The Best Smart Speaker: Reviews & Recommendations

1. Best Overall: Amazon Echo Dot With Clock

Important Specifications 

• Size: 3.9 x 3.9 x 3.5 inches
• Speakers: 1.6-inch speaker
• Ports: 3.5mm line in/out
• Wireless: 2.4/5 GHz, Bluetooth
• Smart assistants: Alexa

Product's highlights

As good as the first Amazon Echo Dot with Clock is the second model. The Echo Dot's spherical shape not only enhances the fullness of the sound but also makes the display a little bit easier to see. The Echo Dot with Clock's display, however, can do more than tell the time; it also serves as a timer and can indicate the outside temperature.

Beyond simply the top Alexa abilities, an additional LED display gives the Echo Dot greater usefulness. We wish other intelligent home manufacturers would follow Amazon's lead and make little, yet impactful, improvements to existing top-notch products. The Echo Dot with Clock is one of the top smart home products.

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Pros

• Affordable
• Dependable LED display
• Seems reasonable considering the cost.
• Seamless integration of Alexa

Cons

• Not as full of a sound as more giant smart speakers

2. Best Budget: Amazon Echo Dot (4th Gen)

Important Specifications 

• Size: 3.9 x 3.9 x 3.5 inches
• Speakers: 1.6-inch speaker
• Ports: 3.5mm line in/out
• Wireless: 2.4/5 GHz, Bluetooth
• Smart assistants: Alexa

Product's highlights

The Amazon Echo Dot has always been the best choice for people who are unsure about smart home technology and want to start small. It gives Alexa a home in your house and is audible enough to fill a room. And given that it frequently receives discounts that lower its already cheap $50, £50, or AU$80 price, it's simple to understand why it has long been one of the most well-liked smart speakers available.

The Dot looks attractive and significantly improved over the previous Echo Dot design. It shares the same space-age aesthetic as its larger brother, the Amazon Echo (2020).

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Pros

• Cosmological style
• Simple integration and setup
• One of the current market's most cheap smart speakers

Cons

• Shallow, directional sound
• No inside Zigbee hub

3. Best For Home Cinema Set-Ups: Amazon Echo Studio

Important Specifications 

• Voice assistant: Alexa
• Dimensions: 6.9 x 6.9 x 8.1 inch / 17.5 x 17.5 x 20.6 cm
• Speaker: 1 x 1-inch tweeter, 3 x 2-inch mid-range speakers, 1 x 5.25-inch woofer
• Physical controls: Volume up/down, play/pause, microphone mute
• Power: Mains

Product's highlights

With 330W of power, you can connect up to two Amazon Echo Studio speakers in the Alexa app to create an immersive home theater system. It's still perfect and impressively loud, even though it's not as immersive as a dedicated surround sound system.

It is a potent speaker that also functions as a Zigbee hub. Its enormous size won't be suitable for everyone. To get the most out of it, you must subscribe to Amazon Music HD. Compared to similar speakers from competitors like Sonos, you get a lot of speakers for your money with this option.

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Pros

• Stunning sound quality
• For a low-cost home theater setup, pair two together.
• It incorporates a Zigbee hub.

Cons

• Large sizes won't fit everyone.
• Subscription required for 3D audio

1. Is HomePod Better Than Alexa?

The Apple HomePod and the Amazon Echo Gen 4 are outstanding voice assistant speakers. Still, Apple has a broader range of capabilities, and the Apple boasts a better soundstage and a more well-balanced sound profile right out of the box. While Amazon supports Bluetooth, it supports Apple AirPlay.

2. What Can You Do With A Smart Speaker?

With the help of these smart speakers, we can accomplish a wide range of activities, such as operating wirelessly enabled lighting, purchasing various goods and meals online, and receiving information like the weather forecast, time, and date, among other things. Additionally, they may broadcast music directly to the speakers.

3. Do Smart Speakers Need Wi-Fi?

Yes. Wi-Fi is required for Google Home devices and other smart speakers with a virtual assistant to function. You don't need a Wi-Fi connection if your Bluetooth speakers are primarily used for music transmission.

The best smart speakers we've suggested above are the ones we believe are currently the best for most consumers to purchase. Avoid getting sucked into the details. Perfect speakers don't exist. Your choice will be more influenced by your preferences, tastes, and listening styles.