Smart speakers’ popularity might have gone down in recent years but they remain a handy way of staying connected to your smart home in an ever increasingly smart world, while also doubling as a hub for your favourite music.
Amazon kicked things off with the first Echo in 2014, and they’ve evolved from that moment on; the sound getting better, the design becoming more lifestyle and chic, so not only do they sound good, but they fit into your décor as well.
But there’s plenty of competition not just in terms of the speakers themselves but the ecosystems they sit in. Which one should you choose? Apple, Amazon, Google… they all have their strengths and weaknesses. If you’ve already got smart devices that hew to one of these brands, your choice may be narrowed but if you’re starting from scratch, which of the best smart speakers should you go for?
We’re here to help as we’ve tested many smart speakers over the years, and it comes to deciding on which models are the best, we take into account their smart credentials but these wouldn’t be much if they also didn’t sound great
We’ve selected a range of options across differ ent ecosystems so you can find the right fit for your home. We assess the smart credentials alongside sound quality, features and design so you get great audio, useful smarts and a speaker that blends neatly into your space.
If you haven’t made up your mind which type of wireless speaker you want, have a look at our round-ups for the best Bluetooth speakers, best outdoor speakers and best multi-room speakers.
At a glance
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Learn more about how we test smart speakers
We play a lot of music, and we play it loud. We make sure that the smart features actually work, as why else would you buy it?
We test functionality with all the listed smart speakers, which means we regularly have conversations with the likes of Alexa, Google Assistant and Siri. How responsive are they? And are the features wide-ranging or limited in scope? We take all of this into account.
Of course, it always comes back to the music. Speakers are tested by reviewers who have a love of music, a knowledge of sound quality, as well as a context of the market. We’ll listen to smart speakers alongside similarly priced rivals, so when we recommend a particular model, it’s among the best you can buy for the money.
Obviously, we know not everyone has the same taste in music, so we won’t only test with the same perfectly mastered album, but with a variety of genres and file qualities, from MP3 to Hi-Res FLAC.
Pros
- Sound incredible
- Very small
- Great price
- Decent voice control
Cons
- Captive cable
- Very reliant on Apple services (for now)
Pros
- Great sound
- Excellent value
- Zigbee hub included
Cons
- Zigbee hub not compatible with all devices
Pros
- Fantastic sound and strong Spatial Audio representation
- Removable power cable
- Small and compact
Cons
- Strangely slow in some situations
- You need to be an Apple user to get the most out of it
- Not overly different from the previous version
Pros
- Better bass delivery than the One
- Quick Tune Trueplay
- Supports Bluetooth connectivity
- Wider sweet spot
- Excellent app interface
Cons
- More expensive
- Not as clear as previous One speaker
- No adapters included
Cons
- Sonos One strikes a better balanced sound
Pros
- Improved audio
- Looks great
- Improved tap controls
Pros
- Extravagant design
- Big room-filling sound
- Google Assistant smarts
- Plenty of app customisation
Cons
- Extravagant price
- Compromised Tidal Masters performance with Chromecast
- Not the most dynamic performance
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Sound incredible -
Very small -
Great price -
Decent voice control
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Captive cable -
Very reliant on Apple services (for now)
The original HomePod was a great smart speaker for those in the iOS ecosystem, and the smaller HomePod Mini packs much of what we liked with the bigger HomePod at an affordable price.
It uses the same fabric covering as the original, but swaps out the cylindrical shape for something akin to a ball. Its overall size makes it one of the smallest smart speakers, tinier than the Amazon Echo Dot (5th Generation).
With its small footprint and a weight of just 345g, we found it easy to place around the home. We did find it disappointing that Apple still ships the speaker with a captive cable. If it gets damaged, then the whole speaker needs to be sent back.
Setup is easy as long as you have an iOS device. On the feature front, Siri mostly responded to us with clear answers and better phrasing than she has in the past, while smart home control has also become notably better with iOS updates.
We found that the HomePod Mini’s audio was much better than expected from such a small unit. Apple has crammed a full-range driver along with two bass radiators and an acoustic waveguide that spreads audio into the room. There’s plenty of bass alongside good detail levels that bucked our expectation of how smaller speakers often sound. The scope in terms of volume is impressive, and at full whack, the Mini can almost be too loud for some rooms.
