The Google Home wasn't the first smart speaker on the scene, but don't let that put you off. While the Amazon Echo family of devices is now into its second generation, Google hasn't bothered to update the Home's design; the recently added Google Home Mini doesn't really count.

Great design; Decent sound; Reasonable price point; Conversational assistant; Easy setup

Limited smart home compatibility; Speaker isn't very loud; Needs to be plugged in at all times

Does two decades of search experience give Home the upper hand over Amazon Echo? In terms of search results, yes. But is it the better product? Not always. Home might be better looking, but it's not as well-rounded... yet.

Good-looking design will integrate anywhere around the home; Touchpanel controls; Future potential is great; In-depth conversational and search-based results; Supports up to six users

Less third-party app support than Amazon Echo; Assistant doesn't sound as good as Amazon Alexa; Microphone pick-up limited when music is playing

In many ways, Google Home is amazing. It's the all-in-one J.A.R.V.I.S.-like butler we've dreamt of for years. Well, almost. Its smart home controls are no gimmick - it really will make your daily life just that little bit easier, to the point where using anything but your voice to set the...

Looks classy; yet unobtrusive; You can control your home and music like Tony Stark; Search and translate functionality is brilliant

Could sound better; Play Music doesn't support adding to your library/playlists; You can't add appointments; reminders; or send messages

This product is easy to set up. The Google Assistant is very useful for controlling smart devices in the home. Google Home is unobstructive and Glenys into any room. The sound is not on a par with a Sonos One, however from an ex Sonos user, the assistant capabilities far exceed Sonos.

Bought for my husband for Christmas. Neither one of us are techy. But the set up is a breeze and it's been a blast asking Google questions. He replies to me as a male and to husband as a female. I especially like asking him to play music, really nice sound, we now use it as a means of stereo

Google Home is an excellent entry into the burgeoning smart speaker race that's revving up between the big US technology companies. Amazon's Echo and Alexa have a head start, but Google's Assistant is highly capable in many ways, but strangely half-baked in others.

great understanding; can answer lots and lots of questions; good sound; small

variable volume makes control difficult; can't always hear you; not much good for a non-Google user; privacy concerns

Is Google Home worth buying Yes… so long as you're not expecting it to change your world

Great Design; Excellent Voice Recognition; Constantly Evolving Skill Set; Connects With LOADS of Third-Party Devices; Easy To Use; Great Price

Sound Isn't Great; No Call Functionality In UK Just Yet

The Google Home is the best all-round smart speaker you can get, offering a great balance of, price, design, sound quality and features. It answers all our questions, keeps us entertained and up to date, and even turns on and off our lights. It is quite literally one of the best and most exciting talking points our home has seen.

Looks classy, yet unobtrusive; You can control your home and music like Tony Stark; Search and translate functionality is brilliant; Can now recognise multiple users by voice;

Could sound better; Play Music doesn’t support adding to your library/playlists; You can’t add appointments, reminders, or send messages;

This smart home device is basically Google's answer to Amazon's extremely popular Echo device and for the most part they are incredibly similar. Both will help you with various tasks and answer questions about weather, news, sports, etc.

Stylish – will blend into home nicely; Dozens of features; Can stream content straight to your TV (YouTube & Netflix; Connects with other smart home devices; Customizable design

More expensive than Echo Dot; Average audio quality; Need Google Audio device to connect with other speakers