How do you choose the best smart speaker?

Femke25 NOVEMBER 2025

Content

What exactly is a smart speaker?
The differences between a smart speaker and a Wi-Fi speaker
What you can do with a smart speaker with a virtual assistant
When should you choose a smart speaker?

A woman uses a laptop near a window and a speaker on a white desk with a glass of water.

A smart speaker is a speaker that listens to you and carries out commands. You can use it to play music, ask for the weather forecast or play a game. But how do you choose the best smart speaker for you? In this article we give you a few tips to help you.

What exactly is a smart speaker?

Man at a table with a laptop, black speaker, and smartphone. He wears a blue shirt with suspenders in a room with orange walls.

A smart speaker is a device that is connected to the internet and a virtual assistant. You can ask it questions or give it commands using your voice. The virtual assistant then gives an answer or carries out the command. For example, you might say: “Hey Google, play my favourite song.” Or: “Alexa, what will the weather be like today?” The smart speaker then plays your favourite track or tells you whether you need to take an umbrella. You can also connect a smart speaker to other smart devices in your home, such as your smart TV or smart thermostat. This way you can use a smart speaker to control the volume of your television or turn the thermostat up a degree from the comfort of your armchair.

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The differences between a smart speaker and a Wi-Fi speaker

A gray, cylindrical smart speaker sits on a white table, with a girl holding a tablet and a gray couch in the background.

During your search for a new wireless speaker, you will probably also come across Wi-Fi speakers. These are speakers that you connect to your Wi-Fi network and then easily control via your phone or tablet. You can also link Wi-Fi speakers to other devices or speakers, as long as they are connected to the same Wi-Fi network. In this way you create a multi-room system, where you control several speakers in different places in your home from an app. So, what makes Wi-Fi speakers different from smart speakers? A Wi-Fi speaker does not always have a virtual assistant. Smart speakers do. Can you control your speaker via Siri, Alexa or Google Assistant? Then you have a smart speaker.

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What you can do with a smart speaker with a virtual assistant

A grey smart speaker is on a patterned tile floor near a green plant and blue couch, with a child in yellow nearby.

The best-known virtual assistants are from Apple (Siri), Amazon (Alexa) and Google (Google Assistant). Although each brand’s assistant has its own pros and cons, you mainly use them for:

Playing music or podcasts.
Listening to the latest news.
Looking up and saving recipes.
Setting an alarm or stopwatch.
Controlling your smart lights.
Adjusting the temperature via your smart thermostat.
Having the weather forecast read out.

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When should you choose a smart speaker?

A smiling woman in a white long-sleeve shirt touches a gray voice assistant device on a white table. A potted plant is nearby.

A smart speaker has many advantages and there are therefore various reasons to buy one. For example, you can very easily put on your favourite music in every room in your home, simply by using your voice. In addition, a smart speaker makes your life easier. Ask it a question and within a second you know what time it is, what the weather will be like or what the latest news is. A smart speaker is also a great choice if you already use other smart devices, such as a smart thermostat, smart lighting or a smart TV. Connect them to the same Wi-Fi network and the devices will work together. This way you can use the smart speaker to control the other devices with your voice.