If you’re unfamiliar with this type of gadget, a smart speaker is essentially a speaker that links to your Wi-Fi network and reacts to voice commands to play music and carry out various tasks, such as answering inquiries, providing weather updates, or managing other connected smart devices like lights and thermostats. Most smart speakers (including the ones evaluated here) also come with Bluetooth, allowing them to play music directly from a smartphone, similar to a portable Bluetooth speaker. Google has also recently incorporated Matter, a technology that simplifies the connection and control of smart devices, into all of its smart speakers.