The best 10 smart speakers in comparison

When Apple introduced the Siri voice assistant to the world in October 2011 (with the release of the iPhone 4S), it seemed like a mere novelty. But over a decade later, voice assistants have become much more common in our lives. These days, they can even be found on appliances such as microwaves, yet most people interact with these virtual helpers through smart speakers in the home. Many homes, in fact, as by 2021, more than 50% of US households owned a smart speaker. As their popularity has grown, so has their functionality. What was once a basic voice assistant used for setting timers or checking the weather has now evolved into something much more useful, with millions of people using them for everything from switching off the lights to starting their coffee machine in the morning.

But what should you look for when choosing a smart speaker? Although it can seem daunting at first, once you identify your needs the choice can be quite simple.

Alexa, Google Assistant, or Siri?

When buying a smart speaker, one of the key considerations is the voice assistant that you wish to use. The main three options are Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, and Apple’s Siri. All three of them are fairly equal when it comes to functionality, but they do have their own advantages.

Amazon Alexa

Over the years, Alexa has become one of the most prominent voice assistants, partly because you can pick up an Alexa-enabled smart speaker quite cheaply. Thousands of “skills” are available on the Alexa platform, allowing you to do everything from checking your bank balance to starting your car remotely. Amazon’s Echo speakers also integrate with Zigbee-enabled devices, so if you have these smart products in your home, an Alexa smart speaker is a solid choice.

Google Assistant

If you use an Android phone, you’ll probably already be familiar with Google’s voice assistant. Being backed by the biggest search provider in the world has its obvious advantages, as others like Alexa use Microsoft’s (somewhat inferior) Bing for looking up information. It also excels over others for things like asking for directions, as it can tap into Google’s years of Maps expertise and utilize real-time public transport information.

Apple Siri

Lastly, there is Apple’s Siri voice assistant. Unlike Alexa and Google Assistant, it’s only available on Apple’s own smart speaker — the HomePod Mini. Although it costs a bit more than similar offerings from Amazon and Google, it’s generally regarded to have better sound quality. If you’re already using Apple products, it’s worth considering the HomePod Mini as it will integrate seamlessly with the rest of your devices. For those concerned with privacy, Apple also has a clear advantage over both Alexa and Google Assistant. 

Sound quality

Bigger is not always better, but in terms of speakers, larger drivers (and more of them) do normally produce better sound. If you’re just buying a smart speaker for simple actions like turning off the lights or checking the weather when you leave the house, you might not care so much about the sound quality. In this case you could go with a small speaker like the Google Nest Mini, which has a single 1.65” driver.

If, on the other hand, you will be using it to listen to music, it’s worth investing a bit more money in a higher quality speaker which has multiple drivers and a woofer. Amazon’s Echo Studio, for example, has a tweeter, three 2” mids, and a 5.25” woofer to deliver excellent audio. There is even a Google Assistant-enabled speaker from audio experts Bang & Olufsen — the Beoplay A9. Within this beautifully-designed speaker is an 8” woofer, two 3” mids, 2 1.5” full-range, and 2 ¾” tweeters. Although at more than $3000, this one is reserved for audiophiles with cash to spare.

Display

Depending on your usage, you might also want to consider a smart speaker with an integrated display, such as the Amazon Echo Show 10 or Google Nest Hub (2nd Gen). This can be a great option if you want to follow recipes in the kitchen or make video calls with family and friends. Aside from that, you can get useful information at a glance, such as the weather forecast or upcoming appointments.

Price

Naturally, one of the biggest considerations when buying a smart speaker is how much you’re willing to pay. A good thing to keep in mind, though, is that whether you’re spending $30 or $3000, the voice assistant is going to be just as good. In the end, the cost normally reflects the sound quality, but if that’s not a concern for you, you can get a smart speaker for a relatively low price.

Part of the reason that Amazon’s Alexa-enabled speakers are so popular is their affordability, especially because they often get heavily discounted. An Echo Dot (4th Gen), for example, costs around $50. But this is normally slashed to just $24.99 at least twice a year, when Amazon has sales for Prime Day and Black Friday. If you don’t mind buying an older version, you can even get the Echo Dot (3rd Gen) for as low as $14.99 during these sale periods. Google Assistant speakers such as the Nest Mini also cost a similar price to the Echo Dot and receive similar discounts during Black Friday. Unfortunately for Apple users, you only have one choice at the moment. After Apple discontinued the HomePod in 2021, the HomePod Mini is the only smart speaker on offer, and this will currently set you back $99.

Privacy

If you’re considering having a smart speaker in your home (which by default is always listening for your commands), you should always consider your privacy and the policies of the companies behind the devices. Whichever assistant you use, audio recordings (or at least transcriptions) are sent to the cloud and interpreted to give you results to your queries. Google, perhaps surprisingly given their history, doesn’t store any audio recordings by default. This is opposed to both Alexa and Siri, which do. Amazon keeps audio recordings indefinitely unless you change the time limit in the settings, and they are also linked to your account. Apple also keeps some recordings (for a limited time), but they are linked only by a random identifier. Plus, they allow you to opt out of it entirely.

There is also the question of what they do with your data. If you use Alexa or Google Assistant, your data will be used for marketing purposes. Based on queries to your smart speaker, you might get related products suggested to you on Amazon or related Google ads appearing across the web. If you wish to avoid this, Apple is the best option, as they don’t collect data to use for marketing purposes or to sell to third parties.