IKEA’s NATTBÅD launches with Spotify Tap Simplicity
IKEA’s new $50 speaker looks retro, plays Spotify with one tap, and might just be the best budget audio buy of the year.
IKEA has unveiled NATTBÅD, a compact, Bluetooth speaker that combines home audio with a balance of bold retro design, budget pricing, and a tech twist, Spotify Tap.
Positioned as part of IKEA’s move away from its Sonos-powered Symfonisk line, the NATTBÅD marks a shift toward accessible, low-friction tech for everyday use. It’s also the start of IKEA’s deeper integration into the evolving smart home ecosystem, with functionality that blends simplicity and innovation, all for under $50.
At first glance, the NATTBÅD looks like a playful homage to classic tabletop radios of the 1970s. With rounded knobs, tactile buttons, and vibrant color options like mustard yellow, matte black, and powder pink.
Measuring just over 7 inches tall, the speaker fits neatly on a nightstand or shelf, and its textured grille and simple, geometric form reflect IKEA’s signature fusion of form and function. It’s a product clearly meant to blend into the home as naturally as a lamp or plant pot, not dominate it like many high-end tech gadgets.
What sets the NATTBÅD apart, however, is the inclusion of Spotify Tap, a feature previously seen on select headphones and smart devices, but rarely built into standalone Bluetooth speakers at this price point.
Spotify Tap lets users resume whatever they were last listening to on Spotify, be it a playlist, podcast, or album, with just one press of the designated button. There’s no need to open the app or even unlock a phone. This creates a seamless experience for users who want quick access to audio without fiddling with settings or screens.
Spotify Tap works for both free and premium users, making the feature accessible to a broad audience.
While NATTBÅD doesn’t have built-in Wi-Fi or smart assistant support like Alexa or Google Assistant, it makes up for it with Bluetooth 5.3 and pairing capabilities. Users can connect multiple NATTBÅD units for multi-room playback, simulating a more expensive ecosystem at a fraction of the cost.
Though the speaker is mono and designed for casual listening, early hands-on reviews suggest it delivers solid audio quality for its size. Warm mids and decent low-end response make it ideal for background music, podcasts, or ambient audio, exactly the kinds of use cases IKEA is targeting.
And at $49.99 USD, it undercuts nearly every major competitor, including the Echo Dot, Nest Mini, and portable JBL options.
The NATTBÅD launch is part of IKEA’s broader reinvention of its smart tech strategy. In 2024, the company confirmed it would wind down its co-branded Symfonisk line with Sonos and instead focus on independently developed Bluetooth and Matter-compatible devices.
The company is already working on over 20 new smart home products set to roll out by 2026, all designed to integrate with the DIRIGERA hub, IKEA’s smart home controller introduced in 2022. These devices will support the Matter protocol, a new universal smart home standard that allows gadgets to work across ecosystems like Apple HomeKit, Google Home, and Amazon Alexa.
Alongside the NATTBÅD, IKEA also teased a forthcoming speaker-lamp hybrid named BLOMPRÅKT, which continues the company’s experimentation with functional decor. BLOMPRÅKT will also feature Spotify Tap and is expected to launch globally in October 2025.
According to David Granath, IKEA’s Product Design Manager for Sound, the guiding philosophy behind the NATTBÅD is clarity and accessibility: “We want technology that fits in emotionally and physically, products that don’t ask for much but offer a lot.”
As smart tech becomes more complex and privacy concerns increase, many users are gravitating toward simple, intentional tools. NATTBÅD’s lack of microphones, voice control, or cloud integration may be a selling point for those weary of always-on devices.