It's a choice many consumers are making for the tech lovers in their life this holiday season: Amazon Echo or Google Home. Both are Bluetooth speakers and do relatively the same thing. So, which is better?
The Amazon Echo’s biggest feature is playing music. But there’s other helpful things that Alexa — Amazon's virtual assistant — can do. it can set up timers when cooking or talk amateur cooks through recipes step by step.
For those who aren’t home cooks, Alexa can order takeout. It can even order an Uber.
As for the Google Home, it too can do many of the same things as the Echo like setting timers, telling you the weather and giving you the news headlines of the day. In addition, Google Home can play games and sync up to Chrome devices to play shows on Netflix.
While both are nondescript, similar-looking speakers, the Google Home is said to have a more modern design.
Both the Amazon Echo and the Google Home are compatible with additional features and devices, such as Bluetooth lightbulbs, smart TVs and smart thermostats. These features will allow you to turn appliances on and off with just the sound of the user's voice, but will cost extra.
Google Home retails for a slightly higher price at $130, while Amazon Echo goes for $100. But each speaker has a mini version that can be found for about $30.
For those willing to wait until after Christmas, Apple will reportedly debut a smart home device early next year.
