If you have an iPhone or an iPad, it might also be worth checking out the best AirPlay speakers, which allow you to stream music from your devices to your speaker. Also look for models that can be paired together to create stereo sound if you’re planning to use a smart speaker as part of your home cinema set-up. Those with smaller speakers are best suited to background music, while larger smart speakers will offer a louder, more room-filling sound. If you intend to use the smart speaker as your main listening device, make sure you consider the number of speakers, and the sound output and quality they offer. Next, consider where you intend to locate the smart speaker smaller, more compact smart speakers are best suited to bedrooms and kitchens, for setting timers when cooking, while larger smart speakers work in rooms with bigger footprints such as a lounge or dinning room. However, if you’ve yet to settle on the voice assistant for you, Alexa vs Google Assistant can help you decide. If you already use a voice assistant on your smartphone or tablet, or have existing smart speakers or smart displays in your home, it makes sense to plump for a smart speaker that has the same assistant baked in. Start by working out which voice assistant you want your smart speaker to offer access to. When it comes to choosing the right smart speaker for you, there are a number of factors to consider. Best smart speaker FAQs What to consider when choosing a smart speaker? We also evaluate each model on its ability to pick up your voice when issuing commands to the voice assistant, privacy features that help ensure the smart speaker isn’t constantly watching and listening, and the smart home devices it's compatible with, as well as how compact and durable the design is. To discover the best smart speakers on the market, we assess the the sound quality of the speaker and how effective the built-in voice assistant is at controlling playback for you from selecting specific playlists, albums and tracks to adjusting the volume, skipping tracks and even the number of streaming service its compatible with. The bass isn't too heavy, vocals aren't lost in the mix, and when you pair two minis the stereo experience is really immersive.
It's excellent for a speaker that's so small, and it really feels like the right mix of price and sound quality. There's also a much smaller number of compatible smart home devices that work with the smart speaker, compared to the range available for Alexa and Google Assistant-enabled smart speakers.įor us, the audio performance is the key reason to buy the HomePod mini.
You can't ask the HomePod mini to play anything through Spotify – that can only be enabled through AirPlay, and requires using your phone rather than the simpler method of asking Siri to play tunes with your voice. However, if you don’t have an Apple Music subscription, you’re rather limited when it comes to music streaming. It's also the only smart speaker on the market with Siri built-in, as Apple discontinued the bigger HomePod in early 2021, and stocks are no longer available. It's far cheaper than some might expect, packing mighty sounds and an elegant design for under $100 / £100 / AU$150. Some even let you use the speaker to converse with anyone in the doorbell or camera’s field of view, although not all models are compatible with all designs of smart speaker.įor anyone looking to enter the Apple smart ecosystem, or who has an Apple Music subscription, this is the smart speaker to go for. Alternatively, a smart speaker can double as a chime for some of the best video doorbells or h ome security cameras, playing a tone to alert you that motion has been detected or the doorbell has been pressed. Using just one command, you can ensure your smart lights illuminate to the right brightness for the time of day or ensure a coffee maker connected to a smart plug starts to brew a hot drink. This includes controlling your smart home devices for you. However, aside from displaying information and pictures on a screen, they can do all the same tasks. Unlike the best smart displays, which come with a screen so you can see as well as hear the information the voice assistant serves up, smart speakers only offer an audio interpretation. Whether you prefer to use Alexa, Google Assistant, or Siri, there’s a smart speaker to suit you. They can also serve up the latest headlines and sports scores, set timers, and even answer your burning questions for you. The voice assistants in smart speakers can do more than just control the playback of music, however.
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