Amazon Echo Dot Vs. Google Nest: Which device has better voice controls?

Although there are 8.4 billion voice-enabled devices, including mobile devices, smart speakers are still here and working. Sure, some think Alexa is no longer necessary, but Amazon alone has shipped over 600 million Echos worldwide. Rival Google is a little more secretive about recent smart speaker numbers, it’s true, but the physical devices themselves (they’re just a mic, a speaker and a Wi-Fi antenna, after all) matter less than the technology behind them – the voice commands and their ability to understand requests.

So, which ecosystem takes the prize in this department? Does Amazon Echo Dot have better voice controls than Google Nest? It is. As disappointing as it may seem, the answer requires some nuance. If you’re talking about pure controls like you’d expect from a voice assistant (playing music or controlling various aspects of smart homes), Amazon Echo Dot and Alexa reign supreme. If you’re looking for a more conversational approach (as you’ve probably come to expect from LLMs), Google’s Gemini for Home is now available on Nest devices, and you’ll enjoy these conversations much more. What muddies the water a bit is Alexa+, the supercharged AI version of the voice assistant we’ve all grown to love. This has made Alexa more conversational, and while the ecosystem continues to win points when it comes to voice commands, automation, and fast voice searches, Gemini is a better LLM.

There may be a catch, unfortunately. There are many valid reasons to upgrade to Alexa+, but some users think the basic service is getting worse. In other words, Alexa is a better conversationalist, but it has lost some of its effectiveness where it matters most: the voice command service, at least according to owners.

Criticizing Amazon is valid. For example, some users wonder if Google Nest Hub has fewer ads than Amazon Echo Show and are willing to switch teams to escape the insistent advertising. While Amazon is annoying in this regard, there’s no denying that its products are affordable and compatible with over 100,000 smart home devices. Add in the fact that Alexa supports 100,000 skills that you can use to manage your smart home, create automations, and make purchases through voice commands alone, and many turn a blind eye to the company’s aggressive advertising.

Let’s take the example of automation. You can create detailed routines with nothing but your voice. If you say something like “Hey Alexa, keep the porch lights off from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. unless the Ring camera detects motion,” you can consider it done. Alexa will find a way to respond to your request. Plus, it’s well connected to the rest of the Amazon ecosystem, allowing you to accomplish some pretty complex tasks with voice commands.

However, not everyone is happy with Alexa+ at the moment. The common thread online is that the popular voice assistant can finally carry on a conversation that no longer seems as overtly robotic as it did in the past, but is somehow getting worse. There’s no shortage of Redditors complaining about routines disappearing randomly and how Alexa seems to forget established commands like “lights.” Some also find the new version boring and think it fails at what it used to do best. Granted, there are also complaints that standard Alexa becomes less effective after the AI ​​version is rolled out, but you can technically turn off the “plus” service if you’re only interested in regular voice commands and voice assistants.

So if it’s clear that, despite the Alexa+ criticisms, the Amazon Echo Dot has better voice controls than the Google Nest, why would anyone choose Google? Two reasons: better search and more natural AI conversations. If you’re not really interested in smart home controls but need an active participant in your life, Google’s ecosystem is the way to go, especially if you already have Android stuff and existing Nest hardware.

For example, if you want to write an email with your voice assistant, need to brainstorm ideas, or just want to have a conversation, you’ll have more fun with Gemini. That’s not to say you can’t do voice commands with Google, because that seems to be getting better. You can create routines that you can trigger with simple commands, but it’s not as good for deep automation as Alexa, according to Google Home aficionados who are jumping ship and choosing Amazon.

Ultimately, it all depends on what you’re trying to get from the voice assistant. An Amazon Echo Dot and its Alexa support many other devices and setup is simple. It works. But if you need a more capable LLM and you’re already using the Nest, then there’s nothing wrong with Google either: Gemini is Gemini, after all.