Nowadays, having a personal assistant can be a great help. Especially if your day-to-day is filled with hectic schedules and deadline targets.
Personal assistants can help you keep track of all the things you might be forgetting. However, obviously, not all of us can afford the luxury of having a smart assistant.
No worries though! With the advancement of technology right now, virtual assistants and bots are becoming the trend. Alexa and Siri, for example.
With these virtual bot assistants, you get more organized with your time. Get them to wake you up, set up grocery shopping, remind you of an event, you name it!
Accessing these virtual bot assistants isn’t hard, either. You just have to own a device that lets you access them in the comfort of your own home.
A smart speaker is one of them. In this article, we will be talking about the 13 best smart speakers with voice assistant supports. Let’s take a look!
1. Apple HomePod mini
After releasing the smart speaker Apple HomePod a few years back, Apple has officially announced the HomePod Mini update this year.
Like the HomePod that Apple released in 2018, the HomePod mini still carries a mesh-like exterior design in black and white.
The main difference is, HomePod Mini 2021 comes with even more colorful colors. It is also smaller, shorter, and has a rounded shape.
There are 3 new colors announced, namely blue, yellow and orange. This means the HomePod Mini 2021 now has five colors, giving users more choosing freedom.
The HomePod Mini measures approximately 3.3 inches. On the top surface, it’s equipped with a backlit touch to control sounds such as play and pause.
The top surface will also display around light when Siri is activated. The light is a sign that Siri listens and can respond to user commands.
When it comes to specifications and features, there’s not much change. This tiny smart speaker still carries a full-range dynamic driver and two passive radiators.
Thanks to these speakers, HomePod Mini is able to produce evenly distributed 360-degree sounds in any room you want.
Moreover, it is also possible for users to connect to several HomePod Minis at the same time. Connecting to the Siri virtual assistant isn’t hard either.
To top it all, this HomePod mini can be used as a terminal for controlling all the smart devices in the house’s Apple Homekit ecosystem.
For the price, the Apple HomePod Mini speaker is sold at $99 USD.
2. Google Nest Audio
Last year in 2020, Google has announced its newest smart speaker released called the Google Nest Audio as the successor to the original Google Home.
Compared to Google Home, this latest smart speaker comes with 75% louder volume and 50% stronger bass levels thanks to its 19mm tweeter and a 75mm mid-woofer.
When it comes to the build materials, the cloth material cover of the Google Nest Audio has been adjusted to reduce audio distortion.
In addition, Google ensures the speaker will come with the perfect low, mid, and high volumes — making it perfect to play songs from any genre.
What’s interesting, Google also equips the Nest Audio with a Media EQ feature to automatically tune audio when users listen to music, podcasts, or audiobooks.
There’s also Ambient IQ, a feature that lets Nest Audio smart speaker to adjust the volume level depending on the noise in the surrounding environment.
Even more important, the Google Nest Mini is also supported by Google Assistant. It can speak in both female and male voices for users’ convenience.
Google Nest Audio is available online at the Google Store and other retail stores with an official price of $99 USD.
3. Amazon Echo (4th Gen)
Years go by and Amazon still continues to update its line of smart devices. Especially its smart device line such as the Amazon Echo.
Among the updates, the Amazon Echo 4th Gen is one of the best options if you’re looking for an affordable smart speaker with a voice assistant.
Unlike its predecessor, the Echo 4th is no longer cylindrical, but more like a ball now. It comes in 3 colors of Twilight Blue, Charcoal, and Glacier White.
Interestingly, the Echo 4th generation comes with a feature to double up as a smart hub taking after its premium older brother, the Echo Plus.
For the first time too, Amazon equips this speaker with their own chip, AZ1 Neural Edge. This chip is claimed to accelerate the device’s machine learning performance.
Not only that, but this AZ1 chip also allows Alexa to understand instructions or questions faster. Users can also turn off Alexa just by pressing the mic off button.
In terms of sound quality, the Amazon Echo 4th comes with a pair of tweeters, a 3-inch woofer, and audio processing technology from Dolby.
Furthermore, the Echo is now also able to automatically adapt its sound characteristics to room conditions. The good news is that Amazon Echo 4th still retails at around $100.
4. Sonos One
The Google Home Mini and Home Max weren’t the only smart speakers announced in 2017 — Sonos One is also one of them.
This speaker is basically just a smart version of Sonos’ cheapest speaker, the Play:1 as its design looks entirely identical.
What’s new is its selection of the color of full black and white. It comes with a touch panel at the top of the speaker as a control center.
What’s interesting, the Sonos One supports more than one virtual assistant. It comes with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant integration at once.
Not only that, but the voice commands also apply to a wide variety of streaming services that Sonos supports such as Spotify, Apple Music, & Youtube.
