Karlston Posted June 29, 2020 Share Posted June 29, 2020 The Best Google Assistant Speakers for Your Home From smart displays to portable boomboxes, Google's voice assistant comes in all shapes and sizes. Here are our favorites. There are two voice assistants locked in a tug-of-war over who controls the smart speakers in your house: Amazon's Alexa and Google Assistant. We prefer Google. Its Assistant answers questions more accurately, it has a simpler setup process, and it connects to a growing number of smart home devices. All the devices below have Google Assistant built-in, so you can ask it anything you'd search for on Google or ask it to control smart home products like robot vacuums, smart plugs, lights, and TVs. Be sure to check out our handy guide on how to maintain your privacy as much as possible while still enjoying the luxuries of smart assistants. We also have many other buying guides, including the Best Smart Displays, Best Smart Speakers and Best Alexa Speakers. Updated for June 2020: We've replaced older products with new ones, like the Sonos Arc Soundbar, JBL Link Portable, and Lenovo Smart Display 7. If you buy something using links in our stories, we may earn a commission. Learn more. Photograph: Google Best for Basics Google Nest Mini The Nest Mini is the successor to the original Google Home Mini, though you'll be hard-pressed to find any visual changes. You do get improved audio quality, specifically stronger bass and better voice recognition, and the device is wall-mountable so you can save some space on the credenza. The volume controls light up as you approach the Mini and, perhaps best of all, the speaker is made with sustainable materials: The fabric around the top is 100 percent recycled plastic bottles, and the external enclosure is made with around 35 percent post-consumer recycled plastic. If you're looking for the most affordable way to smarten up your home, the Nest Mini is where you should start. It's definitely worth the few bucks more than the original version, which is still sold at some retailers. But if you're planning to stream music a lot, this isn't the option we recommend, because the Nest Mini doesn't get very loud. It's a little bigger than a hockey puck. $49 at Walmart $50 at Best Buy $49 at Google Photograph: Sonos Best for Sound Sonos One (Gen 2) The second-generation Sonos One is a great option for people who want good audio quality but don't want to spend several hundred dollars on speakers. You get capacitive touch controls on the top, including a Mute switch for when you want to ensure privacy. It also always makes a pleasant tone when Google Assistant is activated, so you know when it's listening. You can pair another Sonos One to get multiroom stereo sound, and if you have other Sonos speakers in your home, like the company's soundbars or larger speakers, it can seamlessly connect to them. The Sonos Move (8/10, WIRED recommends) is also a nice option from Sonos (and it's portable!), but it's twice the price. Read our Sonos guide to learn more. $199 at Amazon $199 at Sonos Photograph: Sonos Best Soundbar Sonos Arc Soundbar The Sonos One sounds great, but if it's in your budget to spring for the company's Arc Soundbar (9/10 WIRED Recommends), you'll really step up your sound quality a notch. It has built-in voice support for Google Assistant (plus Alexa and Siri). The four far-field microphones can pick up a voice over the TV, so you can tell it to pause or lower the volume. It's not the only soundbar with voice-assistant capabilities, but the Arc sounds downright excellent with Dolby Atmos support, and it will receive updates for probably the next decade. The only downside is the price. The Sonos Beam (8/10 WIRED Recommends) is a smaller option with great sound for half the price. $800 at Amazon $800 at Sonos $800 at Best Buy Photograph: Best Buy Best Smart Display Google Nest Hub Max Assistant-powered speakers are limited to sound, which is why smart displays are becoming more common. You get similar audio quality plus a screen to see things like the weather forecast, rather than just hear it. Google's 10-inch Nest Hub Max (8/10, WIRED Recommends) is big enough to use as a screen to watch shows or YouTube videos while washing the dishes (though Amazon Prime Video and Netflix aren't available). When not in use the screen doubles as a digital photo frame, cycling images from Google Photos. The Nest Hub Max doesn't look too techie, has good audio quality, and comes with a camera, so you can make video calls with Google's video-chatting service, Duo. The company recently added the ability to make group video calls with Duo and Google Meet. The camera can identify people in the household, so when you step in front of it, you'll see a personalized calendar. It can also recognize your palm, for when you want to pause music hands-free. Best of all, there's a physical switch on the back that turns off the mic and camera. If the 10-inch size is too big, the 7-inch Nest Hub is a nice option. It's a little too small for our tastes, but the lack of a camera means it's a more privacy-friendly machine for the more private areas of your home. $230 at Best Buy $229 at Walmart Photograph: JBL Best of Both Worlds JBL Link View Smart Display While the Nest Hub Max can deliver audio quality that's more than good enough for most people, JBL's Link View is a best-of-both-worlds product (8/10, WIRED Recommends). It has an 8-inch screen, so it doesn't feel as squished as the 7-inch Nest Hub, and it's not so big that you'll have a hard time finding space for it in the kitchen (though it's not as attractive as the Nest Hub Max). But its two 51-mm, full-range drivers are what steal the show. The speakers pack a punch and sound clear enough that you might buy it even if it didn't have a screen. Video chatting is also possible thanks to the