The Best Alexa Smart Speakers: A Comprehensive Comparison | nextpit
Over the last ten years, smart home technology has turned science fiction into reality, with the best Alexa smart speakers at the forefront. These devices enable remote control of your home through voice commands and offer access to streaming services like Spotify. Incorporating advanced technologies like ZigBee, Matter, and Wi-Fi 7, our editorial team has selected top smart speakers from brands like Bang & Olufsen, Sonos, and Amazon Echo to enhance your living space.
Table of Contents:
Buying advice: Things to consider before making a purchase
Smart speakers have revolutionized how we interact with our home entertainment and automation systems. They’re not just about providing high-quality audio for your 7.1 cinema sound system or streaming music to multiple rooms. Here’s a summary of what you should consider when choosing a smart speaker:
-
Multifunctional Use: Beyond surround and stereo speakers, these devices can serve as a command center for your Smart Home. Imagine controlling every room with intuitive voice commands—a real-life Starship Enterprise experience!
-
Smart Home Compatibility: The ideal scenario is having a smart speaker that seamlessly integrates with your existing smart home products. This could include:
- Lighting controls (e.g., Philips Hue)
- Smart radiator thermostats for temperature regulation
- Robotic vacuum cleaners for automated cleaning
- Streaming devices like Chromecast or Amazon Fire TV Stick
- Smart locks (e.g., Nuki door lock (review))
- Intelligent sockets for every outlet in your home
-
Standardization and Integration: With the plethora of smart products available, it’s crucial to have a standard that unifies them. This is where Matter comes in, offering a solution to harmonize the diverse range of smart home devices.
In essence, the right smart speaker can transform your living space into a more connected, efficient, and enjoyable environment.
The best smart speakers with Alexa in detail
In our top smart Wi-Fi compatible speaker recommendations, a common feature is voice control capability. All our picks are Alexa-compatible. Our selection caters to a wide range of preferences, from budget-conscious buyers to audiophiles.
The best overall smart speaker: Amazon Echo Dot
Of course, you can begin small and use a simple smart speaker like Amazon’s Echo Dot in a room. It is already in its 5th generation and is currently available for less than $50 a pop. The all-rounder delivers rich sound despite having only one built-in 44 mm speaker, sports both WLAN and Bluetooth connectivity, answers everything you ask thanks to Alexa Your questions, and can be integrated into your existing Zigbee, Matter, or Thread network.
The best affordable alternative: Sonos Roam
Visually, the Sonos Roam, available in black, white, light blue, and orange—and very importantly, not the “Sonos Roam SL” (without a microphone)—is a very compact smart speaker. As one of two intelligent speakers from our best list, it can also be used independently without a power socket. It works on battery power for up to ten hours on a full charge.
It’s quite unusual for the Sonos Roam, which reminds one of the well-known JBL Bluetooth roll, that it’s compatible with both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. So, it can be paired as a stereo set, integrated into your existing Sonos setup (which means it has multiroom capabilities), or used as a regular Bluetooth speaker.
Even the “small” Sonos has a calibration feature. In addition to Alexa and Google Assistant, the Sonos Roam is also compatible with Apple AirPlay 2.
Actually, all this sounds pretty good, but to be fair, there are compromises in the bass range, especially considering that the Roam was initially launched at $200. The lowest price so far was $134. Keep an eye out, I’m sure we’ll break the $100 barrier in 2024.
The best price-to-performance ratio: Sonos Era 100
The Sonos Era 100 is the successor to the eternal top dog, the Sonos One. It’s a little more expensive but does better in every department compared to its predecessor, which was already close to perfect. No matter what you want to use the $249 Sonos Era 100 for, it provides excellent performance.
Unlike its predecessor, Android users gain from the ability to carry out automatic sound measurement. Stereo pairing (although a single speaker can handle stereo playback), surround sound connection, Bluetooth playback, Apple AirPlay2, connecting an Ethernet or USB-C plug (via an adapter) and, of course, Alexa voice control, are all part of the deal.
