Google may have arrived late to the smart speaker shindig, but the company is doing its level best to make up for lost ground. There’s Spotify and Tidal integration, the ability to chat with Google Assistant (and Alexa), and the option to build a multi-room system around it using other Sonos speakers or AirPlay 2. This portable wireless speaker is powered by Google Home and delivers great sound and performance on budget. In terms of the sound quality, the JBL Link Portable presents a detailed, musical, spacious and cohesive listen.
Sonos Move The Move goes where no Sonos speaker has gone before Specifications Virtual assistant: Alexa, Google Assistant Wi-fi: Yes Bluetooth: Yes Outputs: N/A Dimensions (hwd): 24 x 16 x 12.6cm Weight: 3kg TODAY’S BEST DEALS Prime £399 View at Amazon £399 View at Sevenoaks £399 View at Richer Sounds Reasons to buy + Open, large-scale sound + Neat charging base + Multi-room smarts Reasons to avoid – Expensive – No aptX Bluetooth support – Not class-leading sound Specifications Virtual assistant: Alexa, Google Assistant Wi-fi: Yes Bluetooth: No Outputs: N/A Dimensions (hwd): 31 x 15 x 10cm Weight: 3.12kg TODAY’S BEST DEALS Check Amazon Reasons to buy + Fully integrated into Sonos network + Bold, focused presentation + Quirky design Reasons to avoid – Lacks a little refinement
To put the Google Nest Hub’s 7in (1024 x 600) touchscreen into context, the display real estate is only marginally bigger than the 6.7in one sported by the largest iPhone 12 Pro Max when measured on the diagonal – and here, there’s no camera for selfies, video calls or security duties. As the Nest Hub includes Google’s Soli sensor for motion detection plus light and temperature sensors, not only can you stop and resume tracks by simply showing your Hub the palm of your hand, the chip housed within the speaker can tell you how long you slept for and how restful your sleep was.
Amazon’s Echo Show – a similar smart-speaker-with-screen concept – is almost three times the price and is bigger, beefier, and comes with a snapper. But thanks to Disney Plus, Sleep Sensing tech and a good (if not great) sound, the Google Nest Hub is a worthy proposition, depending on your priorities. The Mini is low on frills and features – the lack of Bluetooth or an aux input is a shame and the sound quality is average for music. But if you simply want hands-free access to Google Assistant voice commands and some occasional background listening, perhaps for the kitchen or a kids room, then the Home Mini is a fine choice.
It looks like your average smart speaker, but the Citation 100 produces bass by the bucket-load and can play extremely loud without strain. This Harman Kardon speaker has a pretty standard, minimalist design, and it keeps connections to a minimum, too, with no aux input.
Sonically, while the Harman Kardon Citation 100 isn’t exactly balanced, it is otherwise a tasteful-sounding smart speaker with enough scale to fill most rooms. Specifications Virtual assistant: Google Assistant Wi-fi: Yes Bluetooth 4.0: Yes Inputs: No Amplifier: 2 x 200W Audio formats: MP3, WMA, AAC, WAV, FLAC Dimensions: 116 x 34.7 x 34.7cm (hwd) TODAY’S BEST DEALS £2,199 View at Richer Sounds £2,199 View at Richer Sounds Check Amazon Reasons to buy + Powerful, authoritative sound + Well balanced + Lots of bass and rich midrange Reasons to avoid – Beaten for timing and organisation – Lacking some dynamic nuance If you have a bit to spend and you want something bold, fun and wireless, the Harman Kardon Citation Towers are certainly worth an audition. Subtlety is their main issue – these stereo towers like to play loud, with a lot of energy – but if you’re hoping to get a party started then they will most happily be of service.
The best Google Home speakers in 2021
Google and other smart home manufacturers offer a large selection of audio devices for all sorts of different scenarios, but it doesn’t mean every one is worth buying. Like all the best smart speakers, these will listen to your voice and perform a wide number of tasks, such as streaming music from Spotify, Pandora and others; controlling smart home devices such as thermostats and lights; acting as a home communication hub; looking up the weather; and ordering you food. The best Google Home speakers below have pros and cons you’ll want to review before making a buying decision. Compared to the original Google Home, the $99 Nest Audio welcomes stronger performance, faster Assistant responses and softer exterior.
