UPVOTED
SMART SPEAKERS
Can’t quite afford an actual butler? Chris Rowlands picks out a selection of listening boomboxes that will be almost as useful…
COMPACT COMPANIONS
The sensitive sphere
Apple HomePod Mini
Most smart speakers can control a connected thermostat; only Apple’s actually knows what’s hot, thanks to its built-in temperature and humidity sensor. A full-range driver and dual passive radiators help you heat things up in another sense, and it’s stereo-pairable.
£99 / apple.com
The discerning disc
Google Nest Mini
Google’s dinkiest speaker is neat and cheap enough that you could stash a few throughout your home, while beefed-up bass gives this second-gen model punchier feedback. The first question to ask it? How they recycle the plastic bottles to make its fabric wrap.