Amazon was the first one to establish firm ground in the smart-home speaker market. They launched Echo back in 2015. Google then followed Amazon’s footsteps in 2016 and introduced its Home speakers. Now that even Apple has joined the league with its HomePod, consumers may have a difficult time choosing which one is the best. Each of these products has something unique to offer to their users.
Exterior
Amazon Echo is equipped with a much more versatile appearance in comparison to Google Home and HomePod, a report by Tech Radar reads. The e-commerce giant has launched the product in four different materials: Fabric, metallic, plastic and wood.
Meanwhile, Google Home and HomePod share the an-almost-similar design. Google’s smart-home speaker is only available in plastic and fabric finishing. The same applies to Apple’s device as well. Google and Amazon have expanded their smart-home speaker portfolio this year, with the launch of Echo Dot, Echo Plus, Home Mini and Home Max respectively. Therefore, consumers have a wider range of options to choose from when it comes to these two brands. The same is not applicable with Apple which may end up going against their favor.
Price
When it comes to pricing, Amazon’s Echo is the cheapest as it comes for the price of $99. Google Home costs around $130. Apple’s HomePod is the most expensive, as it comes for a price of $350.
Features
Google and Apple offer a wide variety of services in their smart-home speakers. This is because of the large portfolio of products that already exist in the market. For example, Apple already has iPods, iPads, MacBooks, and iPhones. The same applies to Google. Therefore, it is easier for them to offer services like Gmail, Voice, Maps, and Docs to their consumers.
Efficiency
Google Home comes with several other Google services. The product extends support for Translate, Calendar, and Maps among others. The smart-home speaker functions with the support of Assistant. Meanwhile, Apple is supported by Siri and Amazon is supported by Alexa. It remains to be seen which service ends up delivering accurate results.
The answer could be Amazon Alexa. Not only does it answer basic questions like, “What’s the time?” but it also goes on to perform a whole range of other services. This includes making reservations in restaurants. Thanks to their recent collaboration with Pizza Hut, one can even order a pizza by simply telling Alexa what they want.
