Starting off at number 1 we have the Amazon Echo Dot 2nd generation. You don’t need to spend a hefty amount of money to get your own smart speaker. There are affordable ways for you to join the party. If $100 is too high a price for you, check out the second-gen Amazon Echo Dot, one of the most affordable smart speakers out on the market. It’s currently available for just $50, which is incredible considering its functionality. With the Echo Dot, you can play music, control compatible smart home devices, set alarms, check the weather, and make calls, among many other functions. It’s a compact and lightweight device that can easily recognize your voice and process valid commands in a timely manner. It can use thousands of skills, including the ability to play trivia games and request an Uber ride. The Echo Dot’s most notable weakness is its sound quality, which isn’t exactly surprising considering its small size. It’s not an ideal smart speaker for music lovers. The good news is that it can connect with external speakers via a standard 3.5-millimeter audio cable, allowing you to pair it with a more impressive sound system. If you want the best budget smart speaker or want to fill up your home with smart speakers without breaking the bank, check out the Echo Dot. Unless you prefer Google-based smart speakers, of course. In which case, the best option is the similarly priced Google Home Mini.
At number 2 we have the Amazon Echo 3rd generation.ormally when a product gets a newer or updated model, the more recent model has a higher price than the original model. That’s not the case with the second-gen Amazon Echo, which, at $100, is significantly cheaper than the original Echo. And the best part is that you get an even better product, one that’s considered by many as the best smart speaker currently out on the market. The Echo is a cylindrical device available in different finishes, allowing you to get a design that works best with your other furniture. It has the same functionality as the Echo Dot – including the ability to play music, provide weather reports and sports scores, order items from Amazon, and set reminders. It can also connect with compatible smart home devices, such as lights, thermostats, and security systems. While the Echo is nowhere near the Sonos One in regard to sound quality, it’s definitely a step above the Echo Dot, featuring a sound system good enough to fill your bedroom with your favorite tunes. It comes with a 2.5-inch woofer and a 0.6-inch tweeter and can connect with external speakers wirelessly or via a standard wired connection. The Echo’s search function is not as good as Google Home’s, though. If you plan to use your smart speakers as more of a voice-controlled information provider, the Echo may not be ideal for you.
But if you want the best all-around smart speaker, look no further than the Echo. At number 3 we have Google Home. If the Amazon Echo series’ search function is too limited for you, consider the GoogleHome instead. It’s a smart device equipped with Google Assistant. It sells for $130, making it a bit more expensive than the Echo, its chief rival. It has a stylish design with an angled top, easily distinguishing it from many other smart speakers on the market. The base is customizable, which means you can choose a design that meshes with your other furniture. The Home has a good sound quality, but don’t expect it to produce the same sound quality as stereo speakers built for music. It has excellent voice recognition and can perform a good number of tasks, which include playing music, creating shopping lists, and providing news recaps, among others. It can connect with smart home devices, although the list of compatible products is not yet on the same level as Amazon’s Echo series. What makes the Home better than Amazon’s Alexa-equipped smart speakers is its impressive search function. That’s not exactly surprising considering it’s a Google product. With the Home, you can get all sorts of information from the internet without touching your computer or smartphone. It’s not perfect but it’s definitely ahead of other virtual assistants in that area. If you prefer Google Assistant over Alexa and Siri, Google’s Home smart speaker is the best product for you. It’s a fairly priced device with a compact design and an intuitive interface. If you think $130 is too expensive, you can go for the Google Home Mini instead. It’s basically a downsized Google Home with poorer sound quality.
At number 4 we have the Amazon Echo Spot. Smart speakers are impressive devices, but they become even more impressive once a visual interface enters the equation. If you prefer smart speakers equipped with a built-in screen, get the Amazon Echo Spot, a compact product that looks more like a regular digital clock than a device capable of controlling your home’s lighting system.It has a round form with a high-quality 2.5-inch screen, separating it from the Echo Dot, Amazon’sother compact smart speaker system. It has a slightly better sound quality than the Echo Dot but falls short when up against larger smart speakers like the Amazon Echo and the Sonos One.It sells for $130, placing it in the same price range as the Google Home. Since it comes with a built-in screen, the Echo Spot offers an even more impressive list of functions compared to other Echo smart speakers, not including the Amazon Echo Show, which is also equipped with a screen. The Echo Spot can display music lyrics and weather reports, make video calls, and show your schedule for the day.It can also connect with different compatible smart home devices, and that includes security cameras and baby monitors. Like other Echo smart speakers, the Alexa-equipped Echo Spot lags behind the Google Home series in regard to fetching information from the internet. If that’s not a big deal for you, then definitely go for the Echo Spot if you’re in the market for a compact and relatively affordable smart speaker with a built-in screen.
And for our final pick at number 5, we have the Sonos One smart speaker. If you want a great-sounding smart speaker that sells for $200 or less, go for the SonosOne.It has excellent sound quality, making it the ideal device for music lovers and those who frequently host parties. It’s significantly more expensive than the Google Home and the Amazon Echo, but it’s sound quality is more than worth the price. Currently, Sonos One is an Alexa-run smart speaker. It can do most of the tasks that Echo products bring to the table, and that includes connecting with smart home devices, although the product compatibility list is more limited. If you’re not a fan of Alexa, then we have good news for you: Google Assistant is on the way for Sonos smart speakers. According to the manufacturer, support for Google’s rapidly growing virtual assistant is set to arrive later this year. The Sonos One can play music from a variety of music and radio services, including AmazonMusic, Spotify, Pandora, and Sirius XM. The amount of control you get for each music service is not the same, though. Some offer a fully voice-controlled operation. Others are more limited, only allowing basic playback options. For music lovers, the Sonos One is the most recommended non-premium smart speaker on the market. When it comes to sound quality, it blows away all other products in the same price range, featuring a loud and clear sound with punchy bass. If music is your primary reason for considering a smart speaker, get the Sonos One. So that sums up our top smart speakers of 2019. I hope you enjoyed.