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Great sound -
Excellent value -
Zigbee hub included
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Zigbee hub not compatible with all devices
If you’re after a smart speaker that offers impressive audio quality, Zigbee and Matter compatibility plus easy access to the Amazon ecosystem, then the Amazon Echo (4th Generation) is an ideal choice.
Sporting a spherical design that’s shorter and wider than its predecessors, the Amazon Echo 4th Generation is designed to blend into your home. The status ring light has also been moved down to the bottom, which still gets your attention for notifications but with a less intrusive and distracting light than previous Echos.
Alexa remains one of the best voice assistants, especially thanks to Alexa Routines, which can perform multiple actions at the same time each day. For example, you can set a routine to simultaneously turn on your lamp, set your thermostat and read out the headlines in the morning.
Not only can you control your smart lights and central heating using just your voice but Alexa also boasts numerous skills that can make your life easier, including setting timers, creating calendar events and checking traffic updates.
You’ll also find the Zigbee hub included on the Echo 4th Generation, which is particularly useful if you want to control all your smart home devices from your Echo. With the Zigbee hub you can add non-Amazon smart home devices to your Alexa network without having to use additional hubs. The Echo should also discover your devices automatically, taking the pain out of laborious set-ups.
It’s worth noting that not all third-party Zigbee devices are compatible, so do check before you buy.
Although a small and compact device, there are two 0.8-inch tweeters and a 3-inch woofer housed inside, which is one more tweeter than the previous Echo. This results in more detailed sound quality with extra clarity in audio.
Amazon’s Echo 4th Generation is an impressive upgrade from previous generations. Not only does it boast upgraded audio but the built-in Zigbee hub and Alexa support means it’s easy to use and to integrate into your home.
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Fantastic sound and strong Spatial Audio representation -
Removable power cable -
Small and compact
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Strangely slow in some situations -
You need to be an Apple user to get the most out of it -
Not overly different from the previous version
After being discontinued just when it was starting to hit its stride, Apple brought back the full-size HomePod smart speaker for another go-around, keeping the same design and similarly high asking price at $299 / £299.
The design is near-identical to the original model with a few useful tweaks. One of those changes is the move from a captive cable to one that can be disconnected and swapped out, useful if it ever gets damaged. The screen on top is bigger than before, although we found it doesn’t do much other than pulse when playing music.
It’s a speaker that perhaps looks bigger than it actually is, covered in a soft mesh fabric that blends nicely into softer environments. It is a heavy speaker at 2.3kg, but unless you’re moving it about, this isn’t likely to be a great issue.
As usual with Apple devices, the HomePod 2 works best in an Apple ecosystem. There’s still no Bluetooth compatibility, though in terms of smart support we found the HomePod 2 to be an improvement with Matter compatibility that can link devices from the likes of Apple, Amazon and Google together in one ecosystem. Siri works well to identify commands, though frustratingly, Apple still restricts which music streaming service is set as default, so there’s no means of adding Spotify and controlling it via Siri.
On better terms is the actual sound quality from the speaker. Though our reviewer found its frequency response to be bass heavy, it produces great audio for its size, with clear and crisp vocals along with a nice warm to how it handles low frequencies that hits hard. It’s with spatial and Dolby Atmos audio that we found the HomePod 2 very impressive, creating a sense of depth and separation between instruments and vocals to provide a great sense of 3D immersion.
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Better bass delivery than the One -
Quick Tune Trueplay -
Supports Bluetooth connectivity -
Wider sweet spot -
Excellent app interface
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More expensive -
Not as clear as previous One speaker -
No adapters included
The Era 100 replaces the discontinued One (Gen 2) and Sonos has sought to give the design and sound quality a makeover.
It’s taller, deeper but around the same width as the older speaker, carrying on the industrial design that Sonos has used for all its recent products, so it looks sleek and minimalist. There’s no Ethernet port for this model, replaced by a USB-C port. It can still be connected to a router, but requires the use of an adapter, which is rather annoying as well as adding more cost.
Control can also be done through the Sonos app, the layout has been simplified to make it easier to find content, though at launch it was missing a number of features that Sonos has slowly been adding back.
You can listen to a wide range of streaming apps, a list that includes Tidal, Amazon Music, TuneIn, Qobuz, and Spotify, as well as any music you’ve got saved on your device locally. There’s also support for AirPlay 2 for iOS devices, and the addition of Bluetooth, as well as the ability to connect up to other Sonos speakers such as Era 300 with Sonos multi-room connectivity.
