Sonos Era 300 vs Sonos Sub Mini

For a do-everything smart speaker the Sonos Era 300 comes out ahead, since it plays music on its own, supports Alexa and Sonos Voice Control, adds Bluetooth, and works with Google Home, Apple HomeKit and Home Assistant. The Sonos Sub Mini is not a competing speaker at all but a bass-only subwoofer, so the Era 300 wins any head-to-head that treats them as speakers.

They do different jobs. The Era 300 is a spatial-audio smart speaker with drivers arranged for Dolby Atmos, a microphone and voice control, while the Sub Mini is a wireless subwoofer with no mic, no voice assistant and no Bluetooth that exists purely to deepen the bass of a soundbar or speaker you already own.

No. The Sub Mini has no built-in voice assistant, no line-in and no way to stream to it directly for full-range playback, so it must be paired with a Sonos soundbar or speaker. The Era 300 is a self-contained speaker that streams over Wi-Fi or Bluetooth without any partner device.

Only the Era 300 does. It supports Amazon Alexa and Sonos Voice Control and includes a physical mic-off switch for privacy. The Sub Mini has no microphone or voice assistant of any kind because it functions solely as a subwoofer.

Anyone who wants a single, room-filling speaker with immersive Dolby Atmos sound, Bluetooth and Alexa or Sonos Voice Control built in. It is the pick when you need one capable speaker rather than an add-on.

Owners of a Sonos soundbar or speaker (such as a Beam, Arc or Five) who want noticeably deeper bass without the size or cost of the full Sonos Sub. It complements a system rather than replacing a speaker.