Plus the Nest Mini’s built-in wall-mount means you can free up precious counter space. You can customize your audio profile and stream music from hundreds of sources, or pair your Sonos One to your smart TV for a surround sound entertainment system.
Google Nest Audio The best Google Home speaker overall Specifications Size: 6.89 x 4.89 x 3.07 inches Speakers: 75-mm woofer, 19-mm tweeter Ports: None Wireless: 2.4/5 GHz, Bluetooth TODAY’S BEST DEALS View at Walmart View at Crutchfield View at Best Buy 757 Walmart customer reviews ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ Reasons to buy + Eco-friendly, attractive exterior + Balanced sound and soaring vocals + Speedy Google Assistant responses Reasons to avoid – Can’t be used an an audio-out source Thanks to on-device processing, Google Assistant gives speedy responses, which comes in handy when searching for music or getting a morning rundown while you’re rushing out to work.
Google Nest Mini The best Google Home speaker under $50 Specifications Size: 3.7 x 1.7 inches Speakers: 40-millimeter driver Ports: None Wireless: 2.4/5 GHz, Bluetooth TODAY’S BEST DEALS View at Walmart View at Google Store View at Dell 3771 Walmart customer reviews ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ Reasons to buy + Fun color options + Loud for its size + Added microphones Reasons to avoid – No audio line out Invisible touch controls on the top of the Mini lets you change volume, while a physical switch can be used to deactivate its microphone for those times you don’t want Google listening in.
The Nest Mini also comes in a variety of colors: a modern-looking light-grey, Chalk, Charcoal gray, Coral orange and Sky blue. Sonos One The ultimate Google Home speaker for sound lovers Specifications Size: 4.8 x 6.4 inches Speakers: Dual amplifiers, 1 tweeter, 1 mid-woofer Ports: None Wireless: 2.4/5 GHz TODAY’S BEST DEALS View at Amazon View at Best Buy View at Walmart 2 Amazon customer reviews ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ Reasons to buy + Excellent audio quality + Comprehensive Sonos library + Can pair more speakers for whole-house audio Reasons to avoid – Can’t make calls
You can use the Nest Hub Max’s camera to make video calls (sadly, via Google Duo only), with a clever motion-tracking feature that will keep you in the center of the frame as you move about a room. Sonos Move A booming, portable Google Home speaker Specifications Size: 9.4 x 6.3 x 5 inches Speakers: 2 amplifiers, 1 tweeter, 1 mid-woofer Ports: None Wireless: 2.4/5 GHz, Bluetooth TODAY’S BEST DEALS View at Crutchfield Prime View at Amazon View at Walmart 689 Amazon customer reviews ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ Reasons to buy + Superb audio quality + Built-in Automatic TruePlay technology + Comprehensive durability Reasons to avoid – Heavy for a portable device
You’re able to carry it around your home and nearby outdoor area while still having access to Sonos’ complete streaming collection. It also offers Auto TruePlay, an intuitive technology that uses the speaker’s internal microphones to make it sound the best for its environment, whether it’s a large backyard or small front porch.
That said, it’s pretty hefty, weighing in at 6 pounds.. Also, if you leave the range of your Wi-Fi network, you lose all of the Move’s smart features, and have to rely on a Bluetooth connection to your phone. In our review, we found the JBL Link 20 sounds great, with well-balanced treble, bass and midtones.
When positioned on your nightstand, the upgraded Google Nest Hub uses the Soli radar sensing chip to see how well (or not) you’re sleeping at night. Soli’s superpowers also enable air gestures, letting you pause and play YouTube videos or snooze an alarm.
