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Best Google Assistant speakers in 2024
If you like Google Assistant and you're looking for the best speakers to use it with in your home, then you've come to the right place.
When it comes to the best smart speakers on the market, there is really only a choice between two voice assistants. In one corner, you have Amazon Alexa, and in the other, Google Assistant. While very similar in many regards, Google Assistant has one key advantage when it comes to implanting itself into your daily routine: If you use an Android phone, you've probably already been using Google Assistant, perhaps without giving it much thought. But it's there on your phone as a voice assistant, and it's a great tool to add some smart features to your everyday life. A compatible smart speaker will take that very assistant from your phone and insert it into every room in your home.
Amazon's Echo Pop speaker drops to all-time low, now 43% off for a limited time
A fantastic deal on the Echo Pop speaker that knocks it down to its lowest price ever.
This is the smart speaker you want if you're looking to get something sleek, compact, and powerful. While its size might be small, this is one of the best smart speakers out right now and for good reasons. While this device is typically priced at $40, right now, you can grab it for much less, with the price coming in at just $23.
Epic Prime Day deal offers up to 65% off Echo Dot and smart bulb bundles
Grab two smart speakers for the price of one with these Echo Dot deals
Amazon's Prime Day deals have started bright and early, and we're seeing some huge discounts on smartphones, tablets, smart home tech, and more. Amazon, as always, is also offering huge discounts on its own devices and brands, including the Echo devices. Early bird shoppers grabbing these deals before the stocks run out can save up to 65% on a variety of Echo speakers and bundles. The regular Echo Dot (5th gen) speaker is down to $23 from its usual price of $50, whereas the variant with an LED clock is currently going for just $30 instead of $60.
Early Prime Day deal saves you 55% on Amazon's compact Echo Pop smart speaker
An excellent deal on one of Amazon's latest and most compact smart speaker.
There are a lot of great Amazon Alexa-powered speakers to choose from but if you're looking for something discrete and compact, the company's latest Echo Pop speaker is going to be a fantastic option. The speaker comes in four different colors, gives you full access to Alexa smart controls using your voice, can be connected to a variety of different streaming apps, and also has Bluetooth.
Which music services are supported on the HomePod?
Apple's HomePod 2 and HomePod Mini are two excellent smart speakers for iPhone users. Which music streaming services do they support, though?
Apple's HomePod 2 and HomePod Mini are two excellent smart speakers for iOS users. So if you recently bought a new iPhone, such as the iPhone 14 Pro Max, then you may want to invest in one of them. Though considering many users heavily rely on these devices for music streaming, you must be wondering what services they support. Below you will find what you need to know about supported music streaming services on the HomePod 2 and HomePod Mini.
Apple HomePod with 7-inch display could debut in 2024
It looks like Apple's HomePod could get a huge upgrade in 2024.
Apple's HomePod just got a new release back in January, offering a faster processor, better Wi-Fi connectivity, powerful sound, support for Thread, and more. While the speaker is rated reasonably well, perhaps one of the things that could be improved is its physical touch controls. Although a handful of options are on the top of the speaker, most are just for simple music playback controls. And for most, maybe that's enough, but it looks like Apple might become a bit more ambitious with its next release, as it could add a 7-inch display to the next HomePod.
Nothing speaker makes first appearance in new leak, showing off its unique design
This is our first look at what could be a Nothing speaker. Nothing CEO Carl Pei did tease of a new product coming next month. Perhaps this is it.
During Mobile World Congress, Carl Pei announced that the upcoming Phone 2 would run on a Snapdragon 8 series processor. At the same time, Pei also shared that something new was on the horizon from the company, set to arrive next month. As to what, that's anyone's guess, but a newly leaked render might just hold the key, giving us an early look of what's to come.
LG debuts its soundbar lineup for 2023 ahead of CES
Today, LG is debuting its soundbar lineup for 2023. The products tout a lot of new technology and will be featured at CES 2023.
We are just a couple of weeks away from the start of CES, and while there will be plenty of new devices and accessories showcased at the event, LG has rolled back the curtain just a bit to give us a glimpse of what's to come. The company, which makes a variety of different products, announced its soundbar lineup for 2023, highlighting two models, in particular, the SC9 and SE6 models.
This Cleer smart speaker screams elegance — and it’s 67% off for Cyber Monday
This deal on the Cleer Audio Crescent Smart Speaker brings it down $420 for Cyber Monday, which is an incredible deal.
Sometimes having an Echo smart speaker in your home or office just isn't enough. Sometimes you need a smart speaker that gives off a bold statement, a device that looks like no other speaker you've encountered so far, and a smart speaker that also offers robust sound thanks to its impressive array of speakers. The Cleer Audio Crescent Smart Speaker is just that, a smart speaker that screams elegance.
How to listen to lossless audio and Dolby Atmos on Apple HomePod and HomePod Mini
Apple Music provides lossless audio and Dolby Atmos to all subscribers, and you can use both on your HomePod and HomePod Mini. Here's how.
Music is one of Apple's core product areas, pre-dating all the iPhones and iPads we know today. Apple Music also, besides having a killer library, supports lossless audio and Dolby Atmos. You might not be too interested in that, but then again, you might be.
Lenovo Smart Clock Essential with Alexa Review: The best smart speaker to put at the side of your bed
Lenovo's second Smart Clock Essential went Alexa instead of Google Assistant, got some new features and a makeover. It's really good.
