Amazon Echo vs Google Home: Which Sounds Better?

The rise in smart speakers has led many to ask Amazon Echo vs. Google Home: which sounds better?

Smart speakers are all the rage these days. It’s like Siri, but almost kind of better because it seems like it’s more effective. Apple implemented Siri into Apple TV to kind of mimic these types of devices, which I’m quite keen on because I love Apple, but it’s not the same thing as other items. I think these things scare me and they remind me of Ferbies in a way, but there are a lot of cool features that can make them appealing to a lot of people.

Smart speakers use wifi or bluetooth to create audio playback to do very specific tasks. You can get them to speak back to you, play music, or even flicker the lights in your apartment if you’re feeling frisky. There are a lot of options, but Amazon revolutionized this with the Echo. They’re becoming more and more popular and because of this, everyone wants one and everyone wants to figure out the best one for their needs. If you already have an Echo or if you’re on the fence, you should take a look at the best uses for Amazon Echo to see what kinds of things you can do with it.

In order to aggregate some information on these smart speakers, we took a look at PC Advisor, CNET, WireCutter, Android Central, and CIO. The question we’re trying to answer is which device sounds better, but we’re going to go through all the different features to give you a clearer picture of which is better in general. You, of course, want the best for your money, so we wanted to focus on that aspect as well.

Without further ado, let’s learn about the Amazon Echo vs. Google Home to see which sounds better.

7. Features

These smart speakers have a lot of other neat features. With the Amazon Echo, you can ask Alexa to tell you the time, set a timer, request an Uber, create a shopping list, access your calendar, find a restaurant, tell you the new, and more. The Google Home can find a song you don’t know based on context, set alarms, be a calculator, be a local guide, control light, tell you the news, create lists, and more.

6. Price

Both of these devices are under $200, which makes them super affordable. Google Home averages in price at about $129 and you can get the Echo for around $179.

5. Voice Controlling

Both the Amazon Echo and Google Home work with an activation phrase. For Google, it’s “OK Google” and for the Echo, it’s “Alexa.” It’s a lifesaver for when you don’t want to get out of bed, but you want to change the song or add something to your calendar. The most important difference between the two speakers is the activation phrase. Though some may find this to be unimportant regarding sound quality, it actually matters a lot because you might find the phrase to be irritating after awhile.

4. Music Services

Both speakers feature a few music services from which music can play. They can access Pandora, Spotify, Google Play Music, and Amazon Prime Music. The Google Home will actually find a song based off context when you just for the life of you can’t remember a song title. It can do all the work for you.

3. Sound and Volume

Both Amazon and Google kept their focus on features, which kind of put speakers on the backburner. This means the sound quality in both is a little lacking overall. Many say the Echo has an average speaker and the Google Home is also decent. Both have pros and cons, but one of the most obvious differences is sound volume. The Echo has a higher volume and can, therefore, play music louder because it doesn’t have a full bass that distorts it. The sound will be clearer, which helps to address Amazon Echo vs. Google Home: which sounds better?

2. Microphone Sensitivity and Accent Recognition

The Echo’s microphone is a bit more sensitive compared to the Google Home. It’s important to know when buying a speaker controlled by the sound of your voice because you never want to have to shout at the device in order for it to hear you. On the other hand, the Amazon Echo might not be able to understand your commands if you have a strong accent. It’s been found that the Google Home doesn’t have this same issue.

1. Choosing between Amazon Echo and Google Home

If you’re really trying to narrow down your options, at the end of the day it’s all about how you’ll use the device. If you’re craving better volume for playing music or listening to podcasts, you should go for the Amazon Echo. However, if you’re looking for resolution and clarity, the Google Home might be your new best friend.

Now that you know the flaws and advantages of these two smart speakers, you can now determine for yourself Amazon Echo vs. Google Home: which sounds better? Keep in mind, technology is ever changing and there might soon be an update that becomes even better.