You might be asking, “why get a smart speaker over a regular speaker?” The key difference here is that smart speakers are, well, smart. You can use their built-in virtual assistant, like Siri, Alexa, or Google Assistant, to obtain the priceless benefit of automated convenience without having to lift a finger. Bose is a favorite for its excellent quality, and Apple is a competitive staple to new consumers and die-hard fans alike. Now, you can save up to $100 and turn your house into a smart, private disco 24/7 by jumping on these smart speaker deals from Amazon and Best Buy.
Apple HomePod — $200, was $300
Not many brands can hold a candle to Apple’s widespread popularity. As one of the most reputable tech giants around, Apple offers ingenious convenience and a great user experience. The Apple HomePod is no exception. It offers an innovative take on smart speakers with its location-adaptive sound to make sure you never miss a beat. With an emphasis on sound quality, this smart speaker knows its strengths and plays on them well. It even comes with the iPhone 6’s A8 processor, making it one of the most intelligent speakers around. This makes it capable of doing just about anything your phone can with the help of Siri.
Its sleek white mesh design contains everything you need from a speaker in its compact five-pound structure. Located in its upper portion is the bass woofer that allows for a wide range of deep and powerful beats, but don’t be fooled by its meek appearance. The bass on this thing is unreal. When you hear the beat on your favorite track drop for the first time, it’s going to feel like a whole new song. Surrounding its core are six microphones that make sure the speaker never misses a voice command, no matter what direction it comes from. It also has an internal bass-EQ microphone that analyzes the bass response in the room to maximize the speaker’s sound quality. This goes hand-in-hand with the 360-degree speakers at the base of the device to analyze where to direct the music. This way, the best beats never fall on deaf ears. With wall-to-wall and floor-to-ceiling sound coverage, there isn’t much else you could need from a smart speaker.
As the Apple HomePod is compatible with Apple Music and Siri, you never have to press a button to control your home’s smart speakers either. What’s more, with an Apple HomePod in every room connected to AirPlay, you can play music from every speaker simultaneously or separately — all without ever moving a muscle. However, all this convenience comes at a cost. The Apple HomePod doesn’t have a Bluetooth or auxiliary jack option, forcing you to use Apple Music exclusively.
While the Apple HomePod is jaw-droppingly impeccable, we at Digital Trends have stated before that it’s an incredible boon … for Apple users. If you don’t have an Apple device that runs on at least iOS 11.2.5 with Apple Music, you’re out of luck. Without anything to connect to, the Apple HomePod is no better than a glorified brick. But other than that, it’s practically unmatched as a smart speaker for Apple fans. It’s currently available on Best Buy for only $200 — a whole $100 off its retail price.
Bose Home Speaker 300 — $200, was $260
The Bose Home Speaker 300 is a great pick for those who want to enjoy their music with the convenience of intelligence. The speaker comes in two different colors, silver and black, and is compactly designed into an oval prism with a sleek matte facade to make any surface look good.
As with most Bose products, the sound quality is undeniably good. Much like the Apple HomePod, it utilizes a 360-degree speaker setup, turning the room into an echo chamber for your music. The Home Speaker 300 isn’t reliant on Wi-Fi either. With options for Bluetooth and aux input, this smart speaker has every option at your service. It’s an excellent option for its versatility alone.
Built atop the smart speaker are a variety of traditional buttons used to control what’s playing at any given time. These range from the standard pause/play to the six different presets available, allowing you to swap between playlists and stations with ease. The smart speaker also comes with Alexa and Google Assistant built-in, so it can be controlled remotely with just your voice. You can also opt to control the music straight from your phone using the Bose Music application, giving you three different ways to control the disco for maximum convenience. Honestly, what’s not to love?
You can also link up multiple Bose speakers using their SimpleSync technology to give you total house coverage. With a heart-pounding and room-trembling bass, the Bose Home Speaker 300 is worth every cent. While it currently costs $200 on Amazon — $60 less than its retail price — you’re getting more than what you pay for.
Check out our curated deals page for more amazing discounts on other audio devices like Bluetooth speakers and soundbars.
