Powered by smart technology, a smart speaker is an all-in-one speaker run by a network connection. It is capable of streaming music, following voice commands, and controlling other smart home devices using its built-in voice assistant or an app.
Smart home speakers connect to wireless connections such as Bluetooth or Wi-Fi to work. For easy control, you will need to download the speaker’s mobile application after connecting with the wireless protocol. Once the setup is done, the smart speaker will respond to your voice commands and play music using the wireless connection.
Furthermore, smart speakers are powered by the same digital assistants as smartphones such as Google Assistant and Siri. A digital assistant is basically cloud-based software that fetches information, performs tasks and understands natural language voice commands.
Using a mobile app, Best Smart Speakers 2021 allow you to control the music and smart home devices within a certain range. They offer high-quality sound with a voice assistant so that you can call your friends or play music.
There are many smart speakers available on the market. To help you make the best decision, we have reviewed some of the best speakers that you can find.
The Best Non-Amazon Speaker
Sonos One (Gen 2)
Sonos One offers a rich sound at a premium price. It also has six microphones to pick up your voice. It has built-in support for Google Assistant, Siri and Alexa. It also includes Tidal and Spotify integration.
Its specifications include one tweeter, two class-D digital amplifiers, and one mid-woofer offering impressive audio quality. This speaker can play a wide variety of music genres with premium sound quality, and it costs less than many other smart speakers such as Apple HomePod and Google Home Max.
The Sonos One works with streaming services such as Red Bull Radio. It also supports Airplay 2 to stream music from any Apple device directly to the speaker or to multiple Sonos speakers.
However, it has some minor drawbacks. For instance, there is no Bluetooth, so Android devices are restricted to using the Sonos app.
Overall, the Sonos One is the leader in multi-room audio and its far-field microphones work efficiently on your voice commands.
The Best for Bedroom
Amzon Echo Dot (3d Gen)
It is an affordable smart speaker that competes strongly with other smart hubs in the market. It serves as a smart home hub for several home automation devices, ranging from security systems to thermostats.
Its stand-out features include connectivity with other Bluetooth speakers for quality sound, the use of voice commands to control your home and controlling music from streaming services. However, the Echo Dot’s sound quality is not great for music as compared to the Amazon Echo.
This smart hub is relatively economical and a great entry into smart home devices. It comes in a cloth-covered design, has a 3.5 mm jack and support for Bluetooth. It is integrated with Amazon’s Alexa, offering full command over all Alexa-compatible smart devices. Its microphones are able to recognize your voice individually. Furthermore, its music and call quality is better than the Google Home Mini.
The Best for Bedroom
Ultimate Ears Megablast
This Alexa-packed smart speaker has a dynamic range and is waterproof and wireless. It provides a solid 16 hours of battery life, two amplifiers, one mid-woofer, and one tweeter. With the concept of a wider 360-degree sound, the UE Megablast offers full vocals, detailed bass, and crisp treble.
By connecting Megablast to Wi-Fi, you can enjoy high-quality streaming and hands-free voice control of Pandora, Spotify, iHeartRadio, Amazon Music, and other such services using a simple command. Additionally, this speaker is Bluetooth-enabled and can be paired with multiple speakers.
Megablast has water- and drop-proof properties. With an IP67 dust and waterproof rating, this speaker can be immersed into water for up to 30 minutes. However, it has a limited app and cannot do everything like other Alexa speakers.
Overall, the Megablast sounds great, offers a long battery life and delivers immersive audio quality to its users. Since the UE Megablast comes with built-in support for Alexa, it replaces the need for Amazon Echo or Echo Dot.
The Best Sound
Amazon Echo Studio
It is a high-end Alexa smart speaker with great sound and bass. It can automatically adjust audio and you can pair it with another Studio for a better sound experience.
The Echo Studio delivers chest-pounding bass and great room-filling audio. It has built-in ZigBee, providing ease for users as they can control the entire home system from one central location.
It offers an impressive audio experience to its customers as it has five built-in directional speakers that provide premium sound with clarity, space and depth. The Echo Studio can be paired with other Echo and Fire TV devices as well. However, the Echo Studio is one of the most expensive smart devices in the market.
Packed with Alexa and capable of delivering 360-degree audio, the Amazon Echo Studio looks to challenge the best smart speakers in the market.
Best for Bedroom
Google Nest Mini
With an affordable price tag, the Nest Mini is a fast device with a smart assistant. It is the second generation of Google Home Mini, offering 360-degree sound, new features and better value. According to Google, the Nest Mini’s bass is two times stronger than before.
Additionally, it has a machine learning chip with one TeraOPS of processing power, allowing the device to process commands. Its clever Voice Match feature recognizes your voice and works on your commands. While the Nest Mini has fewer functions than Amazon’s smart speakers, it is still a solid alternative to the Amazon Echo Dot Plus.
Compared to the Google Home Mini, the audio performance of the Nest Mini has been improved. This smart speaker is worth considering as it provides better sound, touch control, Google Assistant and a nice wall mount. It offers longevity and durability to its customers in a budget-friendly way.
