Thinking of adding smart speakers to your daily life? These speakers are one step toward owning a smart home device. With features like voice recognition, compatibility with smart home devices, and support for streaming music, a smart speaker can make your life easier.
From hands-free phone calls and playing music to providing reminders and controlling smart lights, smart alarm systems, a smart speaker can make your life smarter.
However, not all smart speakers are created equal. In our tech labs, we test smart devices for their ability to pick up on voice commands, durability, and ease of use.
Top 4 Best Smart Speakers 2023
In our Smart Home Lab, we test how each speaker performs with voice commands. In testing, we repeat each command 10 times, then average the results.
Next, we test durability. After pulling the smart speakers from their boxes, we test each device for 15 minutes to see how it responds to bumps, drops, and falls. We also test water resistance by submerging each speaker in water in 4-inch increments until the speaker no longer worked. Finally, we test sound quality by playing music in loud, quiet, and noisy surroundings.
Next, we test each speaker’s battery life. In testing, we charge each speaker, then play music until the speaker died. We then charge the speaker and repeat the test 8 times.
Finally, we test each speaker’s ease of use. In testing, we test each speaker’s ability to set up the device, as well as its responsiveness too.
All-New Echo Dot (5th Gen, 2022 release) with clock | Smart speaker with clock and Alexa
Amazon Echo Dot (5th Gen) isn’t the first Echo Dot, but it’s the best-sounding and most advanced model yet. The speakers are required to have Alexa in this new model, and they sound better than they ever have on the Dot.
The sound fits the Dot nicely, filling our listening room with sound without too much clutter. Its enhanced display is bright and visible in almost any lighting environment, and the improved speaker placement means the sound is more natural coming from the right speaker, instead of coming out of the top of the unit.
The Dot also displays the year, date, temperature, and battery status in the top right corner, so it’s always easy to see what’s going on. Lightning quick response times to Alexa commands means Alexa is always listening, but text response and video streaming aren’t as quick as with other Echo devices.
We’re glad to see that Amazon is making it easier to control compatible smart home devices with your voice and routines, which means less tapping and scrolling and more fun. The Dot is compact and portable, and it’s easy to set up and use. It’s part of Amazon’s growing family of Alexa-powered devices, which now includes speakers, an alarm clock, and other voice-controlled home devices.
Echo Studio With Dolby Atmos, spatial audio processing technology, and Alexa
With its clear-sounding, impressively powerful audio performance, the Echo Studio does more than just play music – it also produces a more immersive audio experience.
The faceplate’s design also looks more stylish than Amazon’s other models (though it won’t win any awards for elegance). The Echo Studio performs well in any space, from a small apartment to a midsize living room.
The Echo Studio is a great-sounding device with a really nice design. It would be great for any space, from a small apartment to a midsize living room.
Bose Home Speaker 500: Smart Bluetooth Speaker with Alexa Voice Control Built-In, Black
The Bose Home Speaker 500 has earned a spot amongst our pricier picks thanks to its impressive sound performance, along with Alexa voice control and built-in Wi-Fi. This speaker can connect to your home Wi-Fi network, as well as Bluetooth and AirPlay.
When the Bose app is installed on a compatible device or paired with a Bose product, you’ll also be able to control the speaker with Alexa voice commands. The speaker also pairs wirelessly with other Bose speakers, and you can control multiple speakers with the Bose Music app from a single screen. The Home Speaker 500 has a 5-inch diameter and weighs 2.3 pounds, so it won’t be the most inconspicuous speaker in your home, but it definitely won’t take up too much space.
The speaker features rounded edges, making it more comfortable to hold, and it comes with a compact carrying case for easy portability. While it doesn’t offer the same driving bass that you’ll get from the Bose Soundbar 500, this speaker has a wider, more even sound field, which drives the midrange and treble more efficiently. The slight dip at the low end doesn’t detract from the overall sound, but it does make it sound a bit less powerful.
One concern is that the Home Speaker 500 uses a proprietary, non-removable 3.5mm audio cable to connect hardwired to the supplied power adapter. But like the Bose Soundbar 500, you’ll be able to control other Bose products with the Home Speaker 500 through the simple setup set up in the Bose Music app, provided you have another Bose speaker on Bluetooth or Wi-Fi in the same room.