The Sonos One packs one mid-woofer and one tweeter, which is powered by a pair of Class-D amplifiers, exactly the same as the one on the Play:1.
What’s different is its six microphones and a silencer algorithm, which ensures the clarity of the user’s voice, even when music is playing loudly.
Long story short, Sonos One is a smart speaker equipped with the signature Sonos multi-room features. As of right now, the speaker retails for $219.
5. Ultimate Ears MEGABLAST
Taking after the UE Boom Speaker design, Ultimate Ears introduced the Megablast Smart Speaker back in 2017.
Basically, the Ultimate Ears Megablast is the smart version of Megaboom. It comes with nearly identical designs and color schemes.
The main difference is its built-in Wi-Fi & Bluetooth connectivity as well as six microphones for clearer microphone audio quality.
As a smart speaker, the Megablast is equipped with a virtual assistant feature from Amazon called the Alexa.
Users can control this smart speaker via voice commands by asking it to play music, reading and making to-do lists, and so on.
To support user interaction with this speaker, Ultimate Ears also equips 6 mics to capture the users’ voices from all directions in the room.
Ultimate Ears also adds the latest driver design to enhance its sound performance by 40% more powerful than its predecessor.
In addition, the Megablast also comes with a water and dust resistant body design of an IP67 rating. Now you don’t have to worry about bringing it outdoors!
For battery life, the Ultimate Ears Megablast battery can last up to about 16 hours per single charge. It’s available for purchase at a retail price of $300 USD.
6. Audio Pro C5A
If you’re looking for a vintage look smart speaker, the Audio Pro Addon C5A can be one of the best choices available right now.
With a design similar to the old radio, the c5A is a multiroom speaker with voice control Hi-Fi sounds. It comes in a sleek, and minimalist style.
The speaker comes in white, black, or grey color options. Its tweeters are covered with a small metal grille that’s located on either side of the larger woofer.
For users’ convenience, the Audio Pro C5A also comes with a metal panel on top of the speaker. Each button has its own label to make it more accessible.
Not to mention, there’s also a separate panel for the built-in Alexa voice assistant feature wrapped with an LED strip to indicate whether it listens to commands or not.
Thanks to its separate woofer, the Addon C5A provides excellent sounds quality complemented with deep and rich bass, unlike other Bluetooth speakers.
As of right now, the Audio Pro Addon C5A is available for purchase for a retail price of $250 USD. It weighs 2.5 kgs and measures 130x250x150 mm.
7. Amazon Echo Studio
Despite not being the most recent release of Amazon, the Amazon Echo Studio is still one of the best smart speakers available right now.
Released back in 2019, this smart speaker was specially built to bring the most premium music experience for its users through Amazon streaming services.
The Echo Studio is also the first smart speaker to support 3D audio, with Dolby Atmos and Sony’s proprietary Audio Reality 360 codec.
The Amazon Echo Studio comes with a bigger and more impressive design if compared to all the previous Echo speakers.
In terms of sound quality, the Amazon Echo comes with a total of five drivers consisting of three 2-inch mid-range speakers, a 1-inch tweeter, and a 5.25-inch woofer.
Apart from better sound quality, the speaker is also equipped with voice commands with a total of seven microphones for clearer instructions.
Amazon also claims that all playlists consisting of more than 50 million songs are available in the Amazon Echo premium package.
As of right now, the Echo Studio retails from $199. It is also available with an Echo Sub bundle at $329 USD.
8. Yamaha YAS-209
If you’re looking for an affordable way to improve the sound of your TV with a smart speaker while adding Alexa to the mix, the Yamaha YAS-209 can be a good choice.
Priced at $299, the Yamaha YAS-209 smart soundbar speaker comes with a wireless subwoofer, easy-to-use remote, and also Amazon Alexa onboard.
Measuring 36.6 x 4.3 x 2.5 inches, the center soundbar unit can sit comfortably in front of your TV, or you can mount it on a wall with its included mounting template.
Meanwhile, the 16.5 x 16 x 7.5 wireless subwoofer can sit pretty much anywhere in the room. Experience explosive bass and premium sound from every corner of the room.
In addition, the onboard microphone ensures that users can use the on-demand music and the smart home controls easily. To add, the YAS-209 is also great for loud, catchy music.
The speaker features a DT virtual 3D x surround simulation for better audio immersion. The 209 also comes with a large subwoofer that provides a great base for music and movies.
9. Bose Home Speaker 300
Last year, Bose introduced its first smart speaker and soundbar with an Alexa voice assistant called the Bose Home Speaker 30.
Design-wise, the Home Speaker 300 has the same appearance as the Home Speaker 500. The difference is that it’s much more compact.
