Amazon Echo or Google Home? This question might seem like a walk in the park but it is not as you may imagine. Deciding on what type of smart speaker to go for can really be grueling and mind-blowing to you as a buyer and a new user. With the high-tech advancements in technology, it is evident that there is a great fight for superiority between the Amazon Echo and Google Home smart speakers.
Amazon was the first to release its Echo products which took the smart home market by storm with interesting features. After a while, Google emerged with a competitive motive by unleashing Google Home products as well. Wasn’t that interesting? Well, with the zeal to outshine each other, incredible features were introduced by both Amazon and Google to boost their products. This now led to the question; Amazon Echo or Google Home?
Consequently, we thoroughly researched and tested these smart speakers by analyzing their features. This involved features like design, sound quality, price, as well as smart home control among other astonishing features. Since the choice varies while settling for one speaker, knowing the similarities and differences depicted by each would be of great assistance to you while making a well-informed decision.
Be sure to take a tour through this page in order to easily determine which of the two smart speakers is best for you. The answer to the question Amazon Echo or Google Home just lies below. We put the speakers head to head to ascertain what is pre-eminent for you.
Amazon Echo Vs Google Home: Design and Appearance
The first thing that will strike your eye is the design and appearance of the smart home speakers. As it is always said, you should not judge a book by its cover. I beg to differ with this statement when it comes to this. This is simply because the look and the model of the type of speaker you want are really captivating. That means the physical appearance really matters.
For instance, Amazon Echo and Google Home may share some similarities and may portray some unique properties which differentiate the two. Amazon Echo, to start with, has a cylindrical shape that is coupled with great colors including grey, black, sandstone, charcoal-like and more.
It is also designed with a flat top surface that has physical buttons including the microphone button, power button as well as volume buttons. In addition to this, the top surface is equipped with a light ring that lights up to confirm to you that the device is on or is listening to you.
Moreover, Amazon Echo has a fabric design that covers the entire device with different shades of grey and other colors. Also, it may come with a wooden exterior which can match with different décor styles in your home.
On the other hand, you will be amazed by the impressive design of Google Home the moment you get it out of a box. It is designed in a cylindrical shape with a wider bottom base giving a shape of a wine glass. This shape is unique and is attractive to the eyes of the beholder as well. Well, who does not love unique and attractive products?
Its top surface is sloped unlike that of Amazon Echo which has a flat surface, therefore, exhibiting an exceptional design. The sloped surface has LED lights that are used to provide visual feedback when performing actions like turning the volume up or low. Unlike the Amazon Echo which has physical buttons, Google Home is designed with a sensitive touch control interface which allows for quick controls.
The LED lights appear in red, green, blue and yellow. They will flash revealing to you that the voice assistant is listening to you and is ready to respond. Also, on the side of the speaker, there is a microphone button which you can use to mute or reset the device. This comes in handy when faced with problematic issues.
To add on, the base has a casing available in fabric or metallic form of different colors. The colors could be coral or violet in fabric or it can as well be carbon or copper in metal. This provides you with a wider range of color choice that will comfortably match with your furnishings at home.
Therefore, considering the description above on the design and appearance of the smart speakers, you can comfortably settle for one that clearly fulfills the desires of your heart. Be sure to select the one that is exceptional and most striking.
Amazon Echo Vs Google Home: Version
Well, another point to put into consideration while deciding which smart speaker is best for you is the version of the products. Since the world keeps advancing in technology, every brand tries to keep up the pace by introducing newer versions of products into the market.
Amazon brand which has the largest range of smart speakers now, introduced its first smart home speaker product back in 2014 where the first-generation Echo was launched. As years passed the second generation was introduced and now the third generation is available in the market. This latest version has improved features like better sound quality, improved design, built-in voice assistant among other features.
The latest version of the Amazon Echo involves the second and the third generation which is readily available in the smart home market. They include the Amazon Echo Show, Echo Dot, Echo Plus, Echo Spot just to mention a few. These products come at a different price, design, as well as sizes, depending on the type of speaker you require.
On the other hand, Google has upped its game on a competitive note by introducing a growing number of smart home speakers. These speakers include Google Home, Google Home Mini, Google Home Max as well as Google Home Hub. These are the latest version in the market and are readily available.
Smart speakers come in different sizes like Google Home Max is larger compared to Google Home Mini which is smaller. The Google Home Max comes in that big size as it has been designed for better sound functionality. The Google Home Hub, also known as Nest Hub, competes with the Amazon’s Echo Show. This is by displaying and striking smart touchscreen display. This allows you to easily view photos, watch videos as well as controlling your smart home devices through the touchscreen among other functionalities.
Amazon Echo Vs Google Home: Smart Home Control
The ability to control smart home devices is one of the main reasons for acquiring a smart speaker. This ability to adjust the room temperature and to turn the lights off or on. You can also use it to play your music and videos, and make calls among other functions. This is possible by the use of a voice assistant which responds to your voice commands. Therefore, there is a need to determine which speaker provides the finest smart home control features.
Well, there is a similarity between the Amazon Echo and the Google Home products in a manner that they both support a vast number of smart home devices. This may include the Samsung SmartThings, the ring video doorbell, the Nest Thermostat, and Philip Hue Lights among other supported devices. As a matter of fact, both Amazon and Google support most smart home devices.
Notably, the Amazon Echo has its voice assistant, Alexa, supporting more than 60,000 smart home products. Besides, Google Home supports more than 10,000 smart home products. This is clear to you that the Amazon Echo supports more smart home devices that its competitor, Google. However, Google is in a quest to massively close that gap by increasing the support for smart home devices.