camera, which, thankfully, has a built-in privacy cover. $277 at B&H Audio $300 at Walmart $300 at JBL Photograph: Lenovo Best for Bedrooms Lenovo Smart Clock If you want a small display that's focused on telling the time above all, Lenovo's Smart Clock (7/10, WIRED Recommends) is the way to go. It's limited compared to other smart displays because it won't show you any videos, and there's no camera for video calling. Lenovo added the ability to see albums from Google Photos, and you can still see visual responses, like when you ask it the weather, but it prioritizes the clock, so you can reliably see the time when you wake up in the morning. If you use it to set alarms, it will eventually start suggesting alarm times. When the alarm is ringing, just say "stop" and the blaring sounds will cease—no "hey Google" needed. For a more tactile touch, thump the top of the clock to trigger snooze mode. What's nice is the variety of clock designs you can choose from. $50 at Best Buy $49 at Walmart Photograph: Lenovo A Display for the Kitchen Lenovo Smart Display Lenovo's Smart Display (8/10 WIRED Recommends) is an excellent alternative to the Google-made one above, and it comes in three sizes. Its speakers sound decent, and there's a camera for video calls (and it has a privacy shutter!). Plus, the 8- and 10-inch models can stand vertically or horizontally. The 10-inch version takes up a fair bit of room, so if you're looking for a smaller screen without compromising on features (like cameras), go for the 7- or 8-inch options. $99 at Walmart (7-inch) $107 at Walmart (8-inch) $220 at Walmart (10-inch) Photograph: Sony Best for Parties Sony XB501G Speaker It's hard to find a better mix of power and portability than Sony's XB501G. It's a 9-inch cube with a handle that packs two drivers and a subwoofer worth of bassy music muscle in a package that's water resistant (IP65) and gets 16 hours of battery life. When you're at home, you can connect it to your Wi-Fi network. When you're out and about, it has a Bluetooth button for direct access to your phone or laptop. And no matter where you are, you can turn on the colorful LED strip and mini strobe lights to crank up the party. $200 at Best Buy Photograph: JBL Best for Portability JBL Link Portable JBL makes great speakers, and the Link Portable is no different. The 360-degree speaker sounds great for its small size and gets about 8 hours of battery life. Charging it is super simple—just place it on its cradle. It's perfect for pool or beach days, because not only is it IPX7 water resistant, which means it can handle submersions for up to 30 minutes, but it comes with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity so you can stream—or ask questions to Google Assistant—anywhere. $179.99 at Best Buy $179.95 at JBL Photograph: Bose Another Portable Alternative Bose Portable Home Speaker The Bose Portable Home Speaker is for people who want a take-anywhere speaker that prioritizes sound quality. The 360-degree speakers toss sound in all directions, and there's solid bass response. The built-in handle makes it easy to carry around, and the battery lasts more than 10 hours on a charge. It connects to your Wi-Fi network, which is how you can talk to Google Assistant, but if you leave the house with it, you can connect to it via Bluetooth through your phone to stream music. It's one of the prettier portable speakers on our list. The device's controls sit at the top, and there's a Mute switch for privacy. It has only an IPX4 rating, making it splashproof but not fully waterproof like the JBL. That makes it fine to put in the bathroom if you want to jam out in the shower, but this isn't the speaker to take to the beach. It's also quite expensive. $349 at Amazon Photograph: Amazon Most Stylish Klipsch The Three Speaker If you prioritize looks above everything else and want your smart speaker to draw eyes in the home, then you can't go wrong with Klipsch's The Three. It's one of the most expensive smart speakers we've tested, but its mixture of wood veneer, fabric, and metal switches and knobs makes it easily the most stylish. It sounds pretty good, too, though you will need to make some room for its boxy, chunky design. $552 $250 at Amazon $574 at B&H Photo and Video Photograph: Polk More Good Sound Polk Audio Assist Smart Speaker If you see Polk's Assist speaker for less than $150, buy it. It's one of the best midrange Google speakers around, and it's a step up from the standard Google Home. It's powerful enough to play music, and there's something charming about it. I particularly like the 10 light-up orbs to display volume—a step up from the four orbs on most Google speakers, like the Nest Mini. Polk prides itself on usability and simplicity, and it shows. The Assist isn't the best-sounding speaker, but I keep it around anyway. $149 at Walmart Photograph: Google Powerful Bass Google Home Max The Google Home Max was a bit too expensive when it launched at $400, but the price has since dipped to $299, making it much better value if you're in the market for a speaker with boomy bass (8/10, WIRED Recommends). It gets loud enough to fill almost any room with music, with two tweeters for high-pitched sounds and two woofers for bass. You can lay it down horizontally or stand it vertically, and it adapts its audio to your room thanks to its array of six microphones. You can even pair it with another Home Max for stereo sound, assuming you need that much noise. Google recently stopped selling this model, and there are rumors that a Nest-branded replacement is coming soon, though it might not be as powerful as the Max. You can still get the Home Max from other retailers. $299 at Walmart $299 at Best Buy The Best Google Assistant Speakers for Your Home Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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