Sonos, a company known for its smart home audio products, is preparing to launch new devices as early as this autumn. Among these is a major update to its Sonos Voice Control system, which will be powered by artificial intelligence (AI). This update is intended to make the voice assistant more capable, allowing it to handle more complex and conversational requests. The company aims to compete with other advanced AI assistants like Google's Gemini and Apple's Siri. Sonos has already released new products this year, including the Sonos Play and Amp Multi, and has been gradually updating its apps, showing signs of a stronger return to the market. According to Bloomberg, CEO Tom Conrad has emphasized that AI will be central to Sonos’s strategy for future growth. One of the anticipated new products is the Sonos Ace Ultra, a premium wireless headphone. The Ace Ultra is expected to integrate more deeply with the Sonos ecosystem, allowing users to control other Sonos devices through voice commands, such as Philips Hue smart lights or televisions. It also promises a more intelligent voice assistant that can understand and respond to more complex requests. The Ace Ultra is part of Sonos’s effort to remain competitive in the smart home market, where seamless integration with other devices is key. The company’s focus on strengthening its voice control system and enabling the Ace Ultra to communicate with all Sonos devices in the home is central to this strategy. The Ace Ultra will offer several upgrades over the original Sonos Ace headphones. It will support audio transfer from any Sonos speaker, not just compatible soundbars, and will have improved active noise cancellation (ANC) and longer battery life. The headphones are expected to have up to 35 hours of playback with ANC on, which is double the battery life of the original model. The Headphone Engine 2 platform that powers the Ace Ultra includes redesigned Wi-Fi hardware for better compatibility with a wider range of Sonos speakers. Other features include an 8-band equalizer for sound customization, new ear pads for better passive noise isolation, and adaptive ANC that adjusts to the user’s fit. The headphones will be available in four colors—black, white, tan, and blue—for $449, which is $50 more than the original Ace model. The original Ace headphones will remain in the Sonos lineup but will not be discontinued.