After what feels like a very long wait, all the signs are pointing to an imminent launch for the Sonos headphones – and we just got another big clue that points to them arriving within the next few months.
As per Reddit (via 9to5Mac), the headphones just passed through the approval process at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in the US, which means they’ve been given regulatory clearance to go on sale.
There isn’t too much information here – other than they’re headphones, with on-ear cups, and Wi-Fi support – but it usually doesn’t take long for products to go on sale after they’ve been given the go ahead from the FCC.
The latest rumors suggest that June is the month when the Sonos headphones are going to be unveiled, which would fit with them getting FCC clearance in March. There’s also been talk that Sonos could unveil a party speaker at the same time.
What to expect
While we wait for the Sonos headphones to be made official, we’ve had plenty of leaks about what to expect. Sonos CEO Patrick Spence has gone on the record as saying that a “new product in a multi-billion dollar category” is on the way – hint hint.
Patents already drawn up by Sonos show that these cans are going to come with Wi-Fi connectivity, and it’s clear that you’ll be able to use them with an existing Sonos speaker system pretty seamlessly – switching audio streams between devices as needed.
Other features mentioned in the patents are support for noise cancelling technology, and possibly a digital assistant you can talk to through the headphones. All of this is to be confirmed of course, and plans for products can always change.
As for pricing, the Sonos headphones are apparently going to cost in the region of $449, which works out at about £350 / AU$675. That would undercut what you pay for the AirPods Max, which the Sonos headphones will be challenging.