Aldous Huxley could not have imagined it better! It seems that we are truly living in the age of automation.
In America, At least, one in six people own a smart speaker. But what makes these smart speakers great is the fact that they are multifunctional, expressly designed to provide customers with much more than a payback of their favorite tracks.
These smart speakers can integrate with compatible devices and help you control the same, for e.g. with smart speakers, you should be able to control the lighting in your room, your fridge, smart lock and much more.
With troves of brands crowding the market, it is time that we took a closer look at some of the best smart speakers for 2019.
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1. Sonos one
- Connectivity: 802.11 b/g 2.4GHz Wi-Fi, one 10/100 Mbps Ethernet port
- Weight: 4.08 lbs
- Battery life: n/a
- Rich sound
- Best of alexa and Sonos
This speaker brings the best of two world’s together; with the latest edition, you can now look forward to the best of smart speakers, courtesy of Alexa’s debut speaker, Sonos.
This speaker is voice controlled and certainly excels in obeying all the voice commands Apart from this, it also comes with some real smarts that allows you to communicate with Siri, as well as integrate with various devices which you can then control with the help of Sonos.
Google assistant is still MIA, but that’s temporary. This smart speaker stands out for the right reasons.
2. Apple Homepod
- Connectivity: Wireless, WiFi, Bluetooth
- Weight: 5.5 lbs
- Battery life: n/a
- Fantastic sound
- Minimalistic design
- Siri scope is limited
- No Blue tooth streaming, Apple music is required
The Apple Homepod manages to score over other smart speakers in the fact that it is instantly compatible with all your Apple devices.
The only question that you need to ask yourself when considering this product is to determine whether it Is worthwhile investing in the same, one that fits comfortably only in an Apple ecosystem.
It comes with a great intuitive set up and stands out on its own, not to mention the fact that the speakers do deliver high quality sound as well. It may be a tad expensive but it comes with fantastic functionality, especially in an Apple ecosystem.
3. Amazon echo 2nd generation
- Weight: 29 oz
- Battery life: n/a
- Connectivity: wireless, Wi Fi, Bluetooth
- Great new look
- Attractive price
- New Alexa features
- No more rotating dial
The 2nd generation is a lot better than the first one and that’s saying something. The current Amazon Echo (2nd generation), comes with a sleek look that takes your breath away.
What’s more, it comes with rich sound and you can use this smart speaker to play all your favorite sounds.
It does integrate better with your other devices than some of the other smart speakers and should be able to provide you with seamless quality where audio is concerned.
But what really stands out is that this smart speaker is attractively priced.
4. Google home
- Weight: 1.05 lbs
- Battery life: n/a
- Connectivity: Wireless, Bluetooth
- Great new look
- Customizable base
- It comes with a big song library
- Currently missing Google’s core services
- Current ecosystem all set to expand soon
- Can make calls to landlines
When it comes to playing tracks of You Tube, Google home certainly ranks right at the top, What makes this smart speaker stand out, apart from its design is the fact that it is multifunctional and comes with several intuitive features as well.
It integrates well with some, if not all the tech friendly gadgets at your home and you can control the same with this speaker.
It is still a tad short of a few top end smart speakers and has a lot of room to grow in. That being said, this speaker manages to stand out nevertheless with its rich sound and its various functions.
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5. Amazon echo plus (2nd generation)
- Weight: 35.65 oz
- Battery life: n/a
- Connectivity: Wireless, Bluetooth, IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n/ac
- Better audio drivers
- Attractive fabric design
- Temperature sensor and more
Amazon echo plus (2nd generation) is a lot more than a smart speaker; it has transformed into a smart hub. It comes with a subdued fabric design and has certainly evolved from its previous two tier design.
The sound quality is good, and so is its bass, and it certainly comes with good audio quality for that price range. It comes with several smart assistant features which should enable you to link up the speaker to several devices in your home.
It also comes with a built in smart hub, with which you can control several devices at the same time. But the best part about this device is that it is attractively priced
6. JBL Link 20
- Weight: 1.3 kg
- Battery life: n/a
- Connectivity: Wireless, Bluetooth
- Connects to Google home
- Attractive fabric design
- Answers questions and more
One of the reasons that this speaker stands out from most of the other speakers is on account of its sleek look, its ease of use and portability.
It connects seamlessly to Google home and also happens to be waterproof as well. Yup, this is one waterproof smart speaker that actually floats on water, so you can use it anywhere including your boat.
It also comes with helpful LED indicators which lets you know how much battery juice is left, as well as your battery signal. This device should let you know just how strong your current Wi-Fi is and whether it is strong enough to operate the smart speaker.
This product relies entirely on Google assistant more than anything else and is quite easy to use, by even the most novice of beginners.
7. Sonos beam
- Weight: 6.35 lbs
- Battery life: n/a
- Connectivity: wireless
- Connects to your TV
- Attractive fabric design
- Answers questions and more
This smart speaker is just like Sonos one except that it sits on top of your television and integrates with the same seamlessly.
It comes with both Alexa and Airplay support and provides you with rich sound, and high fidelity. One of the interesting things about this beam is that it integrates very well with other compatible devices especially your Sonos speakers.
In other words, you can use the beam with your other Sonos speakers to create a surround effect, as well. It comes with voice recognition and with it, you should be able to voice your commands and Sonos beam will execute the same flawlessly.
- Weight: 2.87 lbs
- Battery life:n/a
- Connectivity: Wireless, 802.11b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 4.2
- Comes with Google assistant
- Attractive fabric design
- Answers questions and more
JBL LINK view certainly comes with an interesting display and is compact in size; and this smart display certainly puts it among the top smart speakers for 2019.
It comes with 8 inch screen and two 51mm drivers which help provide flawless content on command. It also comes with voice recognition so you can ask it questions and it will automatically display the required answers, be it the weather or the latest news headlines.
It includes Google assistant and so you can always get the answers to your various questions, with ease. It also comes with the ability to pull up Chromecast videos, You Tube videos and much more. It certainly comes packed in with all the advanced functionality that you need in a smart speaker.
9. Google Home Mini
- Weight: 173g
- Battery life: n/a
- Connectivity: Wi-Fi Bluetooth support
- Comes with Google assistant
- Attractive fabric design
- Answers questions and more
If you are on a limited budget, then you may want to opt for the mini version. The Google home Mini is quite compact but despite its size, it still manages to pack a punch.
It is able to integrate with compatible speakers and thereby provide your audio with much needed boost. This speaker can also answer your questions and even random ones, which makes for an interesting addition to your living room.
These are some of the smart speakers that we can look forward to, for 2019.
It is widely expected that the following year will see more new products being launched with better functionality and more user centric features.
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The pricing will also be varied with Amazon offering some of the most attractive prices in the market. The one thing that you can count on is that the smart speaker market is in the process of evolving further and it is not hard to imagine a time when you would be able to control all the devices in your home with the aid of one.