As mentioned earlier, everything sounds significantly better than before. The highs are more audible, the mids are stronger, and the bass has also significantly improved compared to its predecessor.
The Wi-Fi 6-compatible Sonos Era 100 is available in black and white, making it the obvious winner of our small smart speaker comparison, and comes with a festive discount now to retail for $199.99.
The best smart speaker with a display: Amazon Echo Show
The flagship Amazon Echo speaker with Alexa voice control once cost a whopping $249.99. You can now pick one up for the show for $169.99 in either black or white shades. Although there are a few other Echos that come armed with a display, it is the only smart speaker in our list of the best smart speakers equipped with a high-resolution, 10.1-inch touchscreen on board.
Many people were a little apprehensive of the smart speaker at first due to its ability to follow your movements. The 13 MP camera is used for videotelephony and other webcam functions, which, thankfully, can be disabled when required to safeguard your privacy.
We digress, of course, as the Echo Show 10 is first and foremost a smart speaker with outstanding sound quality. The Amazon Echo with Alexa voice assistance achieves this through its 2.1 sound system, which is based on a 76 mm woofer and two 25 mm tweeter speakers to pump out rich stereo sound.
The future of smart speakers
I’ve already hinted that with all the connected technology in our household, there is a need for a central, coordinated point that brings all the smart devices together.
In my opinion, Matter is the standard that should be supported by every quarter. I consciously say that because Amazon, as the reigning market leader, would like to see its products as the Echo Hub at its autumn 2023 event.
Without wanting to gaze deeper into the crystal ball, voice control will become more natural in the coming years. Artificial intelligence will make a decisive contribution to this.
There might not be any need to memorize exact voice commands anymore and LiDAR scanners will soon be able to recognize who is in which room, therefore implementing commands more intuitively. As always, when we philosophize about the future, data privacy and personal security continue to be a cloud that hovers over our thoughts, but that is another topic for a different day.
What does it look like at home for you? How much of a smart home are you living in? What do you think is missing from our humble list of the best Alexa smart speakers? We would be happy to read your comments.
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Over the last ten years, smart home technology has turned science fiction into reality, with the best Alexa smart speakers at the forefront. These devices enable remote control of your home through voice commands and offer access to streaming services like Spotify. Incorporating advanced technologies like ZigBee, Matter, and Wi-Fi 7, our editorial team has selected top smart speakers from brands like Bang & Olufsen, Sonos, and Amazon Echo to enhance your living space.
Table of Contents:
Buying advice: Things to consider before making a purchase
Smart speakers have revolutionized how we interact with our home entertainment and automation systems. They’re not just about providing high-quality audio for your 7.1 cinema sound system or streaming music to multiple rooms. Here’s a summary of what you should consider when choosing a smart speaker:
-
Multifunctional Use: Beyond surround and stereo speakers, these devices can serve as a command center for your Smart Home. Imagine controlling every room with intuitive voice commands—a real-life Starship Enterprise experience!
-
Smart Home Compatibility: The ideal scenario is having a smart speaker that seamlessly integrates with your existing smart home products. This could include:
- Lighting controls (e.g., Philips Hue)
- Smart radiator thermostats for temperature regulation
- Robotic vacuum cleaners for automated cleaning
- Streaming devices like Chromecast or Amazon Fire TV Stick
- Smart locks (e.g., Nuki door lock (review))
- Intelligent sockets for every outlet in your home
-
Standardization and Integration: With the plethora of smart products available, it’s crucial to have a standard that unifies them. This is where Matter comes in, offering a solution to harmonize the diverse range of smart home devices.
In essence, the right smart speaker can transform your living space into a more connected, efficient, and enjoyable environment.
The best smart speakers with Alexa in detail
In our top smart Wi-Fi compatible speaker recommendations, a common feature is voice control capability. All our picks are Alexa-compatible. Our selection caters to a wide range of preferences, from budget-conscious buyers to audiophiles.