Best for Bedroom
Apple HomePod
In early 2018, the highly anticipated Apple HomePod entered the smart hub industry. Its A8 processing chip works great as it constantly scans its surroundings to optimize audio quality. In addition, it supports AirPlay 2 to listen to podcasts, songs or books through the speaker. It is great for iPhone users or users with a subscription to Spotify and Apple Music. It can only control smart home devices that are compatible with Apple’s Home Kit automation platform.
Overall, its audio quality surpasses the Sonos One. The HomePod’s bass is high, treble is remarkably clear, and the mid-range performance is velvety and warm. If you are willing to go with Apple’s ecosystem, the HomePod is a great smart speaker as it works well with iOS devices like an iPad or iPhone.
Best for Bedroom
JBL FLIP 4
Powered by Google Assistant, the JBL Link 20 offers portability and a rich stereo sound. Like the Google Nest Mini, the JBL Link 20 has built-in support for Google Assistant through which you can control your smart home.
It has IPX7 waterproof rating, which makes it durable. You can connect it to your home’s Wi-Fi network, play music outside, or stream audio through your phone’s Bluetooth. However, it cannot make a hands-free call.
The JBL Link 20 comes with a 6000 mAh rechargeable Li-ion battery that will give 10 hours of continuous playtime. It is a well-balanced and excellent choice. It can be easily managed with the free Google Home app. This compact speaker also comes with Chromecast that streams directly from the cloud, offering great sound quality.
However, the JBL Link 20 is quite pricey, making the JBL Link 10 a good alternative offering solid sound quality at a cheaper price.
Best for Bedroom
Google Nest Hub Max
The Google Nest Hub Max is a premium smart speaker with an attractive design and 10-inch large screen. With all the power of Google Assistant, it gives a full-on smart experience to its users. It has built-in Chromecast and provides visual feedback to your questions or commands.
Its facial recognition and motion-tracking feature make it unique from other smart devices. It also offers a forward-facing camera for making video calls and a security mode camera. However, the Nest Hub can only make a video call with Google Duo and has integration issues for iOS users.
Overall, this device excels as a central point for controlling smart bulbs, cameras, smart thermostats, smart plugs, and other compatible smart devices.
Best Smart Speakers 2021 - Features to Consider
In the world of smart devices and smart hubs, there are several essential aspects to consider when buying the best smart speakers. The following factors and features should be considered to ensure efficiency and ease:
- Look for smart speakers with multiple woofers and tweeters so that they can handle a range of low to high frequencies and provide a good sound quality.
- Depending on your daily use, decide between a premium and budget-friendly smart speaker. For example, if you want a smart speaker to play tunes occasionally or to handle your voice commands, Amazon Echo may be a better and affordable option than the Sonos One.
- For a smart home sound system, smart speakers should offer better connectivity. Check for compatibility with other smart devices and speakers when buying smart speakers.
- Look for the voice assistant. The built-in voice assistant in your smart speaker should be able to multi-task.
- Seek two-way audio smart speakers. By using a built-in microphone in a smart speaker, this feature provides you the ability to talk with family members in different rooms.
- Look for smart speakers with voice control offering video and phone calls. By simply using a voice command, you can dial a number from your address book and talk with perfect sound. Additionally, the smart speaker’s functionality gets increased if it has a video display such as the JBL Link View.
How to choose the best smart speaker for you
for cooshing the right product there is a few parameters you need to look for How much should you spend?
What features do you need? How easy to use?
At the guts of a wise speaker could be a digital assistant – Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, or Siri from Apple, that is in a position to reply to your voice commands. you'll raise however long it'll take you to drive to the workplace, what the weather goes to be like next week, what the news headlines square measure, once consequent full-of-the-moon is, so on so on. Connect up your favorite services, and you'll have them play your music and podcasts, or (if there is a show attached) movies and television shows.
What's WIRED and Tired About Echo Speakers?
WIRED: Amazon’s own Echo speakers are the best Alexa speakers to line up. you only download the Alexa app and you’re good to travel. They even have some exclusive features, like screens, audio/video calling, and Zigbee smart-home support, which other Alexa speakers don’t have. Amazon’s dedication to low prices also makes them quite affordable.
TIRED:In our experience, Alexa isn't as useful as Google's Assistant, which we consider the simplest smart assistant at once. Amazon-made speakers only allow you to use Alexa, where many of the simplest Smart Speakers now work with Google Assistant or Alexa. Setup can sometimes be a pain with non-Amazon devices.
Conclusion
The Amazon Echo, Google Nest Hub Max and Sonos One are prominent smart speakers for controlling different smart devices. Each smart speaker has its own weaknesses and strengths, but companies like Google, Apple and Amazon are continuously working to fill these gaps and creating smarter speakers with artificial intelligence.
To incorporate smart home tech, it is essential to invest in the best smart speaker. The Amazon Echo Dot and Google Nest Mini are the best budget smart speakers for this purpose.
At present, Google and Amazon are the best when it comes to smart speaker ecosystems. Google has better natural-language query understanding and is built into all Android phones, while Amazon has a wide range of smart home products and offers more third-party skills.