All-New Echo Dot (5th Gen, 2022 release) | Bigger vibrant sound in a compact smart speaker with Alexa
Hands-on with the new Echo Dot, we found that the audio is dramatically improved compared to any previous Echo Dot, and it looks great, too. It’s a solid performer that can do just about everything the Dot can do, but it’s a bit pricier than the current-gen Dot.
The Echo Dot 5G is splash and drop resistant, which is nice if you plan on using it outdoors, and it has a few helpful new features, such as a far-field microphone (which helps it hear you better) and a mute button. It’s also brighter than its predecessor, so it seems to stay visible in darker rooms.
Alexa is improved, too, with more natural-sounding spoken responses, and there’s a new feature called Alexa Announcements, which makes announcements including the weather, news, traffic, sports scores, and stock information. The Note 8 doesn’t come with as many smart home features as the Echo Dot 5G, but it’s water-resistant and has a better interface.
If you have a lot of smart home products, the Note 8 is a better option. Otherwise, the Dot 5G is our top pick, but if you have the chance to try both, we recommend listening to the Dot 5G with the shiny new Note 8 in your stereo.
What are the different types of Smart Speakers?
Smart Speakers are voice-activated audio devices that allow you to control them using simple voice commands.
There are many different types of Smart Speakers on the market. The first and most basic type is Google Home. Google’s Smart Speaker is powered by Google Assistant and can be connected to compatible smart devices in the home.
The second type is Amazon Echo. Amazon’s Smart Speaker is powered by Alexa and allows users to interact with compatible smart devices in their homes.
The third type is Apple HomePod. Apple’s Smart Speaker is powered by Siri and allows users to interact with compatible smart devices in their homes.
The fourth type is Samsung Smart Home. Samsung’s Smart Home is powered by Bixby and allows users to interact with compatible smart devices in their homes.
The fifth type is Sonos. Sonos’ Smart Speaker is powered by AI and allows users to connect to compatible smart devices in their homes.
What are the advantages of having a Smart Speaker?
The Smart Speaker is a voice-controlled device. It is a wireless speaker that you can connect to via smartphone, tablet, or PC. You are able to use voice commands to ask it questions, provide information, and do other tasks. The Smart Speaker can be used in conjunction with Total Connect Comfort (TCC), allowing you to control your heating, cooling, and lighting using voice commands.
You can command your Smart Speaker to perform tasks such as:
- Play a radio station or playlist.
- Set a timer.
- Turn on/off lights, temperature control, and more.
- Navigate through your playlist.
- The Smart Speaker can also tell you about the weather.
Best Smart Speakers in the market, and their features
The Smart Speaker market has been growing at a tremendous pace over the past few years. With more Smart Speaker manufacturers entering the market, the competition is also getting tougher. Each brand is trying to offer something unique to its customers, thereby making the price gap between each brand smaller.
Here is a list of some of the best Smart Speakers in the market, and their features.
Amazon Echo
Echo was the first to market with Smart Speakers. The Echo range of Smart Speakers from Amazon.com offers the great sound quality, innovative features, and Alexa Voice Services, which enable you to control your Smart Home devices using voice commands.
Echo Dot
The Echo Dot is a more compact version of the Amazon Echo. It is powered by Alexa Voice Services. It can connect to your home network, enabling you to control it using voice commands from your Smart Phone, Tablet, or even your computer.
Echo Show
Echo Show offers you a bigger, more visual display. It offers all the features that the standard Amazon Echo has to offer – Alexa Voice Services, hands-free calling, music, etc., but it also lets you get visual information. For example, if you are watching a video on YouTube, Echo Show can show you the video’s comments, and you can even read and reply to them.
Google Home
Google Home came into the market a bit later than Amazon Echo and Echo Dot. However, it packs in more features than both of them. Apart from offering Alexa Voice Services, it also offers Google Voice Services. You can even attach your Chromecast-enabled device and stream music to it using Google Home.
Ecobee3
The Ecobee3 Smart Thermostat is equipped with Alexa Voice Services. It lets you control your home’s temperature using voice commands. It also lets you control your Smart Home devices using voice commands.
Insteon Hub
The Insteon Hub acts as a central hub for your Smart Home devices. It enables you to control your Smart lights, switches, plugs, locks, thermostats, and more devices easily.
Conclusion
Hope this guide on the top 4 best smart speakers was helpful. If you have any questions related to these products, please feel free to reach out to us in the comments. Keep visiting our Basictricks website for more useful product review guides. Thanks for reading 🙂