Sonos's new portable speaker is making me wish I threw more parties. The stunning Sonos Play is my new favourite bluetooth speaker, sitting between the tiny Sonos Roam and the bigger and more powerful Sonos Move.

But it's not just the size that appeals—the design of the Play is delightfully minimal. Like many Sonos speakers, it features a symmetrical oval design, with clean lines and tactile rubber on the top and bottom. The touch of sage green for the small rubber lanyard handle and the charging dock adds a fun detail.

The most important thing here is sound quality, and I've been blown away by the power and fidelity for its size. I've been doing a ton of painting and gardening this week, and the Play was a delightful companion, filling the garden with warm sound throughout. Now, if only I had enough friends to host a party with it.

For a portable speaker, the inclusion of Bluetooth functionality is a no-brainer, but it does make the Play much more versatile and convenient than older Sonos speakers in my system, such as the Sonos One. I'm using the Play in my garden office, where I use mobile tethering rather than WiFi. Whereas none of the older models have worked in there, the Play slots in beautifully, letting me easily connect with either my Mac or iPhone via Bluetooth.

After a couple of weeks of use, I can safely say this is my favourite Sonos speaker yet. From the perfectly-proportioned dimensions to the impressive sound quality, it's basically a really solid offering for a decent price. Maybe we can finally start to put that app debacle behind us, eh?