Lenovo Smart Clock A compact Google Home speaker for your nightstand Specifications Size: 4.48 x 3.14 x 3.11 inches Speakers: 1.5-inch 3W Ports: USB-A Wireless: 2.4/5 GHz, Bluetooth Display: 800 x 400 TODAY’S BEST DEALS View at Lowe’s View at Walmart View at Walmart 464 Walmart customer reviews ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ Reasons to buy + Compact size + Modern design + Affordable Reasons to avoid – Doesn’t have all Google Assistant features At night, the Lenovo Smart Clock’s display dims and plays relaxing ambient noises, if you wish. Lenovo Smart Display A good Google Nest Hub Max alternative Specifications Size: 12.3 x 6.8 x 5.4 inches Speakers: 2-inch 10W Ports: None Wireless: 2.4/5 GHz, Bluetooth Display: 1920 x 1200 TODAY’S BEST DEALS View at Lowe’s Low Stock View at Walmart View at Walmart 136 Walmart customer reviews ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ Reasons to buy + Good audio quality + Excellent touch-screen interface + Plays YouTube videos Reasons to avoid – Need to download Google Duo app to receive video calls on phone Lenovo’s smart display still has a sharper screen and more stylish design than most of its competitors, plus it benefits from Google’s user-friendly interface.
Bose Portable Home Speaker A quality, portable Google Home speaker with 360-degree sound Specifications Size: 7.5 x 4.7 x 4.1 inches Speakers: high-excursion transducer, 3 passive radiators Ports: None Wireless: 2.4/5 GHz, Bluetooth TODAY’S BEST DEALS Prime View at Amazon View at Walmart View at Best Buy 1 Amazon customer review ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ Reasons to buy + Lightweight design + Convenient carrying handle + Extreme volume Reasons to avoid – Not waterproof Although the Sonos Move is the favored portable smart speaker, Bose’s version provides fuller listening with its 360-degree grille setup. Plus its cute, fabric-swathed handle and lightweight design make it easier to schlep around your house than the towering Move. If you have a large family or spend a lot of time in the kitchen or other shared space, a smart speaker with a display is a better choice.
How to use third-party speakers with Google Home Hub
Linking Google’s smart screen to a third-party speaker is a way to get the sound you crave with the simplicity of voice control. Linking up the Hub to an external speaker takes completely different steps. Now playing: Watch this: Google Home Hub taught me how to do my makeup
14 Best Google Assistant Speakers (2021): Smart Displays, Portable, and More
Its Assistant answers questions more accurately, it has a simpler setup process, and it connects to a growing number of smart home devices. Updated December 2020: We’ve added Lenovo’s Smart Clock Essential and the Google Nest Audio.
You can now stream music from Google Home to a Bluetooth speaker. Here’s how
Starting today, you can hook up a Bluetooth speaker to your Google Home without needing to purchase a separate Chromecast dongle. But if you don’t want to spend $300-$400 on a high-fidelity speaker like HomePod or Google Home Max, this is a great way to give your sound a boost. IDG You’ll find the steps to pair a Bluetooth speaker inside the Device settings in the Home app. Once the link is established, you can then go back a screen to make sure it is set as a default for whenever music is played.
Best Google Assistant smart speakers
The audio quality is pretty good for its size, and it has a neutral-leaning frequency response except for its attenuated bass. The Google Nest Audio is great for users who want something to help organize their day, read tasks, and control various smart home devices. Rather than communicating to your phone to have information relayed back to you, the speaker is its own source and connects to your Wi-Fi.
Broadly speaking, these range from audio, smart home, photo and video, tasks, and gaming services.
You can set routines with Google Assistant and make a slew of commands like checking your alarms, getting a daily briefing, looking up random facts, and turning on your smart bulbs. While it’s helpful to be able to set reminders, events, send texts, and more, virtual assistant operations can be overwhelming.
On top of that, the firmware is constantly being updated on smart speakers of all sorts, be it Google, Alexa, or Siri-enabled. Whether you’re getting a Google Assistant speaker for yourself or as a gift for someone else, Android Authority has you covered with a comprehensive guide. Since smart speakers require internet access in order to connect to their respective virtual assistants, high-quality Bluetooth codec support isn’t usually a priority. It can register voice commands for whichever assistant you’ve selected without you having to activate any buttons, and you can ask it to play music, read you the news, and control your other smart home devices.
