Under - $150
1 ECHO 4TH GEN
Amazon’s smart speakers haven’t always sounded fantastic, but the 4th generation Echo is the bestsounding version yet. It’s much clearer and involving than before, it streams effortlessly from all the key music services, it’s easy to expand with Alexa skills and it has a built-in Zigbee hub for connecting to and controlling smart lights and other devices.
$129, amazon.com.au 2 GOOGLE NEST HUB
The Nest Hub looks like a simplified, Google-branded Android tablet, and that’s essentially what it is: it connects to Nest devices such as door cameras and Wi-Fi cameras, it enables you to access your Google Calendars, Google Photos and other Google services, and it plays YouTube, as well as Netflix, Disney+, Apple
Music and Spotify.
$149, store.google.com 3 ECHO SHOW 8 2ND GEN
This larger Echo Show is a vast improvement over the smaller model, with a usable 8-inch HD
display and a 13MP camera. Browsing through calendars and reminders or watching online video
won’t make you squint, and its streaming capabilities – including Netflix, Prime Video and more, as well as music services – make it a
great kitchen device.
$149, amazon.com.au 4 APPLE HOMEPODS MINI
Apple’s original HomePods were wonderful but pricey, and while
these tiny replacements can’t deliver their predecessors’ sheer grunt, they punch way above their size and price tag. If you’re all-in on Apple services such as Apple TV+ and Apple Music, they offer superb integration, multi-room audio and seamless transition
between Apple devices.