The best smart speakers 2018: which one should you buy?

Smart speakers are dominating the smart home market and are now owned by one in six Americans, while over the pond in the UK, smart speaker ownership has doubled in six months, with 10% of households now owning one. 

The popular virtual assistants are taking the home by storm, with many now considering smart speakers to be the future of home automation, not only controlling your smart home devices (like your Philips Hue bulbs or your smart locks), but running everything from your fridge to your garage door, too – sometimes without much help from you. 

We know how it sounds, but these devices can be unbelievably handy. Imagine a world where you don't have to get up to change the thermostat or find the remote to change the channel. Imagine turning off the lights using your voice or using Alexa or Google Assistant to pull up a live feed of your outside cameras. 

All of this and more is now possible. The only thing they can't do, it seems, is help you decide which one is right for you - so, if you're not sure which smart speaker to buy, read on for our pick of the best. But we certainly can.

If you need help finding your next personal assistant, take a look at our guide below and find the smart speaker that suits your current setup, your budget and the aesthetics of your home – each of the speakers are hand-picked by our editors, and while each have pros/cons, all of them are great in their own way. 

Not seeing the perfect speaker for you? Don't worry. Be sure to keep checking back, as we'll be updating this list with the best smart speakers, as well as the top rumors of the new speakers to expect soon at the end. 

The best smart speakers 2018

1. Sonos One

Sonos’ debut Alexa speaker is a cleanly-designed, feature-rich and great-sounding device that brings together the best of both ecosystems. You’ve got the ever-improving Alexa on the one hand, and on the other you’ve got Sonos with its own multi-room smarts. There's also a new feature in the mix that promises to change the game: AirPlay 2. With it, the Sonos One can talk to Siri and form a multi-room pairing with the Apple HomePod, making it the most versatile speaker on the list.

If there's anything holding the Sonos One back from greatness it's the fact that Google Assistant is still MIA - something Sonos has been particularly quiet about.

Once Google Assistant support hits later in 2018 (we hope), the Sonos One promises to become the market leader in smart home speakers.

2. Apple HomePod

Superb sound, so-so smart speaker

The highly-anticipated Apple HomePod finally entered the smart speaker battle for your bookshelf in early 2018. 

The obvious benefit of an Apple HomePod over an Echo or Google Home device is that it'll play nice with your other Apple products. So if you're a die-hard Apple fan the HomePod may be a no-brainer. 

But it's worth asking the same question you should always be asking yourself when you want to splurge on a new Apple product: how much of a premium should you pay for owning a device that fits only seamlessly into the Apple ecosystem?

When we reviewed the device we were torn because we were really reviewing two things at once: how the HomePod weighs up as a premium speaker and how it fares as a smart home hub.

In the former category, the HomePod is excellent, as it boasts incredible sound and a very intuitive set-up. But in the latter, Siri is only middling in its implementation, and the fact that you're not able to break out of the Apple ecosystem for many key functions also rankles.

Apple is said to be working on the Apple HomePod 2, or a cheaper, more compact HomePod Mini, but with no mention of either at September's iPhone launch event, it looks like we wont find out until 2019.

Update: Apple recently announced a HomePod update, adding a way to search for lyrics, additional Siri languages (Spanish and Canadian French) and a feature that allows you to set timers. You can also now make calls directly from the HomePod.

3. Amazon Echo (2nd Gen)

Amazon's speaker got even smarter (in looks at least)

If you're after a smart speaker that's affordable and sounds good enough to play your favorite tracks, the latest version of the Amazon Echo is your safest bet. In fact it's our current top pick for the best smart speaker on the market right now.  

The newest, 2nd-generation Echo sounds better than Amazon's Echo Dot, but it's cheaper than the Echo Plus and Apple's HomePod. 

We don't think you should be using it to replace your hifi, but at the same time it's a really great place to start if you want to try out what the smart home life is like.

Amazon has also improved the Echo's style since the first version was released in 2015. The new fabric finishes will suit most living rooms better than the brushed aluminum of the original.

The only downside is the Echo doesn't have the neat volume dial of Amazon's Echo Plus. It's also worth mentioning that Alexa often doesn't seem quite as intelligent as Google Assistant. At the price, though, it's a great option that should suit most people's needs.  

Amazon is also reportedly working on eight new Alexa powered devices as of September 2018 including a microwave and high end audio system. 

4. Google Home

Great for Chromecast owners and inquisitive types

For starters, you might never appreciate just how much music is on YouTube without buying a Google Home. We’re not saying Google Home is capable of playing any song you can think of, but after dredging the depths of the ’90s we still couldn’t find a tune Google Home couldn’t track down and start playing.

While Google Home excels as a DJ, it’s also a surprisingly intelligent smart home hub. It already hooks into some of the largest platforms now available by including Nest, Philips and Samsung’s SmartThings, and given a few months that number will grow even more.

But we're torn when it comes to recommending the Google Home. In some ways it's disappointing and doesn't live up to be the coveted center of the smart home Google has marketed it as. 

That's because it's just not there yet. It’s a little too rigid in its language comprehension, its list of smart home devices is growing but still a bit underwhelming, and, perhaps the biggest disappointment of all, it doesn’t have many of Google’s core services built into it.

It has the potential to develop to compete with Amazon's Echo in the future, but for now the Google Home is simply a smart novelty with access to YouTube Music, built-in Google Cast and the ability to save you a trip to the light switch.

It's also worth mentioning a more recent update: Google Home can now make calls to landlines in the UK! This was a feature unveiled at last year's Google IO, and has now finally made its way into the home. Google Assistant has also been updated to included bilingual capabilities, Continued Conversation and Multiple Actions.

5. Amazon Echo Plus (2nd gen)

Alexa wants to rule your home with new smart hub functions

The Amazon Echo Plus is the higher-end choice among its tower speakers. You should consider buying one if you want decent sound quality but don't want the display of the Echo Show or Echo Spot. 

With the second generation model recently launched, the Echo Plus has ditched the two-tier look in favor of a subdued fabric design, more like the original Echo.

It's louder and bassier than the standard Echo, which is particularly useful for music. Does it sound as good as the Sonos One? No. But like Amazon’s other Echo gadgets, its price is competitive. It costs $149.99 (£139.99) with a Philips Hue bulb included to kickstart your smart home future.

Like other smart home systems, Amazon Alexa is a work in progress. However, it’s easy to recommend the Amazon Echo Plus. It’s a convenient one-stop solution for both audio, smart assistant functions and Internet of Things controls, with Alexa still going strong as the most feature-rich voice assistant.

But the strength of the Echo range, especially at the lower price tiers, still makes these top-of-the-line models a harder sell: the Echo Dot has comparable smarts for a fraction of the price, for example, it just doesn't sound as good. Likewise, the built-in smart hub is a great addition, but isn’t yet feature-complete, meaning committed smart home users may not want to make the jump just yet. 

In short, if you’re looking to enter the world of the connected home, the Echo Plus is a great place to start. Just be aware that more economical options may, for the time being at least, suit your needs just as well.