When it comes to managing myself during the day, I usually use both a iPhone 15 Pro (it is the one that I get the most out of when working when using the Apple ecosystem with macOS) as an Android-based phone, in this case a Galaxy S24 Ultra. The combination of both systems has led me to adopt all types of connected speakers at homeboth from Apple and Google but also from Amazon with Alexa.
And although at first I was reluctant to use these types of devices at home, I must admit that little by little I have been adapting to its use. I already told my experience with them, and with the passage of time I have to recognize that they are, some more than others, the ones that really serve me every day.
A personal podium in which first place goes to…
At home, we have been accumulating connected or smart speakers, both terms being equally valid. I have different Apple speakers, both the HomePod and the HomePod mini and there are also several Nest minis at home and two speakers with Alexa, an Echo Spot and an Echo Dot.
I have all the speakers distributed in different rooms and rooms of the house so that they can provide different services and it is partly the justification why I use some more than others, although as we will now see it is not the only reason.
Based on the fact that everyone in the house has a good Wi-Fi connection and they are all perfectly operational, I use some more than others and Some really serve me on a day-to-day basis while others have a purely anecdotal use.. But apart from the room or the use that will be given to it, there are also circumstances that enhance the fact that some really serve me better on a day-to-day basis.
At this point I want to make a point since The audio quality offered by the speakers is not comparable from Apple if we compare them with the Echo Dot and especially with the Nest Mini and that is something that must be taken into account.
I’ll start with the ones that I really use less, which does not mean that they are worse. I have the Google speakers, in this case the Nest Mini, distributed in the kitchen, office, bathroom and also in the guest bedroom. Leaving the latter aside, both the kitchen and bathroom ones are mostly used to listen to Spotify lists when I’m preparing food or doing some other task. I have the one in the office too, apart from listening to music, to control some of the automatic systems that I have at home, especially lighting in the form of connected light bulbs and power strips.
The problem I find with Google speakers, despite the fact that they are compatible with a large number of the devices I have at home, are the errors that they usually present in terms of connectivity. It is common that while one of the speakers with Alexa connects to a light bulb perfectly, the Google speakers present problems stating that have lost connection or cannot find this or another device and since this is not the first time it has happened to me, I have ended up discarding it practically out of use depending on the circumstances.
Second on the list in terms of frequency of use are Apple speakers. Very few accessories at home are compatible with them, since HomeKit continues to present that Achilles heel, a weak point that Apple and other companies must work on. The truth is that I have distributed these speakers mainly to use them as a multimedia playback system.
Both the HomePod mini, of which I have two in the office as a stereo system, another two next to the TV to complete the music system and another two next to the TV in the room to take advantage of the Apple TV 4K, They are used to produce the sound with more quality. This is the positive part. In the negative, to the lack of compatibility I have to add two more sections.
When talking about Siri as an assistant, I have to admit that it is the one that has offered the worst results when making any type of query and the one that has presented the most errors to me, perhaps a symptom of the work that Apple has ahead of it. Another point against is lack of integration with Spotify (natively), something that could be a bigger problem if you didn’t have an Apple Music subscription. This is basically the use I give to Apple speakers and this is where it’s time to talk about what it really offers in the best results.
They are the speakers that are in the minority in the home, those signed by Amazon, the ones that really give me a better result in almost any field. Compatible with Spotify playlists, so you can take advantage of your music collection, but also Compatible with a large number of smart home devices.
A vast majority of the connected products I have at home are compatible with Google and Alexa, and It is with this last support that they offer a better result. While errors often occur with Google Assistant, with Alexa I find almost no errors. Any action is executed immediately and any query to the assistant usually presents an answer closely related to what I have asked.
The drawback that I find in these speakers in the lack of quality to play musicespecially in the Echo Spot, but it is something that I was not looking for when I bought it, so it does not detract one bit from the final grade.
In summary, It is Alexa and Amazon speakers that offer me the best results on a day-to-day basis.. That does not mean that they are the best, since I consider that the Apple HomePods are the ones that offer the highest image quality, although both Siri and the compatible products are their great Achilles heel. As far as Google is concerned, great compatibility with a multitude of devices does not prevent them from presenting, in my case, too many errors, which condemn them to take the bronze medal on this personal podium.
In Xataka SmartHome | Using an Amazon Echo as a speaker for my Fire TV Stick is the best thing I have been able to do with the sound of my TV for little money