With technology soaring high on the wings of new possibilities, we are privy to smart devices such as voice assistants and smart speakers. While we can talk to most of the smart devices, few of them can do a lot more than just respond to your questions. Those devices in question are the Amazon Echo and Apple Homepod- two of the top smart speakers available on the market today.
What is Amazon Echo?
A smart speaker is like a house for a voice assistant and you can ask these assistants to do tasks such as playing a song, finding information, setting an alarm, and more.
The Amazon Echo can be operated remotely by only using voice. You can simply ask “Alexa”, the voice assistant, to play music, read the news aloud, set alarms, show your favorite TV shows, stream music videos, and more.
What is Apple Homepod?
On the other hand, Apple introduces its HomePod as a smart speaker with room-filling sound and an intelligent assistant that assists you in controlling your smart home. You can control it with your voice using Siri, Apple’s virtual assistant. All you need to do is say “Hey Siri” to activate the Homepod and voice out your request or command.
Comparison Chart
| Specifications | Amazon Echo | Apple Homepod |
| Size | 5.7” x 5.7” x 5.2” (144 x 144 x 133 mm) | 6.6” x 5.6” (168 x 142 mm) |
| Weight | 34.2 oz | 5.16 pounds |
| Bluetooth | Advanced Audio Distribution Profile (A2DP) support for audio streaming from your mobile device to Echo or from Echo to your Bluetooth speaker | N/A |
| Wi-Fi | Dual-band wifi supports 802.11a/b/g/n/ac (2.4 and 5 GHz) networks. | 802.11n Wi-Fi |
| Voice Assistant | Yes; Alexa | Yes; Siri |
| Features | Adaptive listening, preferred speaking rate, request sound, Kindle read aloud, Notify when nearby, Alexa accessibility | Touch Accommodations,
VoiceOver, Home app and HomeKit, Intercom transcriptions |
| Price | $99.99 | $299 |
Amazon Echo: Pros & Cons
| Pros | Cons |
| Excellent audio and visual quality | No wireless version available |
| Compact design | Speaks only one language- English |
| Great features for its price | |
| High number of skills | |
| Hears you from across the room | |
| Hands-free convenience with voice control |
Apple Homepod: Pros & Cons
| Pros | Cons |
| Powerful and impressive sound | Quite expensive |
| Phone calls work quite well | Bluetooth is unavailable |
| Voice assistant, Siri, is well-integrated | Only works on iOS |
| Effortless control of HomeKit devices | |
| Great features | |
| Well-designed speakers |
Verdict
As far as smart speakers go, Amazon Echo is pretty much the clear winner here. Although the Homepod packs quite some features, it is nearly double the price of the Amazon Echo and only compatible with iOS.
