The Sonos Beam (Gen 2) has sat at its original £449 launch price for almost five years without a discount, and that tells you something useful. Most soundbars at this price point see 15-20% cuts within 18 months. The Beam (Gen 2) hasn’t budged, which reflects either strong demand or Sonos holding the line deliberately as the Arc Ultra reshapes the top of the range.
Based on Shopping.co.uk price tracking data in May 2026, the Beam (Gen 2) is available from 6 UK retailers with prices running from £449 to £524.72. The spread matters: you’re overpaying by up to £75 depending on where you buy.
Nothing formal has been announced. The shift is structural rather than a press release moment. The Arc Ultra launched in October 2024 at £999 and has repositioned the Sonos lineup so that the Beam (Gen 2) now occupies a cleaner role: the compact Dolby Atmos option for smaller rooms, with no mid-range Arc competing directly above it.
The Arc (Gen 1), launched in 2020, sits awkwardly at £599-£726.23 across 3 UK retailers at the time of writing. It’s older hardware at a higher price than the Beam (Gen 2), and that £150-plus gap is difficult to justify. Per Sonos’s FY26 Q3 earnings call in April 2026, the Beam line will be maintained through 2027 with no Gen 3 refresh confirmed, so buyers can invest now without worrying about an imminent replacement.
The Beam (Gen 2) holding at launch RRP for nearly five years is unusual. It signals that Sonos is comfortable with where the product sits rather than using price cuts to drive volume.
The practical result for UK shoppers is a two-tier Sonos soundbar market. You have the Beam (Gen 2) at £449 for compact rooms, and the Arc Ultra at £899-£999 for anyone wanting true cinematic performance. The Arc (Gen 1) fills the gap in name only , it launched in 2020 and the hardware is showing its age relative to both options around it.
Per What Hi-Fi’s Q1 2026 soundbar roundup, the Beam (Gen 2) remains the best-value Dolby Atmos compact soundbar in the UK at this price. That endorsement carries weight given how competitive the £400-£500 bracket has become with Samsung, Sony, and Bose all fielding updated models.
The lineup picture at the time of writing, based on Shopping.co.uk price tracking data:
The Era 300 is worth mentioning separately. At £414.99 from Amazon, Currys, Very.co.uk, or via eBay Partner Network, it’s a spatial audio speaker rather than a soundbar, but it undercuts the Beam (Gen 2) at its lowest price point. It’s a different use case , better for music, weaker for TV , but if your priority is Sonos-ecosystem audio rather than home cinema specifically, it’s worth considering before committing to the Beam.
The Sonos Sub at £799 from Fenwick UK, Amazon, or Currys is the obvious pairing if you want to extend the Beam (Gen 2) into something more substantial. Combined, you’re at £1,248 minimum, which starts to challenge the Arc Ultra’s value case on its own.
The Beam (Gen 2)'s closest competitor is the Bose Smart Soundbar 600, which retails at £499 in the UK. Per Trusted Reviews, the Beam (Gen 2) edges the Bose on Sonos app integration but loses on standalone audio quality. That’s a real trade-off: if you’re already in the Sonos ecosystem with Era speakers or a Sub, the integration argument is strong. If you’re buying standalone, the Bose case is harder to dismiss.
Samsung’s HW-Q700C and Sony’s HT-A3000 both compete in this bracket, typically discounting to £350-£400 during sales periods. Neither offers the same multi-room ecosystem depth as Sonos, but both deliver solid Atmos performance for pure TV use.
The Beam (Gen 2) is also the only option in this price range that fits cleanly under a 55-inch TV without overhang , it measures 651mm wide, which matters in practice for compact living rooms and bedroom setups.
The honest answer is that the Beam (Gen 2) is unlikely to drop significantly in the near term. It has held at £449 since October 2021, and with no Gen 3 confirmed until at least 2028 per Sonos’s April 2026 earnings call, there’s no clearance pressure on the horizon.
Sonos products occasionally appear in Black Friday promotions, but the discounts tend to be modest , typically £30-£50 rather than the 20-30% cuts you see on Samsung or LG audio hardware. If you’re hoping for a £350 Beam, the data doesn’t support that expectation.
The best current price is £449, available from Amazon, Currys, Sonos EU, and OnBuy.com at the time of writing. Fenwick UK and Very.co.uk are also stocking it, but their prices run higher within that £449-£524.72 range, so check before buying. eBay Partner Network also lists it, though pricing there varies by seller.
One accessory worth factoring in upfront: the Sonos Beam Wall Mount in Black is £59 from Sonos EU and is only available from that one retailer currently. If you plan to wall-mount, buy both at the same time.
Monitor related listings on Shopping.co.uk
At £449 , its price since day one in October 2021 , the Beam (Gen 2) is priced fairly for what it delivers, though “fair” and “discounted” are not the same thing; per What Hi-Fi’s Q1 2026 roundup, nothing else at this price matches it for Dolby Atmos in a compact form factor, but you are paying full RRP with no sign of a cut coming.
Best place to buy: Amazon , currently at the floor price of £449 with next-day delivery available on Prime, making it the most straightforward option among the 6 retailers stocking it at the time of writing.
vs. the Arc Ultra: The £550 gap between the Beam (Gen 2) at £449 and the Arc Ultra at £899 is real money, and for rooms under 25 sq m the Arc Ultra’s 9.1.4 channel performance is wasted , the Beam is the right tool for smaller spaces.
Our take: Buy now if you have a compact room and want Atmos without waiting; skip the Arc (Gen 1) entirely at its current price, and ignore clearance Gen 1 Beam deals , no Atmos support makes them poor value regardless of how cheap they go.
Is the Sonos Beam (Gen 2) still worth buying in 2026?
Yes, for rooms under 25 sq m. Per What Hi-Fi’s Q1 2026 soundbar roundup, it remains the strongest compact Dolby Atmos soundbar at this price in the UK. The caveat is that you’re paying full launch RRP four and a half years after release.
Will there be a Sonos Beam Gen 3?
Not confirmed. Per Sonos’s FY26 Q3 earnings call in April 2026, the Beam line will be maintained through 2027, but no Gen 3 refresh has been announced. Buyers purchasing now should expect at least 18-24 months before any replacement arrives.
Should I buy the Sonos Beam (Gen 2) or the Arc Ultra?
Room size is the deciding factor. The Arc Ultra at £899-£999 delivers 9.1.4 channel performance suited to larger rooms. The Beam (Gen 2) at £449 is the better fit for smaller spaces and a significantly lighter spend.
Which retailers stock the Sonos Beam (Gen 2) in the UK?
Based on Shopping.co.uk price tracking data in May 2026, six retailers carry it: Fenwick UK, Amazon, Currys, OnBuy.com, Sonos EU, and Very.co.uk (plus eBay Partner Network). Prices range from £449 to £524.72, so comparing before buying is worth the two minutes it takes.
Is the original Sonos Beam (Gen 1) worth buying at clearance prices?
No. The Gen 1 has no Dolby Atmos support and no eARC, which means you’re buying into a dead-end spec for a product that’s been superseded. The Gen 2 at £449 is the minimum worthwhile entry point in the Beam range.