JBL Link View Vs Amazon Echo Spot Best Smart Assistant Speaker in 2024

Smart Assistant Speakers seem to be the new fad, and everyone is making them! Amazon themselves have tons of different options for smart assistant speakers, and hardware manufacturers are making tons of different styles in Google Assistant powered speakers. So if you’re in the market for the best smart assistant speaker, you know just how difficult finding the “best” is with so many to choose from!

That said, we’re going to pit at least two of the top smart assistant speakers against each other, show you which one comes out on top, and hopefully help you make a better informed purchased. Let’s get started!

JBL Link View

The JBL Link View is first up on our list — it’s a Google Assistant powered speaker with an 8 inch touchscreen display. Touchscreens are fairly new to smart assistant speakers, but they bring with it a ton of extra features that you can use with the built in smart assistant.

For example, since the Link View has an 8-inch touchscreen, you can now tell it things like “Hey Google, start a video call with Dad” or “Hey Google, start streaming x show on Netflix.” There are other things you can tell it to do as well, such as bring up a connected video feed of the nursery room or another room where you have security camera footage hooked up. Now, what’s really neat is that you can also pull up YouTube videos, such as when you forgot how to make a recipe or just want to watch something while you cook dinner. It can even play movies!

Of course, this is on top of all the features that Google Assistant could already do, such as tell you the weather, stream music, give you insights into your calendar, and more. Another unique and neat thing you can do with the Link View is load it up with photos of family and friends, and then you can have it run through a slideshow of those when you’re not actively using the display!

Overall, the JBL LInk View is a neat device, and super affordable at the $200 price point; however, the quality of the screen does leave folks wishing for something a little better, and the speakers can be a little on the muffled side. Check it out for yourself at the link below.

Buy it now: Amazon

Amazon Echo Spot

If you’ve never heard of the Echo Spot before, it’s essentially an improved Echo Dot that can fit anywhere in your home, but is way more stylish and compact. Not only that, but it has a small screen that you can see information on.

The Amazon Echo Spot connects to the Alexa cloud-based voice assistant, allowing you to ask it things like “Alexa, how’s the weather looking for Wednesday?” or “Alexa, can you play God’s Plan by Drake?” There are, of course, hundreds of other commands you can use, but that’s just a small idea of what you can do. And, since the Echo Spot has a display as well as a front camera, you can even ask it to start a video call with friends or family.

One of the more innovative things that the Amazon Echo Spot can do is hear you from way across the room. It has four sensitive microphones built inside, and with beam forming technology in use, the Echo Spot could be in the kitchen, and then still hear you four rooms away, even when music is playing!

The Amazon Echo Spot is also one of the most stylish smart assistant speakers on the market. That said, the device will blend in with almost any style of home, especially since it’s so low profile that it could easily fit in a corner, out of the way somewhere.

Some of the other neat things that Alexa can do with the Amazon Echo Spot is request an Uber for you, order a pizza, and even control other devices in your home, such as your TV! The Echo Spot is a little more on the affordable side, costing you a meager $130 per Echo Spot.

Buy it now: Amazon

Verdict

As you can see, both the Amazon Echo Spot and the JBL Link View have their advantages and disadvantages. We think the Echo Spot takes the cake here, because it does have some excellent technology inside of it. However, there are some other things to keep in mind when you make your purchase — such as the type of voice assistant you’re using. Google Assistant is a little more worrisome on the privacy side of things, whereas Alexa stays pretty contained.

Do you have a favorite smart assistant speaker? Let us know in the comments section below!