Sonos Flex: Sonos trials Flex subscription that lets you rent its speakers and soundbars
The Sonos Flex trial is only currently available to 500 homes in The Netherlands but is expected to roll out more widely soon
Sonos makes some truly fantastic speakers but they come at a hefty price – one that is beyond the budget of many people.
In a bid to get the speakers in more homes, and in front of more potential buyers, the Californian audio giant has launched a trial subscription service in The Netherlands called Flex.
For €15 a month, Sonos Flex lets you rent two Sonos One speakers. For €20, you can add a Sonos Beam soundbar to this set up. Or, for €50 a month, you can get a Sonos Playbar, Subwoofer, alongside the pair of Sonos One speakers. You can also choose between its black or white models of each.
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Sonos describes on its Dutch site that subscriptions can be cancelled at any time and, as and when Sonos releases newer models, subscribers will be eligible to rent those as well. The idea behind the plans is to obviously add another revenue stream but it’s likely Sonos will hope a number of the subscribers will choose to buy the speakers.
READ NEXT: Sonos Beam soundbar
From a customer’s point of view, it lets them trial the equipment and stay up-to-date with the hardware without having to constantly shell out large sums.
To put the savings into perspective, a single Sonos One costs £199 (€229) to buy. You’d need to be subscribed for two and a half years to reach the price of buying a pair outright.
READ NEXT: Sonos Playbar review
This is the latest move from Sonos to make its speakers more affordable and accessible. Earlier this year, it partnered with Ikea to launch the Symfonisk line of speakers fitted inside pieces of the Swedish retail giant’s furniture.
The Flex trial is only currently available to 500 homes in The Netherlands and Sonos has not (yet) announced plans to extend the trial further. However, we can assume that if it’s a success, we could see it coming to the UK soon.