8 Best Smart Speakers, According to Esquire’s Tech Experts

This is the most versatile smart speaker pick, since it’s not beholden to any of the big three brands. It’s also a better speaker than anything Google or Amazon has ever manufactured. This makes sense because Sonos is an audio company, always has been. Google and Amazon are tech companies.

The Sonos Era has been our go-to smart speaker for years for a few simple reasons. It works with every voice assistant we tested (we haven’t tried Cortana, sorry) and the sound is stellar for the price. Sonos makes it easy to connect with other Sonos devices, so a multi-speaker setup is always just another click away.

If there’s one thing to love about Google’s Nest Audio speaker, it’s how straightforward it is. On our end, though, that means there’s not much to say. This is a small speaker with enough sound to fill one room. It’s got good highs and decent lows, and the sound supposedly adapts to the contour of your room. Once you get outside the room, things start getting dicey, both in terms of volume and responsiveness.

You can use Google Assistant for playback, or just ask it the weather, or use it to relay messages to other Nests in the house. That’s the kind of stuff that really does make your home seem smart.

If all that smart home gobbledygook doesn’t do much for you and you just want a speaker you can talk to, the next purchase you should make is a Sonos Roam. It’s a great speaker, it’s portable, and it’s perfect for beach trips and pool parties.

Mainly, this is a speaker you are going to use to stream music from your phone. It has no direct connection otherwise. The knowledge that any of your guests can tell the speaker to skip or just pull up a random song from your library is a risk worth taking. Let the Roam 2 be your portable jukebox this summer.

Sonos delivers yet again with its latest smart speaker to hit store shelves, digital or otherwise. The Sonos Era 300 is a powerhouse of a speaker. It’s also large, and a bit bulky. Unlike the Roam, this Sonos Speaker isn’t going anywhere. It’s staying right at home to deliver you cinema-worthy experiences from the comfort of your couch.

With Dolby Atmos, this speaker mimics surround sound impeccably. Whether you are throwing a house party or a movie night, the vibes will almost certainly be enhance by the Era 300.

If you want a smart speaker that you can lose under the couch cushion, Google has got your back. The Nest Mini won’t blow your face off, but it is a pleasant, innocuous addition to your home that can help entertain while you’re making dinner or doing the dishes.

This is a responsive smart speaker that’s easy to use, especially if you already have Google devices or a Pixel phone. The price doesn’t hurt, either.