Best Smart Home Devices of 2020: Amazon and Google fight for control of your home
Here are the smart home products that most deserve your attention in 2020.
There are dozens of smart speakers on the market, and choosing the best one is getting more and more difficult. First, you need to decide which voice assistant you like best. There are three worth using: Alexa, Google Assistant, and Siri, and each has its own pros and cons. At the moment, we prefer smart speakers powered by Amazon and Google because they are the most affordable and easy to use.
Second, you need to decide which speaker has the most important features for you. Is the quality of your music your biggest concern? Do you need a touchscreen or just voice support? Should your speaker connect to other smart home gadgets? This is where it becomes more difficult to find the best option. Don’t worry, you will find what you are looking for! We’ve tried enough smart speakers to figure out what’s best now.
Google Home is a voice-activated speaker powered by the Google Assistant. Ask him questions. Tell him what to do. This is your Google, always ready to help you. Start with “Ok Google”. A simple voice message activates Google Home to play music, podcasts or radio from services such as Google Play Music, Spotify, YouTube Music, Pandora and TuneIn.
Amazon’s latest Echo speaker offers the same bold bass and wide soundstage as the old Echo Plus, but costs a lot less, making it one of the best choices. What I love most about the Echo is that I can put it anywhere — in the kitchen, in bathrooms, even in small living rooms — and it easily fills the room with sound. Alexa also makes it convenient to receive news and weather updates and set kitchen timers and alarms, but I also love that I can mute the microphones with a physical button when the voice assistant of alert friends and family is finished. If you’re after a simple, audio-focused device that doesn’t get in the way, this is the best you’ll find
Apple has released a Siri-powered speaker, the HomePod. This isn’t one of our top picks, but is it a good thing?
The one and only Siri speaker sounds great, but it’s only for people who live the entire life of Apple. It only works with Apple Music (although it will change soon) and cannot handle as many devices as its competitors.
