Google’s smart speaker device is available in a variety of versions and prices. As a result, Casual Living USA will provide some criteria to know How To Choose The Best Smart Speakers For Your Home to aid you in selecting a quality smart speaker that promotes simplicity in use. Continue to read!
1. Learn about the smart speaker and Google Home smart speaker
What is a smart speaker, exactly?
A smart speaker is one with wireless connectivity, specifically one that can connect to other devices via Wi-Fi, or Bluetooth, or is controlled and activated by speech.
Smart speakers may broadcast news and remind you of your daily responsibilities in addition to basic activities such as listening to music or the radio. Unexpectedly, a range of smart speakers for making calls, shopping, and controlling other smart devices has been developed.
What is Google Home, exactly?
Google Home is a Google smart speaker product that features Google Assistant virtual capabilities and is capable of talking with people via speech, automating gadgets such as televisions, laptops, and so on, as well as playing music like other Bluetooth speakers.
The Google Home speaker is popular due to the following features:
Smart speakers include voice-controlled personal assistants such as Amazon’s Alexa and Google Assistant, which allow users to utilize voice commands to accomplish many functions such as playing music, making reminders, answering queries, and managing smart home devices.
Streaming music: Smart speakers can play music from a variety of sources, including Spotify, Pandora, and Amazon Music. Music playback can also be controlled via voice commands.
Voice commands for controlling smart home equipment: Smart speakers may be integrated with smart home devices such as smart lights, thermostats, and security cameras.
Hands-free calling and messaging: Using voice commands, smart speakers can make and receive phone calls as well as send and receive messages, removing the need for a smartphone.
Personalization: By customizing unique voice commands, preferences, and routines, smart speakers may be customised to meet the needs of individual users.
Smart speakers may be used to play games, tell jokes, provide trivia, and entertain in various ways.
The development of the Google Home smart speaker
The Google Home smart speaker’s cylindrical form is topped by a colour-changing LED status indicator. It was first made available to the general public in the United States on November 4, 2016. The product was then launched in the United Kingdom, Australia, France, Canada, Germany, and Japan.
Since its introduction, Google Home has spawned a plethora of smart speakers under a variety of brand names:
- In October 2017, Google added two new models to the lineup: the smaller Google Home Mini and the larger Google Home Max.
- In October 2018, Google released the Google Home Hub, a smart speaker with a 7-inch touchscreen.
- During the Google I/O event in May 2019, Google disclosed that Google Home devices will be renamed Google Nest, as well as a larger version of the Home Hub called the Google Nest Hub Max.
2. How To Choose The Best Smart Speakers
The user’s purpose
When selecting a smart speaker for your home, this is one of the most important elements to consider. You must select how you will obtain a speaker, what you will use the smart speaker for, and where you will use it.
If you want to utilize a smart speaker in your bedroom, a large-capacity speaker is not suggested. As a result, before making a purchase, you should thoroughly consider your needs.
Choosing a Virtual Assistant
Another feature that many people look for when purchasing a smart speaker is a virtual assistant. A speaker can be equipped with one or more virtual assistants, such as Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, Siri, and others. As a result, you should choose the best speaker for the device to which you are connecting the virtual assistant.
If you have a Samsung smartphone, choose a speaker that enables the virtual assistant Google Assistant to connect easily.
Additionally, certain speakers, such as Sonos, feature both Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant. The Sonos speaker line is the way to go if you want to use a speaker that can connect to both of these virtual assistants.
Style and form of the speaker
One of the first criteria considered by users is design. Because a beautiful design and style on a speaker will increase the attractiveness of the living space. To choose the right speaker size, you must first consider why you want to buy speakers and where you want to put them.
If you want to connect the speakers to the TV in the living room, choose the Soundbar speaker line, which has a greater size to make the room appear more balanced, overall, and complete.
Furthermore, selecting a speaker that can arrange more LED lights may create a more current design and make better use of it for consumers.
Sound quality
The sound quality of a speaker is the most important criterion. A good speaker will deliver consistent, realistic, and exceptionally vivid sound, resulting in an unforgettable experience.
Many people prefer high-quality speakers, such as those made by Sonos, Amazon, Google, JBL, and others.
While selecting a smart speaker, you should first listen to verify the speaker line’s quality. If you are unable to visit the business, you may go online and search for videos to listen to as well as comments and reviews from prior buyers to help you make the best option.
