Google Home or Amazon Echo: Models, Features and Which is Better

Amazon Echo vs Google Home: available devices

The first thing is to talk about the different devices that we can acquire within each catalog . On the one hand we have the Amazon Echo equipment that includes from a simple plug, a small speaker, another larger one for those who like to enjoy the best music or a kitchen clock. On the other hand, there are the Google Home teams, which are also known as Google Nest. This family is smaller but, yes, it provides a complete experience despite being less in number.

We are going to see each of the possibilities that these manufacturers offer us within their famous devices with intelligent assistant.

The Google Home family

• Google Home Mini : The smallest smart speaker in the cast but equally valid for interacting with Google Assistant or listening to music among other functions.
• Google Nest Mini : This is the evolution of the Home Mini under the name of Nest. The differences with the previous one are small and focus on a greater number of microphones (for better recognition), a sharper and higher quality sound, with more power and 40% more bass.
• Google Home : This is the older brother of the previous ones. The main difference lies in the quality of the sound since, its speakers are larger and quality.
• Google Nest Hub – the company’s smart display speaker. In this case, we can use it as the home automation center of our home, play YouTube content on it, follow recipes and some other functions.

This is the entire Google Home / Nest family. Although it is important to know that Google Assistant comes “natively” to computers such as the car or our TV, unlike Amazon computers, which need an additional device.

The Amazon Echo family

• Amazon Echo Dot : the first of the Echo devices that saw the light. It is a small speaker with which we can perform any of the functions of the Echo accessory without screen.
• Amazon Echo : the evolution of the Echo Dot, with greater power and better audio quality.
• Amazon Echo Plus : a version of the previous speaker but, with an extra addition for those who want to domotize their home. This includes an internal Hub to synchronize any smart equipment such as lights or plugs, without the need for intermediate bridges.
• Amazon Echo Spot : This was Amazon’s first smart display speaker. With it, in addition to all the functionalities available with Alexa, we can make video conferences, follow recipes and many more functions whose limit is in the skills available from Amazon. A little later we will see what this means.
• Amazon Echo Show 5 : expanding the possibilities of a touch environment, we have this speaker with a 5 ″ front screen and better sound compared to the Echo Spot.
• Amazon Echo Show 8 : it is the same speaker that we just talked about but, with a screen that goes up to 8 ″.
• Amazon Echo Studio : For sound lovers. A speaker with incredible audio fidelity and that, accompanied by a pair of Amazon Echo or Echo Plus, allows us to create a 2.1 audio system, acting as a subwoofer.
• Amazon Echo Flex – one of the company’s latest releases. With it we can take Alexa to any corner of the fall, since this equipment is directly attached to any outlet. In addition, it has a USB adapter at the bottom to avoid losing the charging port, or adapt a series of accessories such as a motion sensor or a night light.
• Amazon Echo Auto : the echo device that allows us to have all the possibilities that a smart speaker provides in our car.
• Amazon Echo Wall Clock : a curious team, since it is a clock with which we can invoke Alexa and ask her to activate timers and alarms, among other things. A very useful accessory for, for example, a kitchen.
• Amazon Echo Input : this Echo accessory seems to have disappeared from the Amazon catalog but, yes, we assure you that it has existed. It is a gadget that turns any speaker into a smart one, taking Alexa to that speaker.

Alexa vs Google Assistant: the best smart assistant

One of the most interesting functions of these smart speaker families is the possibility of invoking the assistants of each company, that is, Alexa or Google Asisstant. They will allow us to carry out endless commands to facilitate our day to day. For example, we can:

• Ask about the weather in our city
• Record an appointment on our calendar
• Add an item to a list
• Listen to music through them
• Control home automation equipment that we have at home remotely

And many more functions that, if we stopped to list them all, this article would be too long. But what then is the more intelligent assistant of the two? Based on the latest report from Loupventures , an expert company in analysis and technological research, after conducting a test with 800 identical requests to both assistants, the final result points to Google Assistant being “better” in this regard.

While Google Assistant perfectly understood 100% of requests and answered 92.3% correctly, Alexa made 99.9% of understanding and answered only 79.8% of requests satisfactorily.

As for the naturalness in the answers, the winner is Amazon’s smart assistant. Alexa has a much more natural, less robotic and forced diction than Google Assistant can do so far.

If we limit ourselves to the number of functions we can perform , the champion by crushing defeat is Alexa. The reason? the Amazon Skills . There are small variations between the “common” functions that we can perform with one or another assistant, such as, in the case of teams with Alexa, we can make purchases on Amazon through this device. But, what really increases these functionalities exponentially are the Skills or “own functions” that we can add to our smart speaker. These are developed by each creator and, therefore, the possibilities are endless. Therefore, “mini point” again for the Amazon wizard. If you want to know in depth each and every one of the functionalities that Alexa or Google Assistant has , you can visit their corresponding web pages that list each and every one.

The languages in which Alexa is available are: English, German, Japanese, French, Italian and Spanish. On the other hand, Google Assistant is able to interpret: German, Danish, Spanish, French, Dutch, English, Italian, Japanese, Norwegian and Swedish.

Finally in this section, we are going to discuss the compatibility with streaming services. Both assistants are compatible with Spotify or Pandora, among others . But, as you can imagine, own services such as Amazon Music or YouTube can only be used with the own assistant of each company. So, if you want to use YouTube from your speaker, our recommendation is that you opt for Google Home. However, if the one you use is Amazon Prime Video or Music, you should opt for an Echo.

Creating the smartest house

If you want to acquire one of these platforms in order to turn your house into a smart home , you should know that both Google and Amazon have a wide catalog compatible with their assistants. But, if we analyze all the possibilities, the number of devices compatible with Alexa is greater.

We just have to take a “walk” through the Amazon website to check it. An example may be Ring’s security cameras, some models of smart light bulbs and various gadgets that include Alexa’s own assistant exclusively.

In addition, smart speakers with Alexa have a plus , and never better said. We remember that the Amazon Echo Plus has an internal hub for the synchronization of all those home automation equipment that requests an external bridge for its operation. Therefore, thanks to that savings and simplification, along with a greater catalog, Alexa is the winner of the integration with the home.

Google Home or Amazon Echo: it’s time to choose

Making a compilation of all the sections that we have discussed, we see that both the Google Home speakers and the Amazon Echo are quite on par. The two platforms have a set of incredible features, actions and functionalities but, if we just observe those small differences between them, the speakers with Alexa seem to be more interesting and complete these days .

Now that you know all these characteristics, it is time for you to opt for one or the other. What is clear is that both will provide you with a good set of benefits but, depending on each particular case, one may better suit your needs than the other.