not as fancy, but probably makes the speaker more resistant to the elements (Sonos says the Play is waterproof up to IP67 specs; the Move 2 only goes to IP56).

On the back, there's a power button, a Bluetooth button, a button that lets you disable voice commands, and a USB-C connector for wired listening (you do need a USB-C to 3.5mm dongle). The connector isn't needed for charging, as the Sonos comes with a charging base similar to the one on the Move 2. Thankfully, you can charge the Sonos Play with a USB-C cable if you're on the move and don't want to lug the charging base around with you.

A battery that will survive a camping trip

Battery life on the Play is rated for up to 24 hours, just like on the Move 2 (the Roam 2 only has up to 10 hours). In my experience, the Play's battery is good enough for about two long evenings of partying (in my age, that means having friends over for dinner and playing music in the background for a couple of hours). It might not be enough for a third.

At home or near it, battery is not an issue as there's always a way to easily charge the Play. But I think its battery is good enough to endure a short camping trip, and that's basically all you can ask for.

The Play also has a cool, last-resort trick for when your phone is out of juice: You can connect it (or any other USB-C device) to Play, which then acts as a portable 35Wh battery.

It's loud, but not very refined

The Play is loud, and it sounds good, but make no mistake: It's not anywhere near the level of Sonos Move 2.

The top of the speaker is rubbery, which likely helps with waterproofing. The Play has an IP67 dust and water resistance rating. Credit: Stan Schroeder/Mashable

The sound is punchy and precise, often leaving me surprised at just how deep the bass goes, or how clean a certain instrument is; a good test of both is John Coltrane's "A Love Supreme."

When things get more complex, however, such as when the entire band joins in full blast in Queens of the Stone Age's "Little Sister," the sound will get mushy and cramped, especially at loud volumes. In contrast, the Move 2 continues to sound amazing no matter the volume or genre.

It's not an entirely unfair comparison. Both speakers have stereo sound. The Play has one mid-woofer paired with two angled tweeters, and three Class-H digital amps, and the Move 2 has the same specs, though it has the more efficient, Class-D digital amps. Of course, that mid-woofer inside the Move is much larger, and I guess that makes all the difference.

One thing to note: Sonos Play has a "Loudness" setting enabled by default. You can turn it off in the Sonos app settings (it's buried under Sound — EQ), and I suggest you try it out both ways. When it's on, both the bass and treble get louder, which can sound attractive in certain genres and settings, but I preferred to keep Loudness off as it made the sound more balanced.

Another thing to note: The Play isn't one of those 360-degree speakers that sound good no matter where it's turned. It does cast a wide sound, but you still need to be facing it to get the best results.

The app isn't nearly as bad as you might think

Sonos made the wrong kind of headlines when it launched a big overhaul of its app in 2024. The new app was so bad that Sonos scrambled for years to fix all the issues, while apologizing to its users almost on a monthly basis.

I'm happy to report that, as it stands, the app isn't too bad. Adding new devices isn't a chore, and the home page, while sometimes confusing, can be (lightly) edited to be more to your liking. And while I haven't had any major issues, such as complete freezes or speakers dropping out of my system for no reason, there's still some room for improvement.

The Play is available in black (pictured) and white (not pictured). Credit: Stan Schroeder/Mashable

For example, finding the album I want almost always takes at least one step more than I'd like. If I just use the search function in the Sonos app by typing the artist's name, I'll get a combination of results from Apple Music, Spotify, and Sonos Radio (the first two require a subscription, and you need to connect them to the Sonos app for this to work). But tapping on the artist will only yield me a list of songs, with no obvious way to get actual albums.

I've found that the best way to get what I want is to limit my search to just one service (such as Apple Music), which gets me a more comprehensive list of results.

Also, some elements of the user interface can be slow and, frankly, baffling. For example, touching the volume slider in the app opens another card with exactly the same volume slider, but now your finger is in the wrong place to actually slide it. Why, Sonos?

It's not a huge deal, but little things like this do, eventually, make you wonder whether using the Sonos app over Apple Music, Spotify, or Tidal is even worth it.

The Sonos app isn't perfect, but it's still the best choice for managing a system with multiple Sonos devices. Credit: Stan Schroeder/Mashable

Well, it is if you have more than one Sonos speaker.

In the Sonos app, I can just go to whatever's playing right now, tap on the speaker name at the bottom, and get a list of all the Sonos speakers in my home. From there, I can get my music to play on all the speakers or pick just the ones I want, as well as adjust the volume (both in general and for each speaker individually). Given just how great a Sonos system sounds when you have a couple of speakers in a room, especially with Trueplay enabled (the tech that optimizes the sound based on where the speakers are positioned in a room), this is a pretty great option to have.

You can do these things via AirPlay, of course. But it's easy to get lost when you juggle multiple speakers, devices, and headphones; I prefer to keep the Sonos system under the Sonos app umbrella.

As far as voice assistants go, you still only get Sonos's own, or Amazon Alexa; nothing else is offered. The Sonos assistant is alright, but in the age of super-smart AI, I sometimes wished it were smarter.

The right size, but the price isn't quite right

I guess the main beef I have with the Play is that I'm spoiled by the Move 2. Sonos' new portable speaker sounds good, it's loud enough, and has all the features you'd expect, with excellent battery life. But you just don't get the sonic nirvana that the Move 2 provides.

Sonos Play supports Bluetooth 5.3 and AirPlay, and can be used with your TV, though it's better as a portable speaker. Credit: Stan Schroeder/Mashable

If the Play was offered at around two hundred bucks, which seems to be the sweet spot for a decent portable speaker these days, I'd say it's an instant buy, especially if you're already invested in the Sonos ecosystem. But the price for Sonos Play is $299 in the U.S. and (ouch) €349 in Europe, which is around $402, and that's a lot of dough for what Sonos Play offers.

I still recommend the Play if you want a truly portable Sonos speaker. Its bigger brother, as great as it sounds, is just too big to carry around. Just know that you're paying a pretty hefty premium for the name.

Sonos Play $299 at Amazon
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