Apple HomePod vs Google Home vs Home Max vs Amazon Echo 2nd gen: Feature & specs comparison
Apple's HomePod was announced more than half an year ago but is yet to arrive to the market. However, it seems that all this time couldn't help Apple come up with a finished product as the HomePod will be arriving without essential functionalities like stereo sound and multi-room audio at launch as these are reportedly coming later this year.
Needless to say, the competition did not sleep and had the chance to populate the market with a slew of many not half-bad smart speakers that fill the void Apple . Gadgets like the Google Home, Google Home mini, Google Home Max, and Amazon Echo 2nd-gen are already doing their mojo inside users' houses. Will the HomePod with its mediocre Siri assistant convince enough people to get one and use it in lieu of a Google- or Amazon-made ones which are powered by the more capable Google Assistant and Alexa?
But for anyone out there who hasn't got themselves a smart home gadget yet, there's only one way we can help, and that's by comparing all the features of the Apple HomePod, Google Home, and Amazon's latest Echo in tabular format.
| Apple HomePod | Google Home | Google Home Max | Amazon Echo 2nd gen | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dimensions | Diameter: 5.6" (142 mm) Height: 6.8" (172 mm) Weight: 5.5 lbs (2.5 kg) | Diameter: 3.79" (96.4 mm) Height: 5.62" (142.8 mm) Weight: 1.05 lbs (477 g) | Width: 13.2" (336.6 mm) Height: 7.4" (190.0 mm) Depth: 6.0" (154.4 mm) Weight: 11.7 lbs (5300 g) | Diameter: 3.3" (83.82mm) Height: 9.3" (236.22mm) Weight: 1.81 lbs (821 g) |
| Colors | Space Gray, White | White, Slate Fabric | Chalk, Charcoal | Charcoal Fabric, Heather Gray Fabric, Sandstone Fabric, Walnut Finish, Oak Finish, Silver Finish |
| Drivers | 7X tweeters, 1X 4" subwoofer | 2” driver + 2X 2” passive radiators | 0.7" tweeter, 2X 4.5" subwoofers | 0.6" tweeter, 2.5" subwoofer |
| On-board microphones | 6, far-field voice recognition, spatial awareness | 2 | 6, far-field voice recognition, spatial awareness | 7, far-field voice recognition |
| Processor | Apple A8 | 1.5GHz 64-bit quad-core ARM® Cortex™ A53 | 1.5GHz 64-bit quad-core ARM® Cortex A53 | MediaTek MT8163V/A |
| Smart assistant | Siri | Google Assistant | Google Assistant | Alexa |
| OS compatibility | iOS | Android, iOS | Android, iOS | Android, iOS, Fire OS |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi 802.11ac, Direct guest access, Bluetooth 5.0 | Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n/ac (2.4GHz/5Ghz) | Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n/ac (2.4GHz/5Ghz), Bluetooth 4.2, Chromecast | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n (2.4GHz/5 GHz) |
| Supported music services | Apple Music, subscription required | YouTube, YouTube TV, Netflix, Google Play Music, Spotify, The CW, Pandora, TuneIn Radio, HBO NOW, CBS All Access, IFTTT, Rakuten Viki | YouTube, YouTube TV, Netflix, Google Play Music, Spotify, The CW, Pandora, TuneIn Radio, HBO NOW, CBS All Access, IFTTT, Rakuten Viki | Amazon Music, Spotify, Pandora, iHeartRadio, SiriusXM, Netflix, HBO Now, Sling, HULU |
| Supported audio formats | HE-AAC (V1), AAC (16 to 320 Kbps), protected AAC (from iTunes Store), MP3 (16 to 320 Kbps), MP3 VBR, Apple Lossless, AIFF, WAV, and FLAC | HE-AAC, LC-AAC+, MP3, Vorbis, WAV (LPCM), FLAC | HE-AAC, LC-AAC+, MP3, Vorbis, WAV (LPCM), FLAC, Opus | MP3, AAC, WAV, Vorbis, Opus, WAV (PCM) |
| IOT devices compatibility | HomeKit compatible, D-Link, ecobee, Elgato, First Alert, Honeywell, iDevices, iHome, Incipio, Kwikset, Leviton, LIFX, Logitech, Lutron, Nanoleaf, Philips Pure Gear, Schlage, etc... | Nest, Philips, WeMo, TP-Link, D-Link, Samsung SmartThings, LG, August, Insignia, Frigidaire Logitech, HoneyWell, etc. | Nest, Philips, WeMo, TP-Link, D-Link, Samsung SmartThings, LG, August, Insignia, Frigidaire Logitech, HoneyWell, etc... | C by GE, Honeywell, Lutron, Philips Hue, Ring, Schlage, Sengled, Sonos, TP-Link, Wink |
| Streaming devices support | Google Chromecast, Google Chromecast Audio, Vizio, B&O Play, Toshiba, Philips, Sony, Xiaomi, Nvidia Shield, Bang & Olufsen, etc... | Google Chromecast, Google Chromecast Audio, Vizio, B&O Play, Toshiba, Philips, Sony, Xiaomi, Nvidia Shield, Bang & Olufsen, etc... | Logitech, Sony, | |
| Price | $349 | $129 | $399 | $99 |
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