(ThyBlackMan.com) Google Home or Amazon Echo, which is the best smart speaker? This question is common these days and it’s true that things are changing in the smart speaker industry. Amazon still holds a massive share in the US market, Google is still at the second position and people have rejected Apple HomePod because of Apple’s flawed strategy.
When it comes to choosing a smart speaker, options are many, but Amazon Echo and Google Home appear to be the strongest candidates. If you have to choose only one, here we have made it easy for you in this Amazon Echo vs Google Home comparison. Let’s find out which is the best smart speaker, Google Home or Amazon Echo.
Almost every week, there are new features being added to both Google Home and Amazon Echo speakers. Google Assistant and Alexa are ruling the smart speaker world with different Echo and Google Home Devices ranging between $50 and $400. Which one 
looks great, Amazon Echo or Google Home? Well, it depends on your personal preference. They both look great and when it comes to design part, modern air freshener are the most suitable household items these two device share similarities with in terms of design. The Amazon Echo has a circular blue light on its top and the Google Home has cool blinking multicolor lights on its top.
Both Google Home and Amazon Echo can do pretty much the same thing such as playing music, reading news, ordering food, checking your emails, controlling smart home devices, reading weather updates, managing your events, setting alarm and making phone calls in less than a second.
Amazon Echo and Google Home work perfectly with devices and services that belong to their respective ecosystem. The Amazon Echo has an upper hand when it comes to controlling smart home appliances, even for smart light bulbs as there are inbuilt commands in the device for the same, Google, however, is trying to improve its offerings in this part but still lacks support for many such voice commands.
Adding new smart devices to the Amazon Echo is easy and quick. For the same process on the Google Home, the user has to spend more time in setting up the smart speaker for different devices. If you want to manage smart home appliances, Amazon Echo is a clear winner.
Those who need a smart speaker for music, Google Home Max smart speaker is Google’s answer to Apple HomePod. It’s a $399 smart speaker with a focus on music. When you buy a Google Home Max, you get the Home Mini speaker for free. Amazon is playing smartly with Echo Show, a smart speaker with a display which you can’t find in Google Home family of devices.
The Echo Show costs $229.99 and features a 7-inch screen and dual 2-inch speakers. On the other hand, Google’s Home Max includes dual 4.5 speakers for an immersive audio experience. If money is not an issue, Google Home Max should be your choice because Echo Show doesn’t stand anywhere close to the music listening experience Google’s smart speaker offers.
To play Spotify on Amazon Echo, you need to have a premium account. For the first 30 days, it’s free and once after the trial period expires, you have to pay $9.99 per month. The good thing about the Google Home is it works with Spotify free accounts. So you get some free limited music on the Google Home, but eventually, you’ll be paying for the music service if you want more music.
All the smart speakers respond very well, but if you compare Amazon Echo and Google Home, you’ll find out that Alexa catches your voice pretty more accurately than Google Home. Sometimes, you will just need to get closer to the Google Home to help the device listen to you clearly. The built-in mics in the Amazon Echo are better at picking up the audio.
Humans are not very familiar with robots that talk, and when it comes to having a conversation with a voice assistant, both Alexa and Google Assistant have different personalities. The companies are trying their best to deliver a more personalized experience with these devices, but the robotic sound is more evident in Echo devices. If you’re an iPhone user and your music choice is limited to Apple Music, the Google Home gives you the chance to enjoy music from your Apple Music library, but Amazon Echo does not.
It’s true that both Amazon Echo and Google Home look amazing and do the same thing. That’s also a reason why many people are not sure about which one to buy. Google and Amazon have launched different versions of their smart speakers. If we look at the integration and compatibility of these devices with Android and Apple products, there’s one thing which can help you make a better decision – and it’s the compatibility of these devices with your smart gadgets.
If you are a part of the Apple ecosystem, Amazon Alexa is the device you should go with because it is well configured for both Android and Apple devices. The Google Home, on the other hand, works extremely well with Pixel series phones but if you are not a Pixel phone user but an Android user, neither Amazon Echo nor the Google Home will disappoint you.
When it comes to shopping, Google Home now allows you to buy products online but there’s a catch. It doesn’t let you order anything more than worth $100 as the smart speaker redirects you to Google Express and puts this limit on your transaction. On Amazon Echo, you have Amazon’s complete web store within your reach so Alexa is once again a winner here.
For those looking for a budget-friendly option under $150, Google offers Google Home for $99 and from Amazon, you can consider Echo and Echo Plus. Google home comes equipped with a decent speaker supported by a 2-inch driver and dual 2-inch passive radiators. The Amazon Echo and Echo Plus include a 2.5-inch woofer with 0.6-inch and 0.8-inch tweeters respectively. Both the devices offer great music experience. Consumers should consider the room size when buying a smart speaker because it plays a major role in getting the sound quality you expect.
In the Google Home vs Amazon Echo battle, the Amazon Echo appears to be a winner overall. Recently Google organized I/O 2018 and made a couple of announcements and assured fans about a better future for the Google Home. Some surveyed pointed out that Google has become smarter than Alexa and in the long run, the company will likely beat Amazon in the smart speaker domain.
All the smart speakers have their own limitations. If you prepare multiple sets of questions and ask the smart speakers to answer, you’ll find different results all the time. Recently, a digital marketing company asked around 5000 questions to Google Assistant, Alexa, Cortana, and Siri. In this experiment, Google secured the first rank and Amazon’s Alexa holds the second position.
Smart speakers are getting smarter with time and these companies are consistently working on improving the quality of their voice assistants. With machine learning, smart speakers are learning new things every day and as long as they are learning, they will surprise us with new possibilities. Recently Amazon confirmed that Alexa is now able to address two queries at the same time.
If it was about comparing Google Assistant and Alexa with Siri or Cortana, it’s clear that these two voice assistants are way ahead than the rivals from Apple and Microsoft. But Google Assistant vs Amazon Alexa is a close competition for the first place.
Staff Writer; Corey Shaw
Have any Tech Tips? News? Hit up our Tech Guru at; CoreyS@ThyBlackMan.com
