Google Home (2016)

Great design ; Decent sound ; Reasonable price point ; Conversational assistant ; Easy setup

Limited smart home compatibility ; Speaker isn't very loud ; Needs to be plugged in at all times

Google Home is a powerful smart speaker, powered by the smartest voice assistant and a growing range of smart device support.

Customizable base Massive song library Expanding hardware ecosystem

Missing Google’s own services Phrasing needs to be precise Google Cast support needs work

Wildly intelligent and supremely versatile in the ways in which it can be used, Google Home is a solid smart speaker. It's not as integrated with Google's own services as we'd like, and the Google Home has some room to improve in terms of audio...

Simple to use ; Unobtrusive design ; Works with Chromecast ; Multi-room capability ; Stereo pairing

Few apps ; Average sound ; Limited smart home capability ; No Bluetooth (but it's coming)

Google has arrived late to the voice-controlled assistant party, and has some catching up to do

Cheaper and arguably more attractive than Echo ; Better at answering questions than Echo ; Built in voice control of Netflix and Chromecast

Less good as a music speaker than Echo ; Does less overall than Echo

Good-looking design will integrate anywhere around the home ; Touch panel controls ; In-depth conversational and search-based results ; Supports up to six users

Less third-party app support than Amazon Echo ; Microphone pick-up limited when music is playing

Google Home has matured a lot since it first launch and continues to, so if you don't mind waiting for it to reach its full potential, then it's the voice-assistant speaker to get. It's good looking, great sounding and, it has the potential to be the...

With Google Assistant built in, the Google Home integrates with Google Calendar, Maps and Chromecast, so it gives you personalized answers. Say the word, and the Home can also control your smart home gadgets or send music and video to your TV and...

The Home's integrations with other Google services still don't allow a lot of give and take -- you can't create reminders or make a to-do list.

Google Home offers more personalized virtual assistance than the Echo, and it's better at controlling your digital entertainment.

Looks classy, yet unobtrusive ; You can control your home and music like Tony Stark ; Search and translate functionality is brilliant ; Can now recognise multiple users by voice

Could sound better ; Play Music doesn’t support adding to your library/playlists ; You can’t add appointments, reminders, or send messages

Genius in some ways, and a dunce in others, Home, like the Echo, is on the cusp of true brilliance. We’re just not quite there yet.

Great microphone performance ; Customisable design ; Expansive skill set ; Effortless setup ; Unobtrusive

Voice commands can get confusing

At £129, Google Home is a more personalisable connected speaker than those from its leading rivals; Swapping out the ability to buy stuff online using your voice for a better understanding of general queries out the box..