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SMART HOME BASICS
mazon has
swapped the
old ‘Pringles
tube’ trim
for a new spherical style.
This means the latest
Echo looks like a sci-fi
crystal ball – especially
as it now illuminates
from underneath, giving
it a vaguely ethereal
feel when you ask Alexa
a question.
But the real magic
is inside: the Echo now
comes with a Zigbee
smart hub. This means
you can hook up smart
devices such as Philips
Hue lightbulbs without
having to install a separate
bridge, which makes using
the speaker with smarthome tech even easier
than it was already– ideal
if you just want a simple
plug-and-play setup.
You’re also able to take
greater control of your
devices with Amazon’s
companion app. The new
Routines automation
feature lets you schedule
different actions, such as
your office lights turning
off when it’s time to
stop working. Handy.
This builds on top of the
100,000 third-party Skills
that you can download
to really power up what
Alexa can do.THERE GOES THE SPHERE
Despite what its orb-like
appearance suggests, theEcho’s speakers aren’t
omnidirectional – but
that’s not really an issue
if you plan to put it in the
corner of a room anyway.
Treble trouble does mean
audiophiles who demand
hi-fi quality might prefer
the Echo Studio or Sonos
One; but in terms of sound
per pound, the 3in woofer
and dual tweeters with
Dolby Audio are hard to
beat. Its balls-out bass
also banishes the biggest
weakness of the old
cylindrical design.
With added smarts and
superior sound, this Echo
easily outperforms its
pricetag and ensures that
Alexa remains our go-to
robo-assistant.GOOGLE
NEST AUDIO
£90 / store.google.comThe Google Home’s iconic
coffee-cup design is gone,
replaced by a minimalist
fabric wraparound to
effortlessly blend in with
your decor. The 75mm
woofer and 19mm tweeter
offer a fuller sound than
the old speaker, though
we’d still only recommend
it for casual listening,
while built-in Chromecast
means you can use it to
voice-control your TV as
long as it’s compatible.
Stuff says ★★★★✩Apple HomePod Mini
Yep, Apple’s budget smart
speaker also has a bulbous
design. Siri’s smarts have
been upgraded too, but
still aren’t as fully featured
as those of Alexa or
Google Assistant. But
the HomePod Mini does
manage to squeeze a
mighty rich sound into
such a small unit; and if
you’re fully embedded in
the Apple ecosystem, it’s a
fun screen-free extension.
£99 / apple.comFacebook Portal+
With video-calling the new
normal, Facebook’s Portal
range offers a quick and
easy way to connect
with friends and family.
It offers FaceTime-beating
functionality, with a
wide-angle lens that can
fit a whole household in
the frame, plus Alexa. This
very pricey model comes
with a rotating HD screen
and booming 4in woofer.
£269 /
portal.facebook.comJBL Link Portable
Take your smart home
beyond your four walls:
one of the few truly
wireless smart speakers,
the Link Portable doesn’t
just support Wi-Fi and
Bluetooth – it also has an
eight-hour battery. That’s
more than enough time
to listen to music and chat
with Google Assistant in
your garden. And it’s fully
waterproof, so you can
enjoy it come rain or shine.
£130 / uk.jbl.comSonos One
If you care what your
smart speaker actually
sounds like, this is the
One for you. It offers
audio with plenty of depth
and vibrancy, and you
can wirelessly link two
together for stereo sound
or use it to voice-control
your multiroom speaker
setup. Plus it has Alexa
and Google Assistant built
in, so will play well with
whichever you prefer.
£199 / sonos.comAmazon Echo (4th Gen)
£70 / amazon.co.uk
STUFF SAYS The latest upgrade to Amazon’s standard
Echo has given it better sound and better smarts ★★★★★The latest smart speakers have all had a style upgrade, while
adding new functionality to command your hi-tech habitat
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