Sounds like the Amazon Echo has a problem - Apple's HomePod has huge advantage over rival
AMAZON'S award-winning Echo has taken the world by storm but the new Apple HomePod looks set to give this smart speaker a serious run for its money.
Amazon's Echo won a host of awards in 2016 and it deserved every one of them.
This brilliant smart speaker, which is controlled by your voice, can search the web, play your favourite tracks, control the heating and even tell you jokes simply by speaking to it.
Amazon has seen huge success with its Alexa-powered Echo but this clever device is getting some serious competition.
Google recently announced the launch of its Home speaker, which is now available to buy in the UK, and Apple has just confirmed it's joining the connected speaker party with a new gadget called the HomePod.
This device was announced at Apple's WWDC developers conference in San Jose earlier this month with the US technology firm boasting that its speaker will deliver 'amazing audio quality.'
Although the HomePod won't officially be launched until December, Express.co.uk has been one of the first to hear what it actually sounds like and our first impressions are good.
One of the problems with both Amazon's Echo and Google's Home is that, whilst they are both brilliant at searching via voice control, they don't sound very good.
This is where Apple hopes it can add something unique to the smart speaker market by producing a device that not only offers voice search but can also power your next party.
We listened to four identical tracks on both the Echo and HomePod and there really is no comparison.
The HomePod's curved mesh design is packed with an upward-facing woofer and seven beam-forming tweeters making it sound loud, clear and booming with room-shaking bass.
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Similar to Trueplay found in Sonos speakers, the HomePod also features automatic room-sensing technology which allows it to quickly learn its position in your home and optimise the sound accordingly.
It's clever stuff and should help to boost the sound experience even further when it finally launches in time for Christmas.
We only had a limited time with the HomePod but there's no question it sounds far superior to the competition.
However, one of the reasons why it has the edge when it comes to the audio experience is that it's over twice the price of its smart rivals.
The HomePod will cost $349 in US and is likely to feature a similar price in pounds when it lands in UK stores.
The Amazon Echo costs £149 whilst Google's Home has a price of £129.
You can also pick up an Echo Dot, which connects to almost any Bluetooth speaker for under £50.
Apple's HomePod makes its rivals sound massively inferior but to get the best smart speaker on the market will clearly come at a much higher price.
