Sonos, Ikea Working on a Speaker That Doubles as Wall Art: Report

Reviews of the Sonos Roam might’ve taken the spotlight yesterday, but it appears the portable speaker isn’t the only thing the company’s been working on. Two Ikea FCC filings and a cheeky Instagram story all but confirm that two new Symfonisk speakers are likely on the way.

Two FCC filings from Ikea were first spotted yesterday by the Verge, but they don’t reveal much beyond the fact that Ikea is working on two products with wireless capabilities. More telling was a series of images posted to Ikea’s Instagram story that spelled out, “Looks like Symfonisk,” ending with both Sonos and Ikea’s logo. That’s not exactly subtle.

As a refresher, Symfonisk refers to the two speakers Ikea and Sonos released in 2019. Both pulled double duty as speakers and pieces of furniture that slotted in with Ikea’s whole aesthetic. One was a dubiously shaped table lamp that cost $180. The other was a more affordable $99 speaker that could also serve as a mounted bookshelf.

The Verge report claims that one of the two FCC filings will be an update to the table lamp, and will cost roughly the same price. The second product, however, won’t be an update of the bookshelf speakers. Instead, the Verge says it’s seen an early image of what appears to be “wall art with an integrated speaker.” However, we don’t know much more than the general concept and the fact that it’s codenamed “Titan.” Will it be like a digital picture frame but with a speaker attached? Maybe it’s a detachable speaker that can be hooked onto various frames? Or is it just a solid piece of wall art that up close, reveals itself to be a giant speaker? Who can say.

What we do know is that the previous Symfonisk speakers were clearly meant to blend into your home decor. They could be bought as standalone devices, or paired in stereo, and buying them was a low-commitment way to dabble in smart speakers. It was a clever fusion of both companies’ strengths, and mutually beneficial. Before that, Ikea’s foray into the world of smart homes was limited to its Tradfri connected light bulbs. For Sonos, it was an easy way to hook new customers into its ecosystem at a relatively affordable price point. If you bought a pair of the Symfonisk bookshelf speakers and liked them, you might eventually be tempted to then shell out for a Sonos Beam, Playbase, or Arc soundbar. Or if you already had a Sonos soundbar, the Symfonisk speakers were a cheaper option for adding rear satellites. It seems to have worked, too, as there’s no shortage of Reddit users contemplating that exact home theater setup.

While it does seem odd to have wall art double as speakers, it’s a neat solution from an interior design standpoint. After all, if you’ve put the effort into having a nice living room setup, the last thing you want is a home theater system that’s a mess of hard-to-hide wires. That said, although it’s pretty clear that something’s coming, Sonos is playing it coy.

“The partnership is stronger than ever and we’re excited about the products we’re working on together,” a Sonos spokesperson told Gizmodo. “We look forward to sharing more when the time is right.”