Every year, the smart speaker market follows the overall trend of smart technology, offering an array of newer, smarter and impressive features and products.
So when deciding which smart speaker is best for you, consider not only the sound quality but also its smart features. Perhaps the most important smart feature to consider before buying is what kind of voice assistant you want. For example, would you rather use Amazon’s Alexa, or Google Assistant for most of your other smart products? Maybe you’re an Apple loyalist and want to stick with Siri. If you already own a smart speaker, it makes sense to stick with the same system.
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In addition to voice assistants, you may also want to consider which speakers are most compatible with other smart home technology, such as smart lights or security cameras, to ensure everything works together seamlessly.
Additionally, you may need a powerful speaker that is suitable for parties, or you may be looking for speakers that are suitable for bedroom use. Some speakers have clock faces, others have temperature sensors, and you can even buy smart speakers to extend your mesh Wi-Fi network.
No matter what you’re looking for, the team at Pocket-lint has been reviewing and researching the best smart speakers on the market right now.
Best smart speakers: Our top picks
Best smart speakers overall: Which one should you buy?
As it stands, the Sonos Era 100 is our favorite smart speaker. While $200 is a hefty price tag, it’s worth noting that the sound is impressive, but the speaker sports a sleek design and comes with Alexa smart features. Additionally, the Sonos Era 100 offers multi-room functionality, Bluetooth functionality, capacitive control, and line-in functionality.
However, not everyone wants or needs something so expensive. In that case, there are some great budget products available right now, like the Amazon Echo Dot (5th Gen), which sells for just $40, a fraction of the price. While the sound quality doesn’t compare to the top dogs on this list, it still has a lot of nifty smarts.
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FAQ
Q: What can smart speakers do?
Smart speakers are extremely versatile. Most commonly, however, users can benefit from using the speaker’s virtual assistant as a verbal search engine for basic and complex queries, as well as controlling other smart devices. Although the prices of these speakers vary widely, you can get roughly the same Assistant experience no matter how much you spend.
Of course, they’re also a great way to enjoy music and podcasts. Whether through streaming or casting, most now offer support for the major platforms—Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music Unlimited, and Audible, among others.
Q: Are smart speakers safe?
All smart speakers come with microphones, and while they usually have a switch or button to turn them off, that slightly detracts from the point of having a microphone. Pocket-lint has spoken with Amazon about its privacy practices, but overall we think continued listening concerns around smart speakers have been improving.
In most cases, the microphone will only work after the wake word is emitted, and companies have done a lot to reduce the number of false positive recordings – we are definitely moving towards an era where your voice data and privacy can be protected. Classified as very safe. For now, though, if you have any questions, we still recommend you check directly with the latest official FAQs from Amazon, Google, and Apple.
Q: What size smart speaker is best?
It all depends on how you use it. Maybe your kids will use your smart speaker to ask who the president was in 1967 to help them with their homework, in which case a small, simple, cheap speaker might be enough. However, if you plan on using music streaming services like Spotify or Apple Music, you’ll want something with a little more audio oomph. This is often the difference between entry-level and top-tier options.
If you also want to buy smart home devices, such as smart lights, don’t forget that they sometimes require hubs that are sold separately. A smart speaker (as long as it has a Thread radio, Zigbee chip, or other means of communication interoperability) could replace it, so it pays to know what you need before buying.
Q: Will the size of the smart speaker affect the sound quality?
You can choose a high-fidelity speaker that requires its own stand, or a smaller speaker that can be tucked away in a corner of your kitchen, bedroom, or living room. Some small speakers produce poor audio playback, while others, like the recently released Apple HomePod mini, produce much louder sound than you might expect. While the most basic speakers can be connected to Hi-Fi speakers to improve the sound, if music playback is important, you’re better off opting for speakers with larger speakers built in.