The 6 Best Alexa Speakers - Summer 2021 Reviews

The best Alexa speaker that we've tested is the Sonos Move. This portable Bluetooth speaker comes with Alexa and Google Assistant built-in, which you can use while connected to a Wi-Fi network. They can understand your commands when you're far from the speaker and when you're in noisier environments. There's even a mic mute button you can use when you no longer want the speaker to listen to you.

This speaker has a balanced sound profile out-of-the-box, making it suitable for listening to a wide variety of audio content. Its well-balanced mid-range ensures voices and lead instruments are clearly and accurately reproduced in the mix. There are also bass and treble adjustments featured on its companion app, so you can customize its sound to your liking. This very well-built speaker is rated IP56 for dust and water resistance, though we don't test for this. Also, its battery life can last over ten hours from a single charge, though this can depend on your usage, and your experience may vary.

Unfortunately, it has high latency with iOS and Android devices via Bluetooth, so it isn't very suitable for watching movies and videos. However, some apps compensate for latency differently, so your real-world experience may differ. If you're looking for a good speaker that supports Alexa, this versatile speaker is a solid choice.

The best home speaker for Alexa that we've tested is the Bose Home Speaker 500. It offers fantastic voice assistant support and has Alexa and Google Assistant built-in. You can also use Alexa to directly command your other Bose smart and Amazon Echo products, though we don't test for this. The assistants have no trouble understanding your commands from far away and in noisier environments, and there's even a mic mute button that can come in handy when you don't want the assistant to keep listening to you. 

Out-of-the-box, this speaker has a fairly neutral sound profile, making it suitable for listening to a variety of audio content. It struggles to reproduce low-bass, so you can't feel the deep thump and rumble often present in bass-heavy music like hip-hop or EDM. Fortunately, its companion app features bass and treble adjustments you can use to customize its sound to your liking. Additionally, it has great directivity thanks to its 360-degree design, resulting in a natural and open-sounding soundstage, and it can also get decently loud.

Unfortunately, there's some compression at max volume, so your audio doesn't sound as clean at louder volume settings. It also isn't very portable due to its wired design and needs to be plugged into a power source for it to work. However, if you're looking for an Alexa-enabled speaker you can use at home and want the best Alexa speaker for music, this is a solid choice.

The best portable speaker for Alexa that we've tested is the Ultimate Ears MEGABLAST. This small and lightweight model has Alexa built-in, and it can hear you clearly even if you're far away, though it doesn't understand you quite as easily in a noisy environment. There's also a mic mute feature if you want it to stop listening to you.

It has an IP67 rating for dust and water resistance, though we don't currently test for this. Out-of-the-box, it has a fairly neutral sound profile, making it suitable for listening to a variety of audio content. Like many small speakers, it struggles to produce a thumpy low-bass, but its companion app has a graphic EQ as well as preset EQ settings, which lets you customize the sound profile to your liking. Thanks to its 360-degree design, its soundstage is perceived as open and spacious, and it can even play stereo content without downmixing it into mono.

However, its battery only lasts around eight hours, which may not be enough for long listening sessions. Also, while its companion app has a Party Mode feature that lets you link multiple speakers to amplify your audio, there's no Multi-Room feature for linking multiple speakers across separate rooms. That said, if you're looking for a portable speaker with Alexa built-in, it's a solid choice.

The best budget Alexa speaker that we've tested is the Amazon Echo Gen 4. This small, spherical speaker has Alexa built-in. You can activate the assistant with your voice, and it has no trouble understanding you when you're far away or in noisier environments. You can also mute its mic when you no longer want it to hear you.

It has a boomy sound profile that can also sound a bit dark. It has a balanced mid-range, making it suitable for listening to dialogue-centric content like audiobooks and podcasts. That said, it struggles to reproduce the thump and rumble in low-bass that fans of bass-heavy music tend to enjoy and can make higher-pitched vocals sound a bit veiled. Fortunately, its Amazon Alexa app features bass and treble sliders you can use to adjust its sound to your liking. You can also use its app to pair the speaker to multiple other Amazon Echo speakers, which can come in handy when you want to play your audio content across a large area or in different rooms of your house.

Unfortunately, its wired design doesn't make it very portable since it needs to remain plugged into an outlet to work. It also doesn't get very loud and has some compression artifacts at max volume, so your audio may not sound as clean at louder volumes. However, it's still a great choice if you're looking for a speaker that offers fantastic Alexa support and are on a budget.