Therefore, since Amazon Echo supports more smart home products, it suits well for the smart home integration. This is not the case for Google Home which supports a fewer number of smart Home products. This provides you with the vast opportunity to choose which product to utilize in your smart home. Also, Amazon Echo has a wider range of control options in comparison with Google Home.
Amazon Echo Vs Google Home: Voice Assistant
The voice assistant plays a very big role in smart speakers by making control easier. It listens and quickly responds to your voice commands by performing the task you asked them to. Therefore, the power of the voice assistant is a big concern while considering what type of smart speaker you should take home.
The Amazon Echo has a built-in digital voice assistant, Alexa, whereas Google Home has a smart voice assistant, Google Assistant. Just from the name assistant, the voice assistant assists and allows you to easily perform various tasks without using many efforts.
Amazon Echo has a number of wake word options including Amazon, Echo, Computer, and Alexa which is the default option. This provides you with a variety of options to choose from in case you would want to change it in your working environment. For instance, you would not want to use “Computer” as a wake word while you are working in an environment like Cyber Café. This prevents you from initiating awake when you do not want to.
Google Home on the other side has a special Google Assistant that performs a variety of tasks and services. With Google Assistant, you can be able to change the voice to male and select a different language. This is not the case for Alexa which has only one female voice. You can as well speak more than one language and it will understand and it will easily understand as compared to Alexa which may trouble understanding different languages.
Moreover, Google Assistant is more conversational than Alexa in that you can initiate a follow-up command with ease. For instance, you may ask, “Who was the most valued player in the NBA series?” and then follow it up with, “Which team does he play for?” Furthermore, Google Assistant is able to understand various questions with the ability to easily interpret them which is not the case for Amazon Alexa.
Alexa is capable of controlling your smart home devices, set reminders, ask for a weather update and much more. Google Home on the other side is able to ask for directions or traffic reports to anywhere. Alexa will only give you traffic information to the address that is in the Amazon Alexa app. The results of the directions and reports are available from Google Maps, thanks to Google for this feature.
In addition to this, the Google Assistant allows you to perform some tasks like uploading your own music to the cloud. Besides, Amazon’s Alexa uses more third-party support options like connecting with speakers than Google Assistant.
Amazon Echo Vs Google Home: Sound/Audio Quality
When we talk of sound quality, we actually focus on the ability to play music and video efficiently. Isn’t it amazing to have a good sound quality speaker? The answer to this question is pretty simple. You will have to consider the quality of sound in the products before settling on one.
Since smart speakers come in different sizes, there is a possibility to expect different sound performances in smart home speakers. With Google Home, you can play music and video contents from Google Play Music and Google Cast. On the other side, you can use Amazon Prime Music to stream music contents with Amazon Echo. However, both support Spotify, Pandora as well as Tuneln radio.
While focusing on music quality, Google Home Mini sounds a lot better than Amazon Echo Dot. The Echo Dot will offer you good audio quality if you connect it to another speaker via Bluetooth or a jack pin. This makes the Google Home Mini the best pick over Echo Dot.
However, a small speaker like Echo Spot produces a good sound quality despite its small size. If you don’t mind to dig into your pocket, this might be the small-sized speaker for you. The price should also be a deciding factor for you to select the smart speaker of your choice.
Both Amazon Echo and Google Home devices provide you with the ability to create groups for streaming to a number of devices. This allows you to have the multi-room audio functionality. Therefore, as much as there are some differences between the speakers, there are similarities as well which are quite fair.
Furthermore, Google Home users enjoy a wider range of functionalities having the advantage of utilizing the Cast support feature. This, however, is not an option for Amazon Echo. The use of Google Chromecast will allow you to voice control your music and videos to any supported device. Also, you will be able to access multiple streaming services like YouTube, Google Play Music, as well as Netflix just to mention a few.
Amazon Echo Vs Google Home: Price
Another huge consideration that you should put in place is the cost of these smart speakers. Depending on the weight of your wallet, you can settle for a smart speaker that will be within your reach.
The price of the speakers is likely to vary depending on the size, design, features and much more. Amazon provides a wider range of options to choose from. This ranges from the most expensive one like the Echo Show to the most affordable one like the Echo Dot.
Google Home, on the other hand, lies in between offering reasonably priced and expensive prices for smart speakers. Both Google Home and Amazon Echo are readily available as they are retailed in either Best Buy, Walmart, Amazon, Target, Bath &Beyond among other retails.
For instance, Echo typically retails for an average of $100 while Google Home is typically available for an average of $129. However, these prices might vary depending on the type of retail market you choose to buy from.
Amazon Echo Vs Google Home: Set up Process
The set-up process for both Google Home and Amazon Echo is pretty simple to follow, though, the procedure is different for both.
While setting up the Amazon Echo, you will first need to download the Amazon Alexa app. You can then follow the onscreen instructions to set it up. After this, you can now begin using the device with ease.
On the other hand, setting up Google Home will require you to download the Google Home app. This is available in the Google Play Store or the App Store. After downloading it, you can launch it and follow the onscreen instructions to set the device up.
Apparently, the process of setting up the devices is very easy to both. This won’t consume much of your time. In addition to this, you can use the downloaded apps to connect to other smart home devices and control the devices with your voice.
Amazon Echo Vs Google Home: Conclusion
Now that you have the answer to your question? Is it Amazon Echo or Google Home? Well, both devices depict astonishing features while having some similarities as well as differences. The best pick for you will depend on your own tastes and preferences. This involves the needs for the smart speaker, the design and appearance as well as device compatibility among other features.
Therefore, after going through the article above you will be in a great position to make a clear decision on whether it is Google Home or Amazon Echo. The choices will lie on the price and availability of the smart speakers and the design and appearance. It will also depend on the quality of sound, the version, the smart home control as well as functionality of the smart voice assistant.
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