The best Alexa speaker comes with Amazon’s voice assistant built-in so you can get the sports scores, your burning questions answered, or even a weather report without having to reach for your smartphone. Alexa will even play, pause and skip tracks when you’re listening to your favorite album or playlist on the speaker.
There’s a wide range of Alexa speakers manufactured by Amazon on the market to suit all budgets; from compact devices such as the Echo Dot, which are best suited to the bedroom, right through to excellent-sounding speakers that can easily be used in your entertainment set-up. However, some of the best Alexa speakers are available from third-party brands including Sonos and Bose.
As well as smart speakers with Alexa built-in, Amazon also offers a range of smart displays that feature the voice assistant. These build on the best Alexa speakers with a screen that offers up a visual interpretation of the information being served up audibly. Many of these Alexa speakers feature in our round-up of the best smart speakers you can buy right now, too.
The best Alexa speaker also ensures your smart home devices from different manufacturers can work together. For example, you can use one command to switch on the smart lights, smart plugs, and even your smart thermostat, creating a cozy atmosphere without reaching for your smartphone.
Alexa speakers, both those manufactured by Amazon as well as those from other brands, are guaranteed to be heavily discounted on Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Last year, as the Amazon Echo (4th generation) range, had recently launched, we saw discounts on the previous generation of Alexa speakers including 50% off the Amazon Echo Dot (3rd generation). However, we haven’t seen a new range of Echo smart speakers this year, so we anticipate the 4th generation models will be those with substantial savings.
If you’re considering buying an Alexa speaker and want to ensure it arrives before the festive period, we’d recommend snapping up a deal now rather than waiting until the holiday sales are underway, as the global supply chain issues mean shipping times are much longer than usual. However, if you want to get the best price then it’s worth waiting for Black Friday. Check out our Best Black Friday Amazon Echo deals round-up to see the best discounts as soon as they drop.
There’s a wide range of models to choose from when it comes to picking the best Alexa speaker for you. We’ve put all of Amazon’s designs to the test, along with those from Bose and Sonos to discover which is the best Alexa speaker you can buy right now.
The best Alexa speaker of 2021
How we test Alexa speakers
When it comes to putting the best Alexa speakers to the test, we evaluate the sound quality of the speaker and whether the audio is clear when listening to music, podcasts, and even the responses from Alexa.
We assess each model on its ability to pick up your voice when issuing commands to Alexa, as well as privacy features that help ensure the smart speaker isn’t constantly watching and listening, and how compact and durable the design is.
What to consider when buying an Alexa speaker
There are a number of considerations when it comes to choosing the best Alexa speaker for you.
Do you want an Alexa speaker that just offers audible responses from Amazon’s voice assistant, or do you want a device with a screen, known as a smart display, that lets you see as well as hear Alexa’s responses? And if so, do you want a larger screen that can be easily seen in a quick glance when ou’re on the other side of the room, or do you want a smaller , more compact device?
Next, consider where you intend to locate the Alexa speaker. Large devices are best suited to rooms with bigger footprints such as a lounge or dining room, while for bedrooms, you may want a smaller Alexa speaker so it fits neatly on your bedside table.
If you intend to use the smart speaker as your main listening device, make sure you consider the number of speakers, and the sound output and quality it offers. Those with smaller speakers are best suited to background music, while larger smart speakers will offer a louder, more room-filling sound. Also look for models that can be paired together to create stereo sound if you’re planning to use a smart speaker as part of your home cinema set-up.
What do Alexa speakers do?
As we’ve already mentioned, Alexa speakers can be used to listen to music but there’s also a host of other things they can do thanks to Amazon’s built-in voice assistant. To start with, they can control the playback of music for you, rather than needing to reach for your smartphone. Just ask Alexa to pause the music, skip tracks, adjust the volume or even play a specific album, track or playlist.
Alexa speakers can also offer up a range of information such as a weather report, the latest news headlines or even sports scores, if you ask for them. The voice assistant can also provide trivia and answer your burning questions such as ‘who is the Queen of England’ or ‘what is the tallest mountain in the world’.
Alexa speakers can be a great way to stay in touch with family and friends by letting you make audio calls, and if you have an Alexa smart display, video calls. It can even be a source of fun by telling jokes and playing games. .
Finally Alexa speakers can also be used to control compatible smart home devices; for example it can dim or brighten any smart lights you have in your home, turn the temperature up or down if you have a smart thermostat and let you converse with anyone at your doorstep by connecting to your video doorbell.