The WiiM Sound wireless speaker is one of the most anticipated audio products of the year, and now we know when we’ll be able to get it and how much it’s going to cost.
The speaker, which is available in black and white, will go on sale from October 28 for $299/£299. That’s conveniently priced between the two expected rivals, the Sonos Era 100 speaker and the Apple HomePod 2. It’s more expensive than the Sonos Era 100 but cheaper than the HomePod 2.
The company’s first standalone speaker was announced in May and has a 1.8-inch colour touchscreen on the front of the device. Like the aforementioned duo, the WiiM Sound can be paired to form a stereo pair or used as part of a 5.1 surround sound set-up. It’s capable of playing 24-bit/192 kHz hi-res audio over Wi-Fi, while there’s also Bluetooth 5.3 connectivity and good old-fashioned Ethernet.
To get your content to the speaker, there’s support for Spotify Connect, Chromecast, Tidal Connect, DLNA, and Alexa Cast. No AirPlay, despite that becoming more common on third-party devices. And, while its a smart speaker of sorts, it isn’t one where you’ll be calling out to Alexa or Gemini directly as there’s no microphone built-in.
Given rumours Apple plans to launch a HomePod with a screen, albeit with a much larger display than the sub two-incher here, the WiiM Sound arrives at the optimal time with the company continuing its meteoric rise in the sector.
