The ‌HomePod mini‌ has been praised for its high-quality sound at its price […] vs. JBL Flip 4. vs. Apple HomePod. However, Amazon's 4th Gen Echo is a good speaker for most people when it comes to all sources of audio, and the built-in smart hub with Zigbee lets you control more smart home devices in the "Works with Alexa" ecosystem. This implies {hardware} must be optimized for the assistants. As we’ve detailed in our review, the iMessage compatibility needs an overhaul, as well as making calls through Siri, and we’ve often found inconsistencies with just getting Siri’s attention — that’s something that should be a lay-up for any smart speaker. After years of building, Alexa is able to work with just about every smart gadget in the home, and is really the best option if you already have the likes of bulbs, thermostats and cameras raring to be paired with a smart speaker. In short, it’s a winner. When you weigh up all the factors here, the Amazon Echo is a better, more rounded smart speaker than the Apple HomePod. That’s way above its rivals in the space and, unlike them, there’s obviously not a cheaper variant available to buy instead. Many will support both Alexa and Google Assistant, but it's clear that Apple's HomeKit doesn't have the same level of compatibility. Apple HomePod vs. Google Home vs. Amazon Echo. To finalize between Bose home speaker 500 vs Apple HomePod. We’re not trying to say it’s perfect, but it’s streets ahead of Apple’s offering. If you think it's time to get yourself a smart speaker, the Apple HomePod and Amazon Echo should be at the top of your wish-list. The Ambient's verdict: Apple HomePod | Amazon Echo. If you’ve been paying attention to opinions on the HomePod, you’ll know that its main draw is the sound quality. Of course, if music is your primary concern, you should certainly be looking in Apple's direction (or, let's face it, Sonos') and not Amazon's. And that’s not to say that the 5.9-inch x 3.5-inch Amazon Echo is ugly — it’s certainly an upgrade on the original — but it just doesn't look as good. Related: How to set up multi-room audio on your Amazon Echo speakers. Apple HomePod. vs. Marshall Stanmore. Amazon Echo vs Apple HomePod vs Google Home: Intelligence Each smart assistant has its strengths and weaknesses when it comes to executing commands. Protecting the outside of your MacBook is a great way to protect its precious insides. Siri will also be able to pretty much pull up anything that you'll feel like listening to without breaking a sweat. You can use Alexa and tell her to play music from a variety of streaming services, including Apple Music and Amazon Music, add items to your shopping list, tell her to turn on your smart home devices, and more. Comparing Bose vs. Homepod, the Bose can also be used to control Alexa or Google Assistant compatible devices. Spread the loveTweetApple recently released the HomePod mini, a new $99 version of the original HomePod that’s smaller, cuter, and, most importantly, competitively priced. By continuing to use The Ambient, you accept our cookie and privacy policy. Read on to see which device comes out on top in design, sound, music services, and whether your home should be run through Alexa or Siri. That means if your HomePod is surrounded by books or furniture, the sound will adapt to compensate. Apple is also lagging behind in its ability to be the force behind your smart home, with HomeKit still catching up to the Works with Amazon Alexa ecosystem. Copyright Wareable Ltd. All rights reserved.  Site powered by Upfeat Inc. Logitech Circle View Doorbell lands with HomeKit Secure Video, ​Alexa Brief Mode explained: How to turn it on and how it works, How to use Bluetooth to connect Amazon Echo to phones or speakers, Apple Music now available on Google Home Nest smart speakers, Apple HomePod v HomePod Mini: What is the best HomePod for you, The best things to ask Alexa at Christmas: Funny, festive and full of surprises, How to set up multi-room audio on your Amazon Echo speakers. You can also get access to your Podcasts natively, give Siri commands, and even AirPlay other forms of media to the smart speaker. And anyone can add to the same list, which is one of my favorite features. It’s tough to actually quantify this or put it into words just how good it sounds in person, but our ear tests rank it far higher than any other smart speaker from the big players, as well as more dedicated speakers like the Sonos Play:3. Alexa recently gained the ability to adopt different vocal tones to match the emotions in news articles and user interactions. Thanks to Apple's AirPlay 2 wireless tech, it will play nice with speakers made by other companies like Naim and B&O (though these tend to be on the pricier side). Like the HomePod Mini, Alexa allows you to stream music, check news and weather, control smart devices, and more. Apple HomePod vs Amazon Echo: Sound quality. Price comparison. The small list of compatible HomeKit devices also doesn’t help lift Siri’s middling ability to play point guard in the home, and the HomePod’s automation and scenes are basic. Skills and Actions. In short, it’s great if you’re an Apple Music user, but you can do much better if you’re knee-deep in Spotify or others. To pick up the Apple HomePod, you’re going to have to shell out a cool £319. It’s not a display, as such, but you will be able to turn the volume up and down, skip tracks and play/pause, while Siri’s visualisation will also