The Echo Show 8 is one of the devices slated to get first access to Alexa+, Amazon’s new voice assistant, which comes out later this spring. Before that release, though, the impending arrival will cause the privacy feature that keeps your voice recordings stored locally to go away. As of March 28, 2025, all voice commands will automatically be sent to Amazon and processed in the cloud.
Connects to Alexa.
★ A cheaper, similar Echo Show: The second-gen Echo Show 8 ($130) is a little cheaper and is still a great choice if you don’t have your heart set on new features like the smart home hub or spatial audio.
Best Mini Speaker
If you aren’t in it for the music, the Amazon Echo Dot (5th Gen) and Google’s Nest Mini (7/10, WIRED Recommends) will give you most of the perks of owning a smart speaker, and you can use them to make existing speakers smarter on the cheap. The sound is very similar between models, and they have nearly identical footprints, so you can argue that one is better than the other based on the ecosystem alone. For that reason, we prefer Google’s ecosystem to Amazon’s.
Like any other smart speaker, you can ask it the weather, have it answer random questions, and play white noise at bedtime to help you sleep. It’s a great size to squeeze onto a bedside table or even a bathroom counter if you need an alarm clock or shower jams.
Connects to Google Assistant.
★ A clock option: We originally preferred the Echo Dot with Clock ($60) simply because it can tell time, thanks to the LED clock added to the front. But Amazon is mostly out of stock, while a lot of other retailers have it at half off, and Amazon has told us they don’t plan to restock this generation. Amazon could announce a new generation soon, and we’ll update this guide if that happens. The regular Echo Dot (5th Gen) ($50) is still in stock, sans clock.
Best Portable Speaker
The pint-size Sonos Roam (9/10, WIRED Recommends) has become our favorite smart portable speaker. WIRED reviewer Parker Hall has taken it on road trips, to outdoor weddings, and in the basket of his bike. The simple-to-use Sonos ecosystem works with Google Assistant and Alexa, and the speaker has Bluetooth for when you’re out of Wi-Fi range. It even includes wireless charging, which makes it the perfect speaker to set down at home between trips outdoors.
You’ll get 10 hours of listening on a full charge at medium volume, and the thing is rugged; an IP67 rating means it can survive in 3 feet of water for 30 minutes. Hall is not easy on speakers, and his review unit is still going strong. If you’re looking to up your out-and-about game, buy one of these and stash it inside a stainless to-go mug. Just grab a drink along the way.
Connects to Google Assistant or Alexa.
★ Another option: The second generation of Bang & Olufsen’s Beosound A1 ($250) added Alexa voice assistant to the mix. It’s a beautiful, great-sounding, and durable mono speaker we’ve had on our Best Bluetooth Speakers list for a while, and with Alexa in tow, it’s a good portable option for fans of Amazon’s voice assistant.
Best Dolby Atmos Speaker
This butt-shaped speaker from Sonos (9/10, WIRED Recommends) is the best way to hear spatial audio tracks—audio that is mixed with more than two channels and can be projected anywhere in a 3D space. (Apple Music and Amazon Prime Music both offer this.) It can project audio throughout your room and can even be paired with a Sonos soundbar to work as Dolby Atmos surrounds in a home theater.
Even if you’re not listening to spatially mixed audio, the speaker still sounds fantastic. It has big, confident bass and details up top, and it can tune itself to your room using iOS or built-in microphones on the speaker. It’s a bit harder to place than the Era 100 above, and is also nearly double the price, but this is still worth considering if you have a larger space or a modern home with a more open floor plan.
