Amazon and Walmart are gearing up for Prime Day with early deals on smart home devices. The two retail giants are going head-to-head this 4th of July with deals and competitive prices for smart speakers, the gateway products you need to talk with Alexa or Google Assistant to manage your smart home with voice commands.
Walmart partners with Google promoting devices for the Google Nest smart home platform, and Amazon focuses on its own Amazon Echo smart home devices. Walmart doesn’t sell Amazon Echo devices, and Amazon doesn’t sell Google Nest gear. Because both retailers sell pretty much everything else on the planet, their respective positioning behind the two major smart home platforms and refusal to sell the other brand smart home devices keeps the price pressure on — which means you win.
We’ve found the best 4th of July prices on Amazon for Echo smart speakers and comparable Google Nest products at Walmart and put them all in one place. Whether you are just starting to build a smart home configuration for security, entertainment, or convenience, or if you’re building up to an existing smart home network, these are the best deals today (in addition to the Black Friday deals) on Amazon and Walmart.
Tiny smart speakers
The Google Home Mini and Amazon Echo Dot are the best-selling smart speakers for their brands. They’re small, inexpensive, and have all the information, entertainment, and smart home control functions of the larger models in their respective smart home platforms.
Echo Dot (3rd Gen) — $25
The best-selling smart speaker in the world, the Amazon Echo Dot (3rd Gen) is an awesome introduction to smart home voice control. Normally priced at $50, the Echo Dot is just $25 during the sale. If you want to get started talking with Alexa or add smart speakers to more rooms in your home, this is a great chance to buy this powerful device at a temporarily low price.
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Google Home Mini — $25
A hit as soon as it was introduced, the Google Home Mini is a powerful little smart speaker that looks good and doesn’t take up much space. Buy one to get started with a Google Assistant smart home configuration or pick up extras, so you ask Google questions and control your smart home from every room. Regularly priced, $49, the $25 deal price won’t last.
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Standard size smart speakers
The Google Home and Amazon Echo smart speakers were each the first devices in their smart home platforms, although the current Echo is the second generation model. These “standard-size” smart speakers don’t have greater functionality than their smaller brandmates above, but they sound better. Both platforms have larger smart speakers with enhanced music playback sound quality — and higher prices — but the Google Home and Amazon Echo are fine for filling a room with music for casual listening.
Amazon Echo (2nd Gen) — $70
Normally priced at $100, the Amazon Echo (2nd Gen) $70 during this sale. If you want to add a smart speaker with Dolby processing-enhanced music quality, this is a great opportunity to save money at this excellent price.
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Google Home — $69
Originally priced at $129, the Google Home smart speaker is to $69 for this sale. The sound quality won’t rock your walls and bring your neighbors, but the Google Home is a significant step up in music playback quality from the Google Mini. If you want to begin speaking to Google Assistant and don’t want to settle for just minimal audio, this is a great time to pick up a Google Home at a competitive price.
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Music-enhanced smart speakers
If music is a vital part of your life, you may want to choose a smart speaker with added sound quality components. Both music-enhanced smart speakers below have the same functionality as the models above; the difference is they bring the party to your smart home network.
Amazon Echo Plus (2nd Gen) — $150
Usually $165, the Amazon Echo Plus (2nd Gen) is $150 during this sale. The Echo Plus adds Dolby 360-degree audio for crisper vocals and deeper bass than the standard Echo. You can also pair two Echo Plus units for powerful stereo. If want and Alexa-compatible smart speaker but you’re not willing to compromise on sound quality, take advantage of this discounted price.
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Google Home Max — $249
The Google Home Max is physically larger than the Echo Plus, measuring 13.8-inches wide and 6.0-inches tall. Inside the Max dual 4.5-inch woofers and two tweeters play music with stronger low notes and high-frequency sounds with greater clarity than the Google Home. Normally priced at $299, reduced from its original $399 price, the Google Home Max is $249 during this sale.
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Smart displays
Google Nest and Amazon Echo Show smart displays perform the same functions as smart speakers but add color displays so you can view your favorite photos, watch the news, stream video content, and make video calls.
Amazon Echo Show 5 — $90
For sale at its normal $90 price, the Echo Show 5 is the newest Amazon Echo smart home device. With the Show 5’s 5.5-inch diagonal screen you can cook with step-by-step instructions, see visual news and weather reports, view photos, and make video calls. The Echo Show 5 has an integrated camera for two-way video calls, but you can slide a shutter over the lens for privacy.
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Google Nest Hub — $79
The Google Nest Hub includes a free Smart Light Kit, consisting of a Google Home Mini and a GE C-Life smart light bulb. Normally priced $110 if purchased separately, this bundle is $79 during this sale. If you want a smart display to view video content and photos, this is a great opportunity to save on a bundle that also includes a separate smart speaker. The Google Nest Hub has a 7-inch touchscreen display but does not include a camera.
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