The best overall smart speaker: Amazon Echo Dot
Of course, you can begin small and use a simple smart speaker like Amazon’s Echo Dot in a room. It is already in its 5th generation and is currently available for less than $50 a pop. The all-rounder delivers rich sound despite having only one built-in 44 mm speaker, sports both WLAN and Bluetooth connectivity, answers everything you ask thanks to Alexa Your questions, and can be integrated into your existing Zigbee, Matter, or Thread network.
The best affordable alternative: Sonos Roam
Visually, the Sonos Roam, available in black, white, light blue, and orange—and very importantly, not the “Sonos Roam SL” (without a microphone)—is a very compact smart speaker. As one of two intelligent speakers from our best list, it can also be used independently without a power socket. It works on battery power for up to ten hours on a full charge.
It’s quite unusual for the Sonos Roam, which reminds one of the well-known JBL Bluetooth roll, that it’s compatible with both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. So, it can be paired as a stereo set, integrated into your existing Sonos setup (which means it has multiroom capabilities), or used as a regular Bluetooth speaker.
Even the “small” Sonos has a calibration feature. In addition to Alexa and Google Assistant, the Sonos Roam is also compatible with Apple AirPlay 2.
Actually, all this sounds pretty good, but to be fair, there are compromises in the bass range, especially considering that the Roam was initially launched at $200. The lowest price so far was $134. Keep an eye out, I’m sure we’ll break the $100 barrier in 2024.
The best price-to-performance ratio: Sonos Era 100
The Sonos Era 100 is the successor to the eternal top dog, the Sonos One. It’s a little more expensive but does better in every department compared to its predecessor, which was already close to perfect. No matter what you want to use the $249 Sonos Era 100 for, it provides excellent performance.
Unlike its predecessor, Android users gain from the ability to carry out automatic sound measurement. Stereo pairing (although a single speaker can handle stereo playback), surround sound connection, Bluetooth playback, Apple AirPlay2, connecting an Ethernet or USB-C plug (via an adapter) and, of course, Alexa voice control, are all part of the deal.
As mentioned earlier, everything sounds significantly better than before. The highs are more audible, the mids are stronger, and the bass has also significantly improved compared to its predecessor.
The Wi-Fi 6-compatible Sonos Era 100 is available in black and white, making it the obvious winner of our small smart speaker comparison, and comes with a festive discount now to retail for $199.99.
The best smart speaker with a display: Amazon Echo Show
The flagship Amazon Echo speaker with Alexa voice control once cost a whopping $249.99. You can now pick one up for the show for $169.99 in either black or white shades. Although there are a few other Echos that come armed with a display, it is the only smart speaker in our list of the best smart speakers equipped with a high-resolution, 10.1-inch touchscreen on board.
Many people were a little apprehensive of the smart speaker at first due to its ability to follow your movements. The 13 MP camera is used for videotelephony and other webcam functions, which, thankfully, can be disabled when required to safeguard your privacy.
We digress, of course, as the Echo Show 10 is first and foremost a smart speaker with outstanding sound quality. The Amazon Echo with Alexa voice assistance achieves this through its 2.1 sound system, which is based on a 76 mm woofer and two 25 mm tweeter speakers to pump out rich stereo sound.
The future of smart speakers
I’ve already hinted that with all the connected technology in our household, there is a need for a central, coordinated point that brings all the smart devices together.
In my opinion, Matter is the standard that should be supported by every quarter. I consciously say that because Amazon, as the reigning market leader, would like to see its products as the Echo Hub at its autumn 2023 event.
Without wanting to gaze deeper into the crystal ball, voice control will become more natural in the coming years. Artificial intelligence will make a decisive contribution to this.
There might not be any need to memorize exact voice commands anymore and LiDAR scanners will soon be able to recognize who is in which room, therefore implementing commands more intuitively. As always, when we philosophize about the future, data privacy and personal security continue to be a cloud that hovers over our thoughts, but that is another topic for a different day.
What does it look like at home for you? How much of a smart home are you living in? What do you think is missing from our humble list of the best Alexa smart speakers? We would be happy to read your comments.