

While it’s generally true that Google Assistant is a better overall voice assistant, Alexa has a slight edge in smart home use. The same goes for the bright ring light it’s easily visible from afar. So, you don’t need to raise your voice when something’s playing, or you’re across the room. Microphones are an essential piece of hardware for smart speakers, and thankfully, they’re pretty sensitive to the Alexa wake word on the Echo Dot. Compared to Google’s counterpart, this little speaker is not only louder but also produces fuller sound, with a larger echo chamber (no pun intended) and deeper bass. From the vast sea of choices, we’ve gathered the best smart speakers to upgrade your own home with.ĭespite being a little over a year old, the 4th-gen Echo Dot continues to be the best smart speaker for most users. Some come with a built-in Zigbee hub that you’d otherwise need to buy separately for things like smart lights, while others may let you use both Alexa or Google Assistant on the same device.


While it’s still easy to pick the “smart” camp you want to be in - Alexa or Google Assistant (or even Siri) - each speaker comes with its own merits, flaws, and sound quality. Your smart speaker options have exploded, making choosing a new one a bit of a challenge. From answering your silly questions to looking up recipes and even sending stuff to your Android TV boxes, they’ve become far more capable than they used to be a few years ago. Those tiny puck-shaped or pillar-shaped smart speakers sitting on your desk do much more than play your favorite tunes.
