10 Best Smart Speakers 2026 in the United States

The Amazon Echo Dot Max is designed to deliver powerful, room-filling sound that adapts to your space, making it an excellent choice for those who want richer audio than the smaller Echo Dot models provide. Its bass is nearly three times stronger, offering deep tones and clear playback for music lovers. The built-in smart home hub supports popular protocols like Zigbee, Matter, and Thread, allowing you to control compatible lights, locks, and other smart devices without needing extra hubs. Alexa+ Early Access offers a more conversational and proactive voice assistant experience, helpful for daily tasks, reminders, and entertainment. Microphone quality is enhanced with multiple layers of privacy controls, including a physical microphone off button, which is reassuring for privacy-conscious users.

Connectivity options are robust, including Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3, plus integration with Amazon's eero mesh Wi-Fi system to improve coverage and reduce buffering. The device supports pairing with other Echo speakers and Fire TV devices to build multi-room audio or home theater setups. In terms of design, the Echo Dot Max is slightly larger than typical Echo Dots, but still compact enough to fit comfortably in most rooms. It also features sensors for presence and temperature detection, enabling smart routines triggered by your environment. Its audio output is two-way mono rather than true stereo, which might be a downside for audiophiles seeking full stereo separation.

This smart speaker is well suited for users who want superior sound quality, solid smart home control, and enhanced Alexa features, but it could be more than necessary for those seeking a simple, basic voice assistant device.

The Sonos Move 2 is a versatile smart speaker that offers impressive audio quality and various features suited for both indoor and outdoor use. Its main strengths lie in its sound quality, with a new acoustic architecture that includes two tweeters for higher-fidelity stereo sound and dynamic bass, making music feel as vibrant as a live performance. The automatic Trueplay tuning feature ensures that the sound is optimized for its surroundings, enhancing the listening experience regardless of where you are.

With up to 24 hours of battery life on a single charge, the Move 2 also boasts excellent portability, aided by its built-in handle and durable, shock-absorbent materials that protect it from drops, spills, and dust. The speaker's IP56 rating means it can handle rain and dirt, although it is not waterproof, so full submersion should be avoided. Connectivity options are robust, featuring Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, Airplay, and NFC, ensuring seamless integration with various devices and smart home systems.

The design is sleek and modern, with a white polycarbonate build that fits well in any setting. However, at 6.61 pounds, it is relatively heavy for a portable speaker, which might limit its convenience for some users. Additionally, while the speaker includes a charging dock with a detachable power cable, charging on the go requires a USB-PD power supply, which may not be as convenient for all users. The Sonos Move 2 is well-suited for those looking for a high-quality, durable smart speaker with excellent sound and ample connectivity options for versatile use in different environments.

The newest Amazon Echo Dot is a compact and stylish smart speaker, ideal for bedrooms, dining rooms, or offices. It offers a noticeable improvement in sound quality compared to previous models, delivering clearer vocals and deeper bass, though it’s still a single mono speaker, so you shouldn’t expect rich stereo sound. Alexa is the voice assistant here, and she responds well to voice commands, providing weather updates, timers, music playback, and jokes. The microphone system is good at picking up your voice across the room, but like many small speakers, it might struggle in very noisy environments.

Smart home integration is a strong point: this Echo Dot can control many compatible smart devices and create routines that make your home more comfortable automatically. It also has built-in sensors for motion and temperature, which adds to its ability to trigger actions without you having to ask. Connectivity options include dual-band Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, making it easy to stream music from popular services or connect to other Echo devices for multi-room audio. There’s even support for Amazon’s eero mesh Wi-Fi system to improve internet coverage at home.

Regarding privacy, Amazon includes multiple layers of protection like a microphone off button and the option to review and delete voice recordings, which is reassuring if you’re concerned about data security. The device supports English and Spanish, and has accessibility features that help users with various needs. Due to its small size, the Echo Dot is very portable and easy to place anywhere, although this also limits the speaker’s volume and bass depth compared to larger smart speakers. Some advanced features may require subscriptions or other fees. If you want a budget-friendly, versatile smart speaker that works well for everyday tasks and integrates smoothly with smart home gadgets, this Echo Dot represents a very solid choice.