It also takes advantage of Sonos’ Trueplay technology which automatically adjusts the sound of the speaker based on the amount of environmental noise around you. Because the speaker is a triangular prism, you can lay it flat or prop it on its edge and it wont hinder the sound quality.
Although the Sonos One (Gen 2) has an integrated Bluetooth (BLE) receiver, it’s only used for setup, not music streaming. The Sonos One (Gen 2) supports FLAC and WAV files, making it a great speaker for Amazon Music HD and Tidal listeners.
This will automatically open Google to walk you through the final steps of linking your Sonos account to Assistant.
Klipsch’s The Three Google Assistant speaker houses two ¼-inch drivers and a 5.25-inch woofer with dual-opposed 5.25-inch passive radiators for an enveloping sound.
Connecting via Bluetooth allows for lag-free, high-quality audio streaming as this is the only option that supports Qualcomm’s aptX codec. Its elegant design has a real wood veneer with metal switches and knobs that look and feel sturdy. Shoppers who are looking for a smart hub but don’t need it to have exceptional sound quality should go for the Google Nest Mini. The Nest Mini’s fabric covering is made out of recycled plastic bottles, and it can easily be placed inconspicuously in almost any room of your house.
It doesn’t have an official IP rating, so we wouldn’t recommend putting it in your bathroom lest the condensation damages its electronics. The 7″ touch screen lets you view reminders, stream video, and watch connected smart security footage.
It has a 30W subwoofer to pump out high-quality audio and the same functionality and support found in the standard Nest Hub. JBL Link Bar: This is technically a soundbar, precluding it from being a top pick for this list, it’s a powerful amalgam of products wrapped into one.
The best smart speaker 2021: which one should you buy?
The best smart speaker not only lets you listen to your favorite playlists and albums, but builds on this with the addition of a voice assistant that can complete tasks for you. From setting timers and alarms to serving up the weather report, latest news headlines or sports scores, and even answering your burning questions, voice assistants can be extremely handy. Smart speakers manufactured by Amazon, Google, or Apple (the brands behind the relevant voice assistant) will only come with their own virtual helper installed.
They can be a handy tool for staying in touch with friends and family by making voice calls to other smart speakers, even if they’re not in your home, or smartphones with specific apps installed.
Smart speakers can even double as a chime, playing a sound when a video doorbell is pressed or your home security camera detects motion. Sonos One The best-sounding smart speaker on the market Specifications Voice assistant: Alexa or Google Assistant Dimensions: 6.36 x 4.69 x 4.69 inch / 16.15 x 11.97 x 11.97 cm Speaker: 2 x class-D digital amplifiers, 1 x mid-woofer, 1 x tweeter Physical controls: Volume up/down, previous/next track, play/pause, microphone mute Power: Mains TODAY’S BEST DEALS View at Amazon View at Best Buy View at Walmart 2 Amazon customer reviews ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ Reasons to buy + Rich sound + Access to Google Assistant or Alexa + Mic array picks up commands even from a distance Reasons to avoid – Expensive compared to the rest of the market
The latest spherical Amazon Echo is a complete revamp of the company’s flagship smart speaker, and the aesthetic overhaul, while impressive, is just the half of it: with improved audio, a built-in Zigbee smart home hub, and a new AZ1 neural edge processor that will reduce the time it takes for Alexa to respond to commands, it’s a complete makeover. Apple HomePod mini The best smart speaker for Siri Specifications Voice assistant: Siri Dimensions: 3.3 x 3.9 x 3.9 inch / 8.43 x 9.79 x 9.79 cm Speaker: Full-range driver and dual passive radiators for deep bass and crisp high frequencies Physical controls: Volume up/down, previous/next track, play/pause, summon Siri Power: Mains TODAY’S BEST DEALS View at Walmart View at Best Buy View at Staples Reasons to buy + Incredible sound + Sleek design + Only smart speaker with Siri built-in Reasons to avoid – Needs Apple Music for full function – Small number of compatible smart home devices It’s also the only smart speaker on the market with Siri built-in, as Apple discontinued the bigger HomePod in early 2021, and stocks are no longer available. Google Nest Audio The best smart speaker for Google Assistant Specifications Voice assistant: Google Assistant Dimensions: 4.9 x 4.9 x 3.1 inch / 17.5 x 12.4 x 7.8 cm Speaker: 1 x 75mm woofer, 1 x1 9mm tweeter Physical controls: Volume up/down, play/pause, microphone mute Power: Mains TODAY’S BEST DEALS View at Walmart View at Crutchfield View at Best Buy 757 Walmart customer reviews ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ Reasons to buy + Subtle and unassuming design + Picks up voice commands very well + Quick, clear responses Reasons to avoid – Missing detail in the mids and trebles – Doesn’t function as a Zigbee hub
It already hooks into some of the largest platforms now available by including Nest, Philips, and Samsung’s SmartThings – however, there’s no built-in Zigbee hub as with the latest Amazon Echo. Amazon Echo Studio The best smart speaker for home cinema set-ups 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 TODAY’S BEST DEALS Prime View at Amazon Prime Low Stock View at Amazon Reasons to buy + Impressive sound quality + Pair two together for an affordable home cinema set up + Doubles as a Zigbee hub Reasons to avoid – Large size won’t suit all – Requires subscription for 3D audio
Bose Smart Speaker 500 The best smart speaker for audiophiles Specifications Voice assistant: Alexa or Google Assistant Dimensions: 8.67 x 6.7 x 4.3 inch / 20.3 x 17 x 10.9 cm Speaker: Not provided Physical controls: Volume up/down, previous/next track, play/pause, microphone mute Power: Mains TODAY’S BEST DEALS Prime View at Amazon Recommended Retailer View at HP (US) View at Best Buy 3 Amazon customer reviews ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ Reasons to buy + Excellent sound quality + Elegant stylish design + Preset buttons for quick access to playlists Reasons to avoid – One of the most expensive smart speakers on the market – Hit and miss Wi-Fi setup An eight microphone array, designed for near and far-field listening, lets you talk to Alexa or Google Assistant even when music is playing loud.
However, you won’t find a Zigbee hub inside, unlike its more expensive sibling and the affordable price tag does mean that while the sound can fill a room, it’s directional and shallow. Braun LE01 wireless speaker The best smart speaker for reto style Specifications Voice assistant: Google Assistant Dimensions: 27.6 x 10.6 x 3.9 inch / 70 x 27 x 9.9 cm Speaker: 3 x front-firing drivers, 2 x passive radiators and 3 x class D amplifiers Physical controls: Volume up/down, play/pause, microphone mute Power: Mains TODAY’S BEST DEALS Check Amazon Reasons to buy + Refined sound and build quality + Apple AirPlay 2 and Chromecast streaming + Google Assistant voice control Reasons to avoid – Basic app – No HDMI or optical audio
A re-imagining of the iconic minimalist LE1 speaker from 1959, the Braun LE01 not only offers retro styling but also sounds great and has Google Assistant built-in too – making it the perfect modern update. Simple to use, the Braun LE01 offers a premium built quality along with AirPlay 2 and built-in Chromecast so if you have either of these smartphone platforms, you can stream to it without having to compress music.
On test, we found the app basic, and there’s no HDMI or optical audio so it can’t be connected to your TV set-up. Also look for models that can be paired together to create stereo sound if you’re planning to use a smart speaker as part of your home cinema set-up. As we’ve already mentioned, a smart speaker can do more than just offer a way to listen to your favorite music streaming service, or the albums and tracks stored on your smartphone. The built-in voice assistant can control the playback of your music for you; adjusting the volume, skipping tracks and even selecting a specific song, album or playlist for you, leaving your hands-free.
