Apple HomePod vs Google Home vs Amazon Echo Comparison
Home speakers are big news, and an Apple HomePod vs Google Home vs Amazon Echo war is already brewing! The three big home speakers from these three mega-corporations will soon be installed in homes across the globe. But what are their particular qualities, and what do they do well and badly?
Ethos
Including Siri, Alexa and Google Assistant in these household speaker systems mean that they all purport to be smart and deliver significant help around the home. In reality, this is still something of a hit and miss attempt to deliver AI in a portable format. While some questions can be answered accurately, be assured that such artificial intelligence systems still struggle to respond adequately to many queries.
Amazon can consider itself to be the pioneer here, having been the first company to build a voice assistant into a static home speaker. But Apple has a strong software basis for this with its Siri system, and Google has been making major AI strides over the last couple of years. So there isn’t a clear winner in the Apple HomePod vs Google Home vs Amazon Echo comparison here; one should simply expect slightly uneven results for the foreseeable future.
Design
Design is obviously important in the Apple HomePod vs Google Home vs Amazon Echo comparison. And it is thus notable that both the Google Home and Apple HomePod systems are rather similar physically. Both somewhat resemble air freshener containers, and their appearance can be described as bulbous. While neither are particularly eye-catching, they’re also pretty unobtrusive on the whole.
Amazon certainly has the edge in this department, with the Amazon Echo delivering a much more versatile package. With fabric, plastic and metallic finishes available, the Amazon Echo provides far more choice to consumers. And the Echo also comes complete with a remote control in the United States, which is an interesting addition, even if it essentially acknowledges that its voice control is not quite as good as it might be.
However, the Echo is also the largest of the three speakers, which may not appeal to all consumers. Amazon mitigates against this by offering several different versions of its speaker, meaning that it should be possible to pick an Amazon Echo unit that suits you, whether it’s the budget Echo Dot, or the premium Echo Plus.
Sound quality
Sound reproduction is a primary focus of the Apple HomePod vs Google Home vs Amazon Echo battle, and this is an area that Apple has particularly focused on. Indeed, the Apple HomePod can be seen as a music-playback system as much as an intelligent AI speaker. Apple usually attempts to make its product stand out from the crowd, and there is no doubt that there is a significant distinction between the HomePod and the Amazon Echo and Google Home.
Thus, the raw specifications of these three devices indicates that the Apple HomePod will massively outperform the other two speakers. Its 7-beam forming tweeter array and whopping subwoofer promise excellent sound quality, even though the speaker has yet to be finalized. Compared to the built-in 2.0-inch tweeter and built-in 2.5-inch woofer on the original Amazon Echo, and the 2-inch driver and dual 2-inch passive radiators on the Google Home, it is clear that the Apple HomePod system will be capable of much better sound reproduction.
Price
Price is obviously of key importance in the Apple HomePod vs Google Home vs Amazon Echo war, and it is clear that Apple has opted for a completely different market to the other two devices. The Apple HomePod is by far the most expensive of the three, being released at the retail price of $350. Considering that the Amazon Echo can be purchased for under $100, one might wonder why anyone would choose to buy the HomePod, but Apple is obviously marketing its speaker as a serious musical device.
Meanwhile, the Google Home is somewhat more expensive than the Amazon Echo, retailing at $130. This is still slightly less than the Amazon Echo Plus, at $149, while the Google Home is even more expensive than the Apple HomePod, at a hefty price tag of $399. So plenty of options available in the smart speaker sphere.
Features and specs
Features and specs are obviously also key, so who wins in the Apple HomePod vs Google Home vs Amazon Echo battle here?
Google Home and Amazon Echo are essentially aimed at exactly the same market, with extremely similar feature sets. They are activated in rather similar fashion, and essentially intended to provide answers to everyday queries.
There is obviously considerable debate over which of the smart speakers performs letter, but the general consensus of opinion is that Google Home is ultimately the winner. Google’s AI technology has been in development diligently over the last few years, and in testing conditions it has notably outperformed the Amazon Echo system.
Similarly, it is suggested that the Apple Siri System is not quite as flexible as the other two devices. it is generally believed that Siri isn’t quite as good at responding to enquiries as the other two systems, nor is it quite as able to manipulate smart home devices.
The winner in the Apple HomePod vs Google Home vs Amazon Echo really depends on what you want out of the speaker system in question, but Google is well-placed here with an established unit that delivers exactly what it purports to provide.
Conclusion
The winner of the Apple HomePod vs Google Home vs Amazon Echo war is largely dependent on your particular perspective. The Amazon Echo is a good all-rounder at an affordable price point, while the Google Home system probably delivers the most intelligent, AI-oriented package. And the Apple HomePod is by far the best music-playback system, meaning that all of the desires of consumers can be satisfied by at least one of the speakers.