In a world where a smartphone is charging on every nightstand, the humble alarm clock is a bit of an antique. Or is it? Lenovo certainly doesn't think so with its now second attempt at a smart clock that's part smart speaker. The first one, the Smart Clock Essential, came with Google Assistant. The sequel makes the switch to Amazon's Alexa voice assistant.
Xiaomi's new affordable smart speaker doubles up as an IR remote
Xiaomi's new affordable smart speaker has a neat trick up its sleeve. It can help you control your remote-controlled home appliances with your voice.
Xiaomi today launched a new smart speaker in the Indian market that has a neat trick up its sleeve. The Google Assistant-powered Xiaomi Smart Speaker IR Control is the second smart speaker from the company. As its name suggests, it packs an IR blaster that will let you control your remote-controlled home appliances, even if they don't feature Google Assistant support.
How to create a Stereo Speaker Pair with Amazon Echo
What's better than one Amazon Echo? Using two in a stereo pair, whether that's for music or TV, and it's really easy to set up.
The Amazon Echo range makes up some of the best smart speakers you can buy, and they're designed to be great on their own. But you don't have to settle for just using one. They're awesome for multi-room music. And likewise, you can pair two up and enjoy stereo audio. This is good for music and podcasts but also to give an Amazon Fire TV a bit more in the sound department. Echo smart speakers can be used to create an affordable, but good-quality home entertainment system. If the idea of using a stereo pair of Amazon Echo speakers appeals to you, here's how to set it all up.
The Sonos Ray and Sonos Voice Control are official, joining new colors for the Roam
All the recently leaked Sonos products, including the Ray, have now been made official . Oh, and Giancarlo Esposito is involved.
Recent weeks have seen new Sonos products leak eight ways to Sunday, but the company has finally made all of them official. Announced today are the Sonos Ray soundbar, Sonos Voice Control, and the most recently leaked new colors for the Sonos Roam portable speaker.
Sonos Roam looks to be getting some sharp new colors very soon
The Sonos Roam is a neat little smart speaker already, but fans who wish there were more colors should soon be very happy.
The Sonos leaks continue, with the latest featuring the Roam portable speaker. After the recent surfacing of the apparent Sonos Ray soundbar and the Sonos Voice AI assistant, it may seem a little underwhelming. But, for fans of the Sonos Roam, it looks like you'll have some new colors to buy it in very soon.
Amazon Echo (4th Gen) Review: Still the King in 2022
The Amazon Echo is the oldest smart speaker around, but even in its 4th generation, it's still the best in 2022. Find out why in our review.
The Amazon Echo is one of those products that truly kickstarted a whole category. The best smart speakers now come from far and wide, many using the same Alexa voice platform. Amazon wasn't the first to bring a voice assistant to the world, in fact coming behind Apple, Google, and Microsoft. Alexa debuted in late 2014 on the original Amazon Echo. The Genesis moment. The rest is history. The competition is fierce but the Amazon Echo continues to not only exist but improve with each iteration. We're now up to the 4th generation of the Amazon Echo and it looks a lot different from the first. The iconic cylinder is no more, Alexa as a platform has grown with each passing year, and in many homes, it's become part of the family. My kids don't really know of the Amazon Echo, they just know to talk to Alexa and ask for the Encanto soundtrack.
Google is bringing several new features to Bluetooth enabled audio devices
Google is bringing in new features like Spatial Audio and Audio Switching to more Bluetooth-enabled audio devices. Read on to know more!
Bluetooth-enabled hearables and other home audio devices have gathered great momentum in the past few years thanks to OEMs skimping out on the headphone jack on smartphones and the general increase in audio-only content like podcasts. There's massive potential in this space, both for growth and for the technology to mature, and the growing interest from consumers and manufacturers is testimony to that. Google is now playing its part in the maturity of these product categories, as it has announced a range of new features for Bluetooth-enabled hearables and home audio devices that improves their utility within Google's ecosystem.
Huawei Sound Review: The perfect smart speaker peripheral
Looking for a better speaker for your smart home assistant? Then the Huawei Sound might be the perfect addition to your home.
Huawei has a wide range of products spanning its own ecosystem, and the Huawei Sound is yet another addition to the company's arsenal. Huawei has been pumping out some excellent earphones for quite a while now, and the Huawei Sound made in tandem with French audio technology company Devialet is the latest addition to their portfolio of audio tech. While it's not a smart speaker (outside of China), I found that it makes an excellent peripheral when used with actual smart speakers like the Amazon Echo.
Google Nest Audio review: A powerful choice to embrace the Assistant ecosystem
The Google Nest Audio sits in the middle of Google's Assistant-based smart speaker portfolio. Here's our review of the Nest Audio!
Back in 2016 at its I/O developer conference, Google introduced the Google Assistant alongside the original Google Home smart speaker. At the time, Google Assistant was perceived as Google Now 2.0, a virtual assistant that adopted a conversational approach to search backed by Google's artificial intelligence and machine learning. Fast forward to 2020, and Google Assistant has evolved into a potent virtual assistant — arguably even the best. Google Assistant powers some of the highlighting experiences on Android, and its deep, thoughtful, and focused integration on Pixel smartphones is what makes them a Pixel in the first place.
Acer Halo is a Google Assistant-powered smart speaker with DTS audio
Acer has announced the Acer Halo, a Google Assistant enabled smart speaker promising 360 degree DTS audio and 'room-filling' sound.
Acer has joined the smart speaker party with an impressively specced first offering—the Acer Halo. The speaker, which hits American shelves in early 2021, is among the first to offer DTS sound processing at a surprisingly modest price tag, which should give it a competitive advantage over the competition.