Ikea and Sonos launch an audio speaker that looks like a frame

As previously anticipated by a page briefly published on IKEA's website, the Swedish company and Sonos today added a new product to the Symfonisk line of smart speakers. The new device is a cross between a speaker and a picture frame. The speaker has an interchangeable front so that users can customize the device with different designs, ranging from minimal to colourful.

The new Symfonisk picture frame is 56cm high, 40cm wide and 5cm deep, and unlike a regular picture frame, it has rounded corners. It connects to the home network through wi-fi to link itself to other Sonos products available in the house for a whole multi-room audio experience. As with any other Sonos product, the device will have access to all the music streaming services connected to the user's Sonos app.  As we've learned about the product after the leak mentioned above, we wondered how Ikea would solve the dangling power cable issue on a device that's supposed to be hung on a wall. Well, they didn't. The company's designers decided to go with an unapologetically thick cable, dangling from the bottom of the frame and down to the floor. To hide the wire, users could lean the Symfonisk frame on the wall on top of a shelf or a desk, which strikes us a bit as a half-baked solution.

The new Symfonisk speaker frame will be available in Ikea stores in Europe (both physical and online) starting July 15th.