Smart Speaker Buying Guide

The defining feature of a smart speaker is the AI, but the “smart” in these products doesn’t actually require that much deliberation when you’re shopping.

In an attempt to gain market share (and, it should be noted, collect consumer data), Amazon and Google have been actively encouraging other manufacturers, such as Bose and Sonos, to build smart speakers that use their digital assistants. (By contrast, Apple keeps its platform to itself—you won’t find Siri on other companies’ smart speakers.)

The digital assistants on third-party smart speakers perform roughly the same as the ones on smart speakers made by Amazon and Google, according to our testers. Our labs find little or no difference, for example, in the devices’ ability to hear and respond to wake words and other commands, even in very noisy environments.

And, surprisingly, spending more on a smart speaker won’t make the device any smarter. A $50 Amazon Echo Dot is every bit as intelligent as the $350 Bose Home Speaker 500. That’s because the “brains” of a smart speaker don’t live in the device itself but in the cloud, on servers run by Amazon, Apple, or Google. And the lowest-priced devices have the same access as the most expensive ones.

More expensive models do tend to sound better, though. But here’s a trick. Let’s say you already have, or want to buy, a superb-sounding, nonsmart speaker—the Edifier S1000DB, for instance. You can add voice controls to it by pairing it with an inexpensive smart speaker.

In short, most smart speakers on the market are quite smart. Here are just a few of the cool things you can ask your smart speaker to do.

• Act as the world’s smartest intercom—summoning friends and family not only in your house but also anywhere a compatible device is connected. 
• Interact with smart bulbs or a smart thermostat to make your room brighter or warmer. 
• Make a phone call.
• Read you an audiobook.
• Set timers, alarms, and reminders.
• Tell you a joke.
• Tell you today’s weather.

In the past few years, smart speakers have evolved into some distinct categories, and which one you choose largely depends on how you use the device. 

Standard smart speakers like the basic Amazon Echo are designed to be used indoors and operate purely with voice controls. They need to be plugged into an electrical outlet, and they use WiFi connectivity.

In terms of quality, the least expensive home speakers, such as the Amazon Echo Dot and Apple HomePod Mini, are something of a mixed bag. On the one hand, they offer a lot of smart speaker functionality for the money. On the other, our testers find that their sound quality leaves a lot to be desired—they’re okay for podcasts or background music, for example, but not for serious music listening.

Moving up a bit in price, the Amazon Echo and Google Nest Audio sound substantially better than their predecessors. But if you’re going to listen to music—and you probably will—consider step-up models like the Amazon Echo Studio, Bose Home Speaker 300, and Sonos One, which offer better clarity, stronger bass, and more volume, along with that elusive sense that the musicians are in the room with you.

Portable smart speakers are a newer option. A number of companies, including Sonos and Ultimate Ears, have introduced smart speakers with rechargeable batteries, water-resistant enclosures, and Bluetooth connectivity for easy pairing to a smart phone or another portable device. These speakers need WiFi for their smart functions, so these functions won’t work away from home. But there’s much to be said for taking your smart speaker into the yard, where it can still receive a WiFi signal, and telling it to “turn the music up” when your favorite song pops up on a playlist while you’re busy working the grill. 

Smart speakers with screens are available from Amazon and Google, among other companies. The screens can be a benefit if you want to, say, read a recipe or follow a chef whipping up the dish that you’re cooking. On the other hand, they take up valuable counter space on a kitchen counter (voice-only speakers can be stashed on a shelf), and their functions can be duplicated by a portable device such as a tablet, laptop, or smartphone.