The Era 100 supports Amazon Alexa and Sonos Voice Control. We found the integration good, with easy control for media playback and answering questions.
The sound is better than the One Gen 2 in some ways. The bass response has been improved to offer more depth and richness to music, while the treble is clearer and more detailed, the sweet spot has been widened so you don’t have to sit directly in front of the speaker to enjoy the best performance. Where it’s not as good is with the midrange, which is warmer but less detailed and sharp. We couldn’t quite hear as much detail and sharpness as on the One SL.
The Home 150 is Denon’s answer to Sonos’ One and Era 100 speakers, offering a richer and more distinctive audio performance.
The design is minimalist but stands out more than Sonos speakers with its fabric covering. Up top is a touch surface that lights up whenever your hand hovers over it (a nice touch), while around the back are connections for hooking a USB to speaker or hardwiring to a router through the Ethernet port.
The Home 150 supports Alexa, so you can ask her Alexa questions and she’ll respond. The rest of the smarts come through Denon’s Heos app, which isn’t the nicest looking but does offer integration with streaming services such as Amazon Music, Tidal, Deezer, and Spotify, You’re also able to tweak the speaker’s EQ sound and optimise the bass, depending on where the speaker is placed.
Bluetooth, AirPlay 2, and Wi-Fi streaming are included, and the speaker supports music up to 24-bit/192kHz through the USB input.
Like the Era 100, the size dictates that the Home 150’s soundstage isn’t the widest, but it’s a speaker that doesn’t need an invitation to go loud. Its bass performance is rich and warm, though we feel the treble performance could be a little clearer and detailed. The warmth of its sound does mean that its midrange performance comes across as very expressive and musical. It’s not the sharpest or most detailed sound, but the Denon Home 150 is a fun smart speaker to listen to.
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Improved audio -
Looks great -
Improved tap controls
Previous Echo Dot smart speakers have felt like cheap ways to get Alexa control and replies around the house, but the Echo Dot (5th Gen) changed things. Now with the Echo Dot Max, Amazon’s smart speaker gets even better.
Bass is now rendered with a degree of skill, and the speaker delivers more poise. Sure, the high end can be a bit harsh, and more subtle detail is lost, but the Echo Dot has gone from a no-frills speaker to a decent budget choice that can handle music.
Otherwise, it’s business as normal. The Echo Dot apes the design of the larger Echo, although here the spherical speaker is smaller, around the size of a baseball. And, there’s a choice of three options that all use the same base technology: the Echo Dot (5h generation); Echo Dot with Clock (5th generation), which adds a smart LCD screen for showing the time and more; and the Echo Dot Kids (5th generation), which has two animal designs and comes with a year of Kids+.
Other speakers on this list will deliver a better audio experience, but if you want a cheaper smart speaker that can turn its hand to anything, this is the one to buy.
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Extravagant design -
Big room-filling sound -
Google Assistant smarts -
Plenty of app customisation
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Extravagant price -
Compromised Tidal Masters performance with Chromecast -
Not the most dynamic performance
The B&O Beosound Balance features a minimalist design, complete with a natural wood base and speaker housing wrapped in knitted fabric that feels lovely to touch. Inside is space for seven drivers with two 2-inch full range drivers, two opposing 5.25-inch bass drivers and one ¾ tweeter for high frequencies in the front of the speaker, while around the back are two 3-inch full range drivers that act as ‘sound enhancers’.
It’s a hefty speaker at 7.2kg, and one we found best to set down and leave once a good place has been found as carting the speaker around is rather tiresome. There’s a choice of Natural Oak, Black Oak, Nordic Ice and White Marble to fit your décor.
The Balance comes in two version, one with Google Assistant and one without (both, strangely, cost the same). Google support brings built-in Chromecast, but the likes of AirPlay 2, Spotify Connect and Bluetooth 5 are available too. If you have deep enough pockets, a stereo pair of Balance speakers can be created in Google Home for a bigger audio performance.
The B&O app is one we found simply laid out and easy to operate, offering the means to adjust the direction of the speaker’s sound, control playback and change EQ settings in a fairly intuitive manner.
