Apple’s HomePod has arrived, and its major selling point (at least while Apple gets Siri up to task) is to outperform the Amazon Echo and Google Home in the sound department.
But here’s the thing: Google’s Home Max is apparently better when it comes to overall sound quality than Apple’s smart speaker. At least, that was the finding of Yahoo’s David Pogue, who did a blind test of the Google Home Max, Apple HomePod, Sonos One, and Amazon Echo Plus.
This test wasn’t done on a grand scale, admittedly. Pogue appears to have used the views of his friends and colleagues equating to just a handful of regular people. Yet, according to Pogue, the majority of those in attendance said the Sonos One was the best, closely followed by the Google Home Max.
Where it gets more interesting is when you consider the price of these devices. Google Home Max comes in at $399 (it’s not currently available in the UK), compared to the HomePod’s $349 (£349) and the Sonos One’s $199 (£149) – so the cheapest is actually the best, followed by the second cheapest.
And Pogue’s test isn’t the only one that has placed Google Home Max and the Sonos One above the Apple HomePod. Consumer Reports recently filed a test which showed the same thing – Apple’s HomePod was not as well liked as the One and Home Max.
Plus, Google Home Max runs Google Assistant and, while it is not perfect, it is leagues ahead of Siri in terms of features and abilities.
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