Over at iMore Serenity Caldwell has impressions from a head to head test Apple set up for the HomePod, Sonos One, Google Home Max, and Amazon Echo.<p>Unsurprisingly blew away the Echo. But she also said it sounded much better than the Google Home Max (which is $50).<p><a href="https://www.imore.com/homepod-vs-amazon-echo-vs-google-home-max-vs-sonos-one-speaker-showdown" rel="nofollow">https://www.imore.com/homepod-vs-amazon-echo-vs-google-home-...</a>
It will be interesting to see how widely the homepod will be adopted and used in six months or a year because it looks like it is really only useful for people who are fully in the apple system. One report says you can't even set it up unless you have an ios device <a href="https://www.imore.com/should-you-buy-homepod" rel="nofollow">https://www.imore.com/should-you-buy-homepod</a>
I'm curious to know whether it will be possible to use a pair of these with a TV. I stream video from a computer to my TV and would love to use HomePods as the audio via AirPlay. I know HomePod pairs aren't supported at launch, but I wonder if there will be audio/video sync issues when this eventually is an option.
It's a matter of preference. If you value sound over smarts, and if you have mostly Apple devices, then this is perfect. If you value smart over speaker, or if you don't have mostly Apple devices, then an Echo or Google Home is better.