It can also provide a weather report, offer an audible summary of the day’s headlines, and answer your burning questions; whether that’s ‘what is the tallest mountain in the world’ or simply ‘who is the Queen of England’. Smart Speakers can even be used for light entertainment in the form of jokes and games and also allow you to stay in touch with friends and family by making audio calls through the device.
Sure Amazon’s Echo range is very similar to the Google Home, but the Show, Spot, and Dot look quite different – check out our guide to the best Alexa speakers for more information.
The Best Smart Speakers for 2021
As our homes get smarter, Alexa, Google Assistant, and Siri have become our reliable digital helpers, living inside our devices and jumping at our spoken commands to set timers, play music, and teach kids how to spell those difficult homework words. The top choices don’t work very well together, and if you want to equip multiple rooms, you should stick to a single platform. Google Assistant and Siri are both much better at recognizing natural language, and generally less frustrating to talk to. Amazon continues to develop Alexa and has recently begun adding its new A1Z neural processor to Echo speakers to help improve machine learning, but for now Google and Apple are easier to get along with.
Alexa, Google Assistant, and Siri can control pretty much any smart home device nowadays. Most newer smart home devices are Wi-Fi-based and hubless, or otherwise work with Alexa and Google Assistant, so you should be covered. These skills do everything from giving you your local transit status, to checking your credit card balance, to trivia about your favorite college football team, to playing games and singing songs. It tends to accept more free-form conversation rather than demanding specific word-by-word syntax, making it easier to use with these skills.
Alexa and Google Assistant both connect to Spotify Premium accounts, as well as to Pandora, TuneIn, and iHeartRadio for free.
Most smart speakers also support Bluetooth connections so you can stream audio directly from your phone, tablet, or computer. The Echo, HomePod mini, and Nest Audio sound notably better, as do most smart speakers in the $100 to $200 price range. Amazon has more third-party skills, but Google is built into all Android phones and has better natural-language query understanding, and that makes a big difference.
Google Home essential guide: The best Google Assistant smart speakers
In case there’s any confusion, these smart speakers are different from devices and appliances that are compatible with Google Assistant – those only become voice-controlled when you have a controller device to connect and talk to; smart plugs, cameras, motion sensors and the like. The latest Google smart speaker – the Nest Audio – was revealed at the end of last year, and boasts a form factor and design that seemingly sits it in between the Nest Mini and the (now-discontinued) Google Home Max.
The Nest Audio is a completely new device, cheaper, with better sound, more smarts, and definitely not an air freshener. It boasts 50% more bass and 75% more volume than the original Google Home, thanks to a revamped 19mm tweeter and a 75mm mid-woofer.
The Nest Audio is fully wrapped in that familiar mesh fabric, much like the Mini. And in keeping with Google’s efforts to fit into the modern home – which apparently is very pastel – Nest Audio comes in a nice variety of colors, Sky (blue), Sand (pink), Chalk (white), Charcoal (black) and the new Sage (green).
As well as blending into your decor with grey, black, coral and pale blue soft fabric finishes, it makes a neat second speaker around the house. Despite some improvements over the OG Google Home Mini, it still doesn’t produce hugely powerful sound (hardly a surprise considering the size) and there’s no 3.5mm out to your existing speakers, which its rival the Amazon Echo Dot does have.
Despite not being part of the Nest branding it’s still Google’s best speaker for audio quality, which goes all-in on punchy, loud, room-filling sound. However, of Google’s lineup of first-party speakers, the Max is still the obvious winner by measure of sound quality alone.
You can also make Duo video calls, and even wave your hands around for some fun (but novelty) gesture controls. Packing a revamped chip for a faster Google Assistant Assistant, a third mic for better listening, and 50% more bass for music listening, the 2021 Nest Hub also has a temperature sensor, and Google’s Soli gesture technology inside its diminutive design.
