Are you planning to invest in a smart Christmas speaker? Here are your top five options.

Apple HomePod Mini

€ 99

The smart speaker of choice if you're an Apple user, the HomePod Mini is anything but small in terms of sound. Ask them to play your Apple Music playlists, or connect it to your Apple TV 4K to enhance your home cinema sound, and you'll hear exactly what it's capable of. If you have more than one, you can link them together and create stereo sound in your room as well.

The spherical speaker not only deals with your music, but is also the centerpiece of the Homekit-compatible smart home. HomePodMini comes with built-in Siri, which you can access either by voice commands or by tapping the touch-enabled panel on the top of your device. It does everything you'd expect Siri to do on your smartphone, from setting alarms and adding to shopping lists to replying to messages (if you've set up personal requests on your HomePod).

Connect your HomeKit-compatible Smarthome devices - sockets, lights, smart locks, and more - and you can control them all with voice commands. You can even ask Siri to help you find your missing phone or find anything you've attached Apple tags to. You can also use the speakers as a makeshift intercom system to send a message home.

The latest update of the range has also brought more interesting colors, Apple branching from gray and white to include yellow, orange and blue. It may seem like a small thing, but it's nice to have a choice.

apple.com

Google Nest Audio

€ 99

Google's alternative to the HomePod Mini, Nest Audio is a worthy rival. As you might expect, the Google Assistant has built-in Google Assistant, so once you've set it up and registered in your account, it acts as an extension of your smartphone. and turn off the lights or add to your shopping list as you walk through the closets.

The buttonless device has touch controls on the speaker itself, which requires careful touching to be correct, so those voice commands will be better used than you'd expect.

Connect two together and get stereo sound, with Nest Audio automatically recognizing the presence of another compatible device.

In terms of colors, you get charcoal and chalk, and that's it. For now, at least.

store.google.com

Amazon Echo Studio

190 GBP

Of all the digital assistants, Alexa probably has the best sense of humor. Amazon has programmed Alexa to share quick and easy answers, but that's not what Echo smart speakers are good for. They can also control compatible smart home devices, as do Google and Apple speakers, and play decent music while they're on it.

While Echo Dot is a cheaper smart speaker, we have a bit to lose weight for Echo Studio. It supports high-resolution sound, music that has been mastered in 3D sound, and adapts to your room's acoustics to give you the best sound possible.

It also works as a smart home hub for Zigbee compatible devices. At the bottom, he needs a little more space than his Echo brothers. But this is a change we are willing to make.

homekit.blog.co.uk

Sonos One

€ 219

Sonos has built a decent reputation for audio in recent years, and Sonos One is no exception. Get everything you'd expect from Sonos as an audio brand, with the addition of both the Google Assistant and the built-in Amazon Alexa - the choice is yours.

It has a remote field microphone to hear your voice from across the room and a small ringtone to indicate that it has heard your command, so you don't have to wonder if there's something else in your house that ignores you.

You can also pair two stereo sound devices or connect them to your home cinema setup, plus it's the only brand that comes with its own custom accessory option - a Sonos shelf or stand, if you're feeling generous. .

sonos.com

JBL Link Portable

€ 149

The compact JBL Link Portable has a built-in Google Assistant so you can "Hey Google" throughout the day by asking your digital assistant to monitor your smarthome devices, set up appointments, or delete your schedule as needed.

However, its main function is music, which you can play via bluetooth or wifi, with support for both Chromecast and AirPlay. It also sounds good, with 360-degree sound, so no matter where you place it, you should get the best sound possible.

As the name suggests, the device can be disconnected from the charging station and powered up with an eight-hour battery life. It is also IPX7 certified, so it will survive rain or a few splashes.

harveynorman.ie