Our homes are becoming safer, more in sync with our needs, and smarter than ever before. The best smart home devices ensure you can do everything you want with the tap of a button on your phone. If the devices are synced up, you won’t even require more than one app to control them all!
What’s more, smart home devices aren’t just trendy or aesthetically pleasing – they save you a lot of money. No more forgetting to switch off the lights or turning the air-conditioner down. You can control your smart devices even when you’re not physically present at home.
With a wide array of smart home options, it can be difficult to find the one that best suits your requirements. It’s worth booking a Smart Home Assessment through Amazon’s Home Services. For Dh69, you get a 45-minute consultation with a smart home expert in your home, with a customised plan to enhance, order and install all the services you need to enhance your home.
As you think about how best to kit out your home, we start off with a list of the best speakers in the market today that are truly a smart choice. Having an assistant around makes life a lot easier. You can use these smart devices to check the weather, set alarms, learn the latest news, listen to music and, of course, control various aspects of your smart home. Get these devices as early as tomorrow with Amazon Prime.
1. Best Overall: Echo Dot (5th generation), with Alexa (Arabic or English)
Pros
- Easy-to-reach controls
- Great audio quality relative to its size
- Has privacy protection
Cons
- Directional, shallow sound
- Short power cord
Let Alexa be your assistant – use the Echo Dot for hands-free, voice-controlled commands for your daily routines. Now in Arabic, Alexa can also help you turn on lights and plugs, and adjust the thermostat. Sync her up with other devices and control your entire smart home with just your voice. Echo Dot comes with a ‘Microphone Off’ facility that gives you peace of mind, when you want to ensure complete privacy. Do note however, that while the Echo Dot is loud enough, with clear audio, there has been no drastic improvement over the previous version in terms of sound quality.
2. Best Multipurpose: Echo Show 10 (3rd generation)
Pros
- Screen rotates automatically to track you
- Loud, crisp audio quality
- Useful home security features
- Built-in hub for smart home device control
Cons
- Bass is not powerful enough
- No YouTube app
- Expensive
Get ready for an upgrade like never before, with Echo Show 10. The screen is designed to move with you, so you truly get a hands-free experience when you want to view information, films, recipes and more. Control compatible smart home devices with its in-built hub – access cameras, lights, air conditioning and lots more. You can even use the Echo Show like an intercom and talk to any room in the house, and use its camera feature to monitor your home! It’s an intuitive device, and undoubtedly can be used as more than just a speaker.
3. Best Sound Quality: Sonos One
Pros
- Excellent audio quality
- Humidity-resistant
- Integrated YouTube, Spotify and other apps
- Microphone picks up commands even from a distance
Cons
- Surface may collect fingerprints
- Set-up is not as easy as the rest
- On the expensive side
Sonos One checks most of the boxes - it’s efficient, has a clean design, and excellent sound quality. You can use it with both Alexa and Google Assistant, and it even talks to Siri to form multi-room pairing, with the Apple HomePod. The speaker’s microphone array is plenty powerful, and is able to pick up your voice from across the room. Our main gripe with it is its price, which is on the higher end, but rest assured, it’s head and shoulders above other smart speakers in the same price range.
Bonus: Buy with 0% installments and pay Dh59.92 for 12 months with select banks.
Warranty: Amazon offers 1-year extended warranty for Dh46 and 2-year extended warranty for Dh65.
4. Best for Alexa: Echo (4th generation)
Pros
- Strong bass for its size
- Faster response from Alexa
- Built-in smart home hub
Cons
- Maximum volume may still not be loud enough
- No Chromecast support
With premium sound and deep bass, the Echo meets all your voice command needs. It’s easy to set up and compatible with Zigbee devices, like the rest of the Echo family. It can be synced to a host of devices so that full control of your smart home comes together in a single device. Connect your house with the Echo – it has four microphones so it can listen to you even in noisy environments or while playing music.
5. Best Portable Smart Speaker: Bose Portable Smart Speaker
Pros
- Powerful audio
- Compatible with Alexa and Google Assistant
- Streams via AirPlay 2, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi
- Water-resistant
Cons
- Expensive
- Deep bass does not work well at higher volumes
This streamlined, efficient device packs a punch despite its small size. With a thick, clothbound handle for easy portability, it includes clear, visible buttons and a small status LED next to the power button so you know when the device is powering up or your voice assistant is listening. If you have other Bose speakers, this portable device will sync up and become a multi-room speaker. Its mono speaker gets quite loud, relative to its size, so it’s ideal for people on the move.
Bonus: Buy with 0% installments and pay Dh137.42 for 12 months with select banks.
Warranty: Amazon offers 1-year extended warranty for Dh97 and 2-year extended warranty for Dh138.
Our recommendations are independently chosen by Gulf News editors. If you decide to shop through links on our website, we may earn an affiliate commission, as we are part of Amazon Services LLC Associates Program.