pop up in this area. Packed inside the HomePod are seven beam-forming tweeters and a four-inch, high-excursion woofer. Splitting your smart home accessories between HomeKit and Alexa ensures that you will always have access even if you decide to switch up your phone. On the other hand, the Bose 500 offers a great sound with rich bass and the highs are also clear. vs. Sonos Play:5. vs. Apple HomePod. That’s all impressive, but the A8 chip inside is doing the real legwork, continuously analysing your music and adapting to the acoustics by working with the six-microphone-array setup. So, what’s the problem with Siri on the HomePod? Here's 50 flexible accessories that work with both voice assistants. You'll just need to AirPlay your music streaming service from your iOS device to the HomePod instead. HomePod mini. It's hard to make a case for it over the Echo if smart home control is in any way important to you, especially when you consider the lofty price tag. Read Also: Soundbot Wireless Speakers Review. The Amazon Echo isn't as dexterous - though, again, this has improved since the first-generation speaker was released. As a smart home hub, the Echo was easier to set up and harder to mess up. When Alexa is listening, this is signified through the illuminating blue ring around the top. The choice between Apple HomePod vs Amazon Echo boils down to what you want in a home speaker. Amazon. HomePod mini. For those who aren't audiophiles and just want a decent little smart speaker with a lot of compatibility and features with non-Apple services, then Amazon's 4th generation Echo is the way to go. ... Just talk to the Echo's assistant Alexa and say, "Alexa, turn off my living room lights," and that was it. Siri … With HomePod, you can ask Siri to do things such as make calls, send messages, add a reminder, set alarms, and timers, turn on your HomeKit-compatible devices, and more. Considering both of these smart speakers are vying to become the centre of your smart home experience, you have to like the design; that’s a given. This one is definitely built more for audiophiles who choose to use Apple Music, which is built into the HomePod. Apple Music is also a pretty good music streaming service, and it's integrated seamlessly into HomePod. If you are looking for a great smart speaker to play a lot of music on, then you're going to want something with high fidelity sound, and that's the HomePod. However, I usually don't have issues with Amazon Alexa, but your mileage may vary here. All of the speakers are considered smart speakers and work with Siri (HomePod mini), Google Assistant (Nest Audio), and Alexa (Amazon Echo). Apple's HomePod undoubtedly boasts amazing sound quality, but its Siri voice assistant is lacking. Amazon Echo Studio. There are hundreds of Skills available to customize Alexa to do what you want. Apple has a new HomePod, Amazon has a new Echo. As far as their similarities go, the Echo Studio and HomePod mini can both amplify audio and music beautifully, support various music-streaming services like iHeartRadio, offer smart home control, and come with digital assistants - Alexa and Siri, respectively. When Alexa is listening, this is signified through the illuminating blue ring around the top. That 3.5mm output, crucially, is something the HomePod doesn't offer. Amazon has been filling its speaker line with different versions for some time now, with the popular Amazon Echo Dot now joined by devices that have a screen – the Echo Spot and Echo Show. For the HomePod, the A8 chips sync and split the left and right stereo channels between the two devices, while you can manually set two Echo speakers as your left and right output through the Alexa app. Here, though, we’ll be focusing primarily on the headline act, the second-generation Echo. Both are equipped with a … Save $100 on the Powerbeats Pro right now, Apple-engineered audio technology and advanced software, 3.0" woofer and dual front-firing 0.8" tweeters with Dolby audio, No Bluetooth compatibility for playing audio, Need to AirPlay other music streaming services, Alexa voice commands integrate with your Amazon account, Works with Apple Music, Spotify, Pandora, etc. At $99, the ‌HomePod mini‌ can better compete with affordable smart speakers from companies like Google and Amazon. It has pretty good sound quality with clear highs, dynamic mids, deep bass, and Dolby audio support, and Alexa is a pretty capable digital assistant. Amazon Echo has Alexa, Google Home has Google Assistant, and Apple HomePod will have Siri. If you can handle the refreshed design and you value wider smart home integration over the likes of audio quality, the price makes this one a no brainer. Here are our favorites! with Skills, Audio quality is not as good compared to HomePod. If you're not a big audiophile but still want an all-around smart speaker that can play some music here and there, then Amazon Echo is for you (and most people). Also, there may be privacy concerns with Amazon Alexa when compared with Apple. If you’ve been paying attention to opinions on the HomePod, you’ll know that its main draw is the sound quality. The Echo 2’s seven-microphone-array means you’ll easily be heard from across the room (even when it’s a bit noisy). In typical Apple fashion, it pays to be all-in on the company’s arsenal of devices, and the HomePod is one the best examples of the walled garden in action. 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