However, despite being small, the Home Speaker 300 still can’t be categorized as a portable speaker considering that it is not equipped with a battery unit.
The front panel of the Home Speaker 300 comes with a small LED indicator that will light up when the microphone listens to voice commands by the users.
Users can use voice assistants either from Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant. The speaker also has six preset buttons to save your settings.
In terms of audio, thanks to its shape, the Home Speaker 300 can redirect sounds in all directions to make the audio sounds more natural.
When it comes to streaming options, the Bose Home Speaker comes with many connectivity choices you can opt for.
Starting from a WiFi connection, Bluetooth, Apple Airplay 2, or integrated music streaming platforms like Spotify, you name it!
As of right now, the Home Speaker 300 retails for $199. You can get a 4-month installment of $50 with Bose Pay.
10. Solis SO-2000
If you’re looking for a multifunction smart speaker with voice assistant support, the Solis SO-2000 is definitely worth checking out.
At a first glance, the Solis SO-2000 looks like any other digital clock out there. The main difference is that it’s also equipped with two high-fidelity speakers.
When it comes to the design, the Solis SO-2000 has a digital clock appearance with a spherical speaker portion and a mid-2000 boombox control base.
What’s interesting is, this digital clock is not only equipped with speakers. The Solis SO-2000 is also integrated with Google Home.
This means you get a dedicated Google Assistant button and an integration within the Google Home app ecosystem, helping you out around the easier much easier.
Even better, you can also access the assistant through voice commands. Now you can ask Google to wake you every single morning without a fail!
The Solis SO-2000 is now priced at $149. You can purchase it from Best Buy, Walmart, or Target.
11. Onkyo VC-GX30-B
If you’re looking for another best smart speaker with voice assistant supports, the VC-GX30-B from Onkyo Audio is worth checking out.
Priced at $250, the smart speaker comes with a built-in Chromecast for voice-automated media streaming as well as other audio and A/V systems.
With the Onkyo VC-GX30-B, you get voice controls for smart home automation. You can simply set it up with the Google Home App for your phones.
The speaker’s audio connection is also pretty good. It’s equipped with 5GHz and 2.4GHz Wi-Fi for stable and clear audio streaming.
In terms of design, the speaker comes with a secure and stylish baffle grille for the utmost protection. It’s crafted from a non-resonant wood enclosure with a glossy finish.
As of right now, the Onkyo VC-GX30-B is available in two different colors of regular white and black. You can purchase it through the official website here.
12. Harman Kardon Allure Portable
One of the best smart speakers, Harman Kardon Allure, now has a new portable speaker that combines stainless steel grille with a semi-transparent cover on top.
Called the Allure Portable, this smart speaker is equipped with a pair of 1.75-inch drivers and two passive radiators that deliver up to 20 watts of powerful sounds and bass.
In addition to Bluetooth, the Allure Portable also packs Wi-Fi to accommodate audio streaming at resolutions as high as 96 kHz/24 bit.
In terms of audio resolutions, the non-portable version has better sound quality by default as they’re bigger in size and design.
However. Allure Portable comes with other benefits such as long-last battery life of 10 hours. So, you can bring it around everywhere without worry.
The main feature of the Harman Kardon Allure Portable is the voice commands, Amazon Alexa integration, and noise-canceling microphones.
Right now, the Harman Kardon Allure Portable retails for $199. You can buy it through its official shop or any third-party retailer.
13. Sonos Beam
If you’re looking for a soundbar that doubles as a smart speaker with voice assistant support, Sonos Beam might be a good choice.
Released just this October 2021, this speaker comes with a virtual Dolby Atmos technology, ensuring exceptional 3D sounds from all directions in the room.
Despite supporting the virtual Dolby Atmos technology, the Sonos Beam is a little cheaper than the other soundbars with the same tech with a $449 price tag.
Measuring at 2.72 x 25.63 x 3.94 inches, the Sonos Beam is also a pretty compact smart speaker, making it ideal for smaller spaces.
In terms of the design, the Sonos Beam comes with a stylish clean design with a color choice of black and white finishes.
On the top of the speaker, there’s a touch-sensitive panel that lets you control music playback, adjust playback, volume, and many more.
It also comes with two options of voice assistants namely Alexa and Google Assistant. The built-in microphones also allow the speaker to hear commands clearly.
For connectivity, the Sonos Beam comes with a power outlet, HDMI, optical, and Ethernet ports. It also supports Wi-Fi and Apple AirPlay 2 with compatible iOS devices.
Wrapping Up!
There you have it! In this article, we have given you a list of the 13 best smart speakers with Google Assistant, Siri, and Alexa Compatibility.
If you still have any questions about any of these speakers, don’t hesitate to comment down below! See you in another article!
