What you need to know
- Details around upcoming Ikea Symfonisk products suggest the retailer is working with Sonos over a new table lamp.
- Another product in the works includes a speaker that's directly embedded into wall artwork.
- The embedded speaker is codename Titan, and is slated for a release in the coming months.
Sonos has diversified its product portfolio — the Sonos Roam is testament to that — and one of the more intriguing products that have come out of the company is its collaboration with Ikea. Back in 2019, Ikea partnered with Sonos to create the Symfonisk range, delivering speakers that served a dual purpose. The Symfonisk table lamp worked as a regular lamp, but it came with an integrated speaker that sounds as good as the Sonos One.
Considering the Sonos One is one of the best Sonos speakers you can get for under $200, the fact that the Symfonisk table lamp retails for just $179 is an achievement. Ikea also introduced a bookshelf speaker that could be used as a book-end — at $99, it stands as the most affordable entry into the Sonos ecosystem.
It now looks like Ikea is all set to roll out new products to the Symfonisk range in 2021. Sonos shared a teaser that doesn't go into much detail, but an FCC filing shows off a squarish "wireless module" that could be integrated into wall art. The Verge has more details, noting that the speaker could like like Ikea's wall prints:
The Verge has seen an early image of this product, codenamed "Titan," but details about how it functions couldn't yet be learned. Specifically, it's unclear whether the entire artwork print is the product or if the speaker unit can be transferred between different exterior art housings.One of the two new FCC filings from Ikea and Sonos is for a "wireless module." At a distance, it could look like any of Ikea's wall prints, only with much more tech on the other side (and a power cord running down from the bottom).
In addition to the integrated speaker, Ikea is set to release a new version of the Symfonisk table lamp that could allow for interchangeable lamp shades. That has the potential to make the speaker a little more versatile, and The Verge notes that the speaker will slot in at the same $179 price point as its predecessor.
In the meantime, Sonos confirmed to Pocket-lint that new products are inbound, but there's no mention of a release date at this moment:
The partnership [Sonos and Ikea] is stronger than ever and we're excited about the products we're working on together. We look forward to sharing more when the time is right.
Considering Sonos is already rolling out teasers, we won't have to wait too long to find out what the 2021 Symfonisk range is all about.
Harish Jonnalagadda is a Senior Editor covering Asia at Android Central. He leads the site's coverage of Chinese phone manufacturers, and writes about the semiconductor industry, storage servers, and audio products. Contact him on Twitter at @chunkynerd.