It’s no real surprise the audio is good, as we found the presentation to be clear, detailed and natural in tone. While the soundstage is not be the widest, predictable given its conical shape, it at least is consistent from all angles when in its 360 mode. We’d recommend placing the speaker against a wall to firm up the sound, but overall this is a high quality speaker that performs well across a range of music genres. The volume scaling could use some more finesse though, sliding from low to high can result in sudden jumps in loudness that aren’t welcome.
FAQs
You’ll find that Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant are the most commonly supported digital assistants on speakers. If you’re within the Apple ecosystem then Siri is the assistant of choice.
Full Specs
| Apple HomePod Mini Review | Amazon Echo (4th Generation) Review | Apple HomePod 2 Review | Sonos Era 100 Review | Denon Home 150 Review | Amazon Echo Dot (5th generation) Review | Bang and Olufsen Beosound Balance Review | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK RRP | £99 | £89.99 | £299 | £249 | £219 | £54.99 | £1750 |
| USA RRP | $99 | – | $299 | $249 | $249 | $54.99 | $2250 |
| EU RRP | €109 | – | €349 | €279 | €249 | – | €2000 |
| CA RRP | CA$129 | – | CA$399 | – | CA$399 | – | CA$3000 |
| AUD RRP | AU$149 | – | AU$479 | – | – | – | – |
| Manufacturer | Apple | Amazon | Apple | Sonos | Denon | Amazon | Bang & Olufsen |
| IP rating | – | – | – | No | No | No | No |
| Size (Dimensions) | 98 x 97 x 84 MM | 144 x 133 x 144 MM | 5.6 x x 6.6 INCHES | 120 x 130.5 x 182.5 MM | 120 x 120 x 187 MM | 100 x 100 x 89 MM | x 200 x 380 MM |
| Weight | 345 G | 970 G | 2.3 KG | 2.02 KG | 1.7 KG | 349 G | 7.25 KG |
| ASIN | – | B085G58KWT | – | B0BXPFL4Y2 | B0873T8NJH | B09B97WSLF | B084LJ5GGL |
| Release Date | 2020 | 2020 | 2023 | 2023 | 2020 | 2022 | 2020 |
| First Reviewed Date | 19/11/2020 | 23/10/2020 | 10/02/2023 | – | 31/07/2020 | 31/10/2022 | 16/06/2020 |
| Model Number | – | – | – | – | DENONHOME150BKE2GB | Amazon Echo Dot (5th generation) | – |
| Model Variants | – | – | – | – | – | – | non-Google Assistant version |
| Driver (s) | – | – | – | Two tweeters, one midwoofer | 25mm tweeter, 89mm woofer | – | 2 x 5.25-inch woofers 2x 3-inch full range, 2x 2-inch full range drivers, ¾-inch tweeter |
| Ports | – | – | – | USB-C | USB, 3.5mm | – | 1 x Line-in/Optical combi-jack, 2x LAN |
| Connectivity | – | – | – | Bluetooth 5.0, Wi-Fi | Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.2, AirPlay 2 | – | Bluetooth 5.0, Airplay 2, Google Assistant, Spotify Connect |
| Colours | – | – | – | Matte black, Matte white | Black, White | Glacier White, Charcoal, Deep Sea Blue | Natural oak, Black oak, Gold tone |
| Frequency Range | – | – | – | – Hz | 20 20000 – Hz | – Hz | 37 23000 – Hz |
| Voice Assistant | Siri | Alexa | Siri | – | – | Amazon Alexa | Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa |
| Audio Formats | – | – | – | – | up to 24-bit/192kHz FLAC | – | – |
| Power Consumption | – | – | – | – | – | – | 100 W |
| Speaker Type | – | – | – | Wireless Speaker | Wireless Speaker | Wireless Speaker | Wireless Speaker |
| Smart assistants | Yes | Yes | Yes | – | – | Yes | Yes |
| Special features | – | – | Spatial Audio, Temperature Sensors | – | – | Temperature sensor | – |
| App Control | Yes | Yes | Yes | – | – | Yes | Yes |
| Controls | – | – | – | – | – | Volume, action, mute, tap | – |
| Power source | – | – | – | – | – | Power adaptor | – |
| Number of speakers | Full range driver, two passive radiators | – | – | – | – | 1x 1.73-inch | – |
| Output | – | – | – | – | – | Bluetooth | – |