Hardware – choices and functionalities included
In addition to the quality and look of the smart speaker, many people are interested in the hardware component of smart speakers as well as the features that come with them. If you want people to have a great experience with your product, connectivity and compatibility with other devices, such as Apple TV, ChromeCast, or even smart gadgets already in the home, should be carefully examined.
If you want a smart speaker that can be connected to your Apple TV, the Apple Homepod speaker range is the best option. If you want to connect utilizing the ChromeCast capability, you should use Google Home instead. There are numerous methods for connecting these two speaker lines to the various smart home gadgets in the home.
Remarks about the brand selection and the country of origin
While buying a smart speaker line, you should think about the origins of both the smart speaker and the smart speaker line. The United States and other countries that lead in the development of electrical technology are the sources of a lot of well-known and trustworthy brands that people may wish to consider purchasing, such as Google, Amazon, Sonos, and others.
If you choose a well-known and respected brand, you will not only be able to get a favourable warranty policy, but you will also be able to pay a reasonable price and limit your chances of purchasing counterfeit items. Customers have also stated that using well-known goods brands makes them feel more at ease.
Product cost
There is a wide range of prices for smart speakers available right now, with most starting at $100 and rising from there. The price of the smart speaker will vary based on aspects such as sound quality, features and technologies supported by the speaker, speaker technology, material, and Lighting system.
To choose the best mix of price and functionality, you must consider your budget as well as the fact that you will be utilizing the speakers.
3. Which of the Google Home smart speakers should you buy?
The Google Nest Hub
The Google Nest Hub, formerly known as Home Hub, is a smart speaker comparable to other Home devices; however, the gadget has a 7-inch touch screen rather than the standard 5-inch display.
The sound quality is not as good as that of Google Max or Google Home, but the wide screen and high resolution allow you to easily watch YouTube videos, read news tidbits, and control smart home devices.
In addition to offering the same functions as other Google Home products, the Google Nest Hub has a streamlined design that makes it ideal for controlling smart home devices. The list of supported devices with the Nest Hub is constantly growing.
The smaller Google Nest Hub lacks a front-facing camera, as does the more expensive Nest Hub Max.
Google Nest Mini
The Google Nest Mini is the smallest and most portable of Google’s smart speakers. The Google Home brand’s second-generation smart speaker was released. This is a little device, similar to the Amazon Echo Dot, with four LEDs that function as display indicators.
Because of its small size, the Nest Mini can be placed in almost any place; it even comes with a wall mount so that it may be hung on a wall, and you can hide it totally from view if you like. It can upload material to any Chromecast device, giving you voice access to movies and TV shows supported by the respective providers.
When you utilize Nest Mini, you have access to all of the Google Assistant-powered capabilities. As a result, it is also a device for operating a smart home, an entertainment assistant, a reference tool, and much more.
The Google Nest Mini can connect with all compatible smart home devices, which is constantly growing.
Google Home Max
The Google Home Max is a big speaker capable of filling an entire room with high-quality sound. Google’s Home Max smart speaker will compete with Apple’s Sonos and HomePod.
Due to the inclusion of four drivers and six Class-D amplifiers, the Google Home Max outperforms the great majority of competing smart speakers in terms of audio performance.
Nevertheless, because of its massive size, the Home Max takes up significantly more space in the home and is more difficult to set up than Google’s other smart speakers.
FAQs
Sound quality, speech recognition accuracy, networking choices, interoperability with other devices and services, and the availability of voice assistants are all significant factors to consider when purchasing a smart speaker.
Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, and Apple Siri are the most popular speech assistants for smart speakers. Evaluate which one you feel most at ease with, as well as whether one is compatible with your other devices and services.
No, not always. Some smart speakers include a built-in smart home hub, while others may be combined with a separate smart home hub. Evaluate if you currently have a smart home hub or wish to get one.
The number of smart speakers you require is determined by the size and structure of your house, as well as the number of rooms you wish to have voice control over. A single smart speaker can cover a limited area, while numerous speakers may be required in bigger homes.
The sound quality of a smart speaker utilized for music is a significant aspect. Sonos One, Apple HomePod, and Amazon Echo Studio are some popular music-focused smart speakers. Evaluate which one provides the finest sound quality for your listening tastes and price range.
You can obtain some tips on how to choose and buy a smart speaker by reading the article: How To Choose The Best Smart Speakers For Your Home. Casual Living USA team hopes that the information offered here will make it easier for you to determine whether or not to acquire a smart speaker.