Networked Speaker

AMAZON ECHO 4TH GEN

While Google's Nest line is the more popular here in Australia, the new and stylishly spherical Amazon Echo is our choice for the best of the networked speakers.

Amazon has ditched the old cylindrical Echo for a ball shape on both the full-sized device and the Echo Dot, which we noted in our review was a much softer and more appealing design for a home environment.

Its smart-home capabilities are robust, backed by Amazon's famous Alexa voice assistant. Though Alexa doesn't quite beat out Google Assistant in our rankings, she's nonetheless a solid choice to run your connected home, especially as more and more compatible devices launch here.

Audio quality – the “speaker” part of a smart speaker – also impressed us, with a three-inch woofer and two tweeters providing good sound without the flatness or tinniness of other products.

Though it doesn't have the smarts of Google Nest or the sound of a dedicated Klipsch or Anthem speaker, the 4th-generation Amazon Echo is still a great… ahem… all-rounder.