The best smart speaker 2022: which one should you buy?

Most people can't imagine their lives without a smart speaker. All of your favourite music from a variety of different streaming services can be played through an intelligent speaker.

With a voice assistant, you can control music with your voice, set timers and receive the latest news and sports scores, as well as do a variety of other smart home tasks, depending on the gadgets you have in your household.

Most people who wish to utilise a smart assistant already have one. Even if you are an Alexa, Google Assistant, or Siri devotee, you can still benefit from this offer. Whatever your needs, there's a smart speaker out there for you.

The Amazon Echo, Google Nest, and Apple HomePod are just a few of the many gadgets available straight from the manufacturers of these voice assistants. However, a wide range of third-party companies, such as Sonos and Bose, as well as others, offer integration with smart assistants. Alexa and Google Assistant are usually pre-installed in the majority of devices.

Using a smart speaker allows you to operate your smart home gadgets without having to constantly reach for your phone. Your smart lights can be adjusted to the proper brightness for the time of day, or a coffee maker connected to a smart socket can start making a cup of joe. This is all dependent on the other gadgets in your home.

Video doorbells and home security cameras can benefit from smart speakers that act as chime devices. This implies that if motion is detected or the doorbell button is hit, a tone will be played to let you know. There are certain cameras that let you talk to everyone in the camera's range of view, as well. However, be sure that your gadgets are compatible with each other.

That's not the only reason you should get a smart speaker. There are many additional benefits. They can be used as a home intercom, for example, to alert family members when dinner is ready. Making audio calls to loved ones without the need of a phone is another way to remain in touch.

A built-in screen on a smart display can be more appealing if you want to see what a voice assistant is telling you rather than just hearing it.

Smart speakers, on the other hand, are available in both mains-powered and battery-powered portable versions, whereas smart screens can only be powered by a wall outlet. The voice assistant on portable smart speakers need mobile data, normally available via a Bluetooth connection to your smartphone, even if there's no nearby Wi-Fi connection, so keep that in mind.

There are a plethora of smart speakers on the market right now, making it easy to become disoriented. For the finest smart speaker you can buy in 2022, we've put a variety of designs to the test, evaluating audio quality, style, and voice assistant smarts.

Sonos One is a great place to start.

In our opinion, Sonos' first smart speaker is the best currently available. It works with Alexa or Google Assistant and AirPlay 2 and has a sleek look and plenty of features. It also sounds fantastic. Apple HomePod and HomePod Mini can be paired using the Sonos One's Siri and multi-room capabilities.

When put to the test, the mic array performed admirably, picking up our voice even when we were on the other side of the room. However, when compared to other smart speakers, this is a quite pricey option.

Consider checking out the Sonos Roam and the Sonos Move, which are both good options for individuals who want to carry their music with them wherever they go.

2. Amazon's Echo system (2020)

Aside from the obvious cosmetic changes, the latest Amazon Echo spherical is a complete overhaul of the company's flagship smart speaker, and that's just the beginning. It also features improved audio, a Zigbee smart home hub, and a new AZ1 neural edge processor that will speed up Alexa's response time.

So, are there any drawbacks to this? There aren't many. For the most part, the Echo is a great smart speaker, but its maximum volume is a little low when compared to other smart speakers, like the Apple HomePod or Google Home Max, and Amazon remains an insular organisation. If you want to utilise the Echo, you won't be able to cast audio like you can with the new Google Nest Audio, and you'll have to use Bluetooth every time you want to connect to your phone.

Apple Mini HomePod

With an Apple Music subscription, this speaker is the best option for anyone who wants to join the company's smart ecosystem. In fact, it's a lot less expensive than you may imagine, coming in at less than $100, £100, or AU$150. Since Apple discontinued its larger HomePod in early 2021, it is the only smart speaker now available that has Siri pre-installed.

Without an Apple Music subscription, your options for streaming music are very constrained. In order to use Spotify on the HomePod mini, you'll need to use AirPlay, which requires you to use your phone instead of simply asking Siri to play a song using your voice. There are also fewer smart home devices that are compatible with the smart speaker, compared to the Alexa and Google Assistant-enabled smart speakers' variety of compatible devices.

The sound quality of the HomePod mini is a major selling point for us. Even for a speaker of this size, the sound quality is exceptional, and the price/quality ratio seems to be about ideal. The bass isn't overpowering, and the vocals aren't drowned out by the music. Pairing two minis further enhances the stereo effect.

a Google Home Audio Speaker

Since Google discontinued their Google Home Max speaker, the Google Nest Audio is presently the best Google-manufactured smart speaker on the market.

Our orders are picked up quickly and clearly by Google Assistant, and its responses are loud and clear. The design is very easy to incorporate into a home's existing decor. It's also a very capable smart home hub. In comparison to Amazon's latest Echo, which has a built-in Zigbee hub, it already connects to Nest, Philips, and Samsung's SmartThings.

Nevertheless, the Nest Audio speaker disappoints as a speaker and fails to meet our expectations in terms of quality. There is a lack of clarity in the treble and mids that results in tracks that lack sparkle and sound muffled when listening to other genres such as rock.

5. The Amazon Echo Studio

The best-sounding Echo to date is Amazon's first high-end smart speaker for home cinemas. To create an immersive home theatre system, buy two Amazon Echo Studio speakers and set them up in the Alexa app. The 330W speakers are among the most powerful speakers for the money.

It's very remarkable, and it also serves as a Zigbee hub for individuals who want a smart speaker to handle their smart home devices. Even while Amazon Music HD subscriptions are required to get the most out of it, the big file size may not be suitable for everyone.

Nonetheless, it's far less expensive than comparable speakers from competitors like Sonos