Sonos bets big on streaming with an Apple TV competitor in the works

After a challenging period that even saw CEO Patrick Spence step down, Sonos is looking to get back on track. While it's busy improving its app, the company now seems to be gearing up to step into an entirely new product category.

A new report suggests that Sonos is working on a premium streaming set-top box, codenamed Pinewood, set to debut this year. While we’ve heard about it before, it was reportedly delayed due to Sonos needing to focus on resolving app issues. However, the product is still in the pipeline and we’re now getting more details about it.

For starters, Pinewood is expected to land in the $200 to $400 price range, which is a surprisingly expensive entry in its category.

The device itself is said to be a simple black box, slightly thicker than a deck of cards, and will come with a remote control. It'll run a customized version of Android, with Sonos reportedly focusing on creating a "beautiful" user interface.

Sonos' upcoming set-top box should deliver a seamless streaming experience, offering content from services like Netflix, Max, Disney Plus, and more, all through unified software with universal search. Overall, the company wants to tackle the fragmentation of the streaming world.

The device is also said to pack Sonos Voice Control, which should work similarly to Apple's Siri, offering content recommendations from various services.

Plus, the set-top box will serve as an HDMI switch, with HDMI ports that include passthrough functionality. This means users can plug in gaming consoles, soundbars, and other devices. More importantly, it should tackle latency issues, which have been a long-standing problem for Sonos, and eliminate the annoying audio sync delays with Sonos soundbars.

For those with Sonos speakers but no soundbar, the set-top box will enable users to create a surround sound system using other Sonos products. It will also support Wi-Fi 7 and include gigabit ethernet for a faster, more reliable connection.

Pinewood is shaping up to be Sonos' biggest product launch for 2025 and could very well be its only new hardware for a while. After the company's first headphones, Sonos Ace, were sidelined by the app controversy, this set-top box marks another shot at expanding into a new product category.