Soli is a radar-based gesture recognition system that, on the Nest Hub, allows you to tap the air to pause and resume media on the device. It also enables the device’s sleep sensing capabilities, able to monitor chest rise and fall unobtrusively and – crucially for a bedroom. The new Nest Hub lets you control your smart home from its touchscreen, activate Google Assistant, play music, watch videos, or use it as a digital photo frame. Like Alexa, Google Assistant is starting to turn up in more and more smart speakers built by other companies. Sonos’ debut smart speaker is still going strong, which was slightly tweaked under the hood from the first iteration (but you’ll barely notice) a couple of years back. Still, this is a great speaker and the long range of Wi-Fi means you can put the Move just about anywhere in your home and enjoy music and the Assistant uninterrupted. There’s a good chance you’ll even manage to stretch it to the backyard, something Sonos had in mind when making the Move. Swedish hi-fi specialist Audio Pro’s first stab at the smart speaker market is the G10; an all-singing, all-dancing, multiroom box of tricks, which not only packs in the Google Assistant, but also has Chromecast, AirPlay 2 and Bluetooth all on board, as well. It can, of course, be used as a regular bookshelf speaker, but there’s also a fixture on the back that can be used to attach it to a wall bracket or – and you better get yourself to Ikea, quick-sharp – a ceiling rail. One thing we did notice, which is either a bit annoying or super handy – depending on where you sit on the smart speaker security spectrum – is that the G10 will enter a low-power standby mode if you haven’t used it for a while. Like Sonos’ speakers, the Bose Home 500 arrived with just Alexa, but the company has since rolled out Google too. In fact the only major difference, other than how the sound is tuned, is that small screen, which will display album artwork for a little extra spice.
Before splashing your hard earned cash on one of the smart speakers above, it’s worth spending a bit of time doing your research. They don’t offer the best sound, though Google has made strides in quality with the latest Nest Mini. The Google Home and Max also have a touch interface on the top – tap to play or pause and move your finger in a circle to tweak volume.
You can also plug a Chromecast Audio into your speakers to make them Wi-Fi enabled, but that device is discontinued.
Voice controls for playing, pausing etc work for apps including YouTube, Netflix and Google Photos as well as CBS and the CW. The great thing about all Google Home and Assistant smart speakers is that they can all team up to form part of a multi-room audio system.
Google Assistant is naturally built into Android TVs from the likes of Sony and Philips but that’s not where it stops. LG’s TVs don’t run Android TV, but they do come with Google Assistant built in.
There are an increasing number of TVs, like those from Vizio, that are at least building in Google Assistant support. If your TV does have it built in, you will find a ‘mic’ button on your remote control to start talking to your set – no wake word needed here. The features generally split into two groups: AI butler and smart home controls. On the butler, or concierge, side of things you can ask Google Assistant all sorts of questions and have it complete various tasks just by talking to it.
You can set up a My Day program of news, weather, traffic and calendar updates that the Assistant reads out when you ask, for instance, “What’s my day like?” plus you can ask for info on all of the above plus commute times, flight info, weather forecasts, upcoming events and local businesses. You can also get info on sports teams, stocks, unit conversions, dictionary entries and well, plain old facts. It’s worth noting here that you can now give Assistant two commands at once e.g. “Hey Google play pop music and what’s the weather?” and it will handle both. These are the equivalent of Alexa’s Skills and can make it more useful when it comes to reference, productivity and getting things done with voice controls.
Outside of the smart home, there are third-party Actions for calling an Uber, asking questions on Quora, ordering and tracking pizza deliveries from Domino’s, doing quizzes on BuzzFeed, looking up lyrics on Genius, looking up recipes on Food Network and working out with FitStar. You can see a full list of Google Home-compatible devices here – it includes smart thermostats, security cameras, lights, robot vacs, plugs, locks, fans and more.
Assistant is improving all the time and Google will soon allow smart home tech and appliance manufacturers to create their own custom voice control commands. Another useful thing is Routines, which let you set up these type of automated scenes with Google Assistant.
If you’re more interested in this side of things, you can always pair it with a system like Wink, Hive or iHome but we’d recommend trying Google’s own Routines first.
One of the reasons people might be scared of getting a smart speaker, especially one from a company that already knows so much about our online lives, is privacy. With the company recently unifying Home and Nest under one roof, it’s also published a bunch more privacy promises, which you can find here.
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