Technology
Inside the scandal facing King of YouTube
Half a billion fans, a multi-million dollar personal fortune and a global business empire.
It would take a lot to dethrone YouTube’s biggest influencer Jimmy Donaldson, aka MrBeast.
But a 54-page court document could be his toughest test yet.
Five female contestants on upcoming Prime Video show Beast Games are launching legal action against his production company MrB2024 and Amazon in Los Angeles.
Billed as the largest ever reality competition series, 1,000 contestants are set to compete for a $5m (£3.7m) prize when the show airs – or if it airs. The lawsuit has plunged the show into crisis.
Among many redacted pages, the legal document includes allegations that they “particularly and collectively suffered” in an environment that “systematically fostered a culture of misogyny and sexism”.
It cuts to the core of MrBeast’s image as one of the nicest guys on the internet.
I flicked through the document, which includes suggestions that participants were “underfed and overtired”. Meals were provided “sporadically and sparsely” which “endangered the health and welfare” of the contestants, it is claimed.
In one section where almost all of the claims are redacted from public view, it says the defendants “created, permitted to exist, and fostered a culture and pattern and practice of sexual harassment including in the form of a hostile work environment”.
Back in August, the New York Times spoke to more than a dozen of the (yet unreleased) show’s participants, and reported there were “several hospitalisations” on the set, with one person telling the paper they had gone over 20 hours without being fed.
Contestants also alleged they had not received their medication on time.
The BBC has approached MrBeast and Amazon – he has not yet publicly commented.
So will these latest allegations hurt the king of YouTube’s popularity?
Rising fame and philanthropy
MrBeast is no stranger to controversy this year – and has managed to come out unscathed each time.
In July, the 26-year-old American said he had hired investigators after his former co-host Ava Kris Tyson was accused of grooming a teenager.
Ava denied the allegations, but has apologised for “past behaviour” which was “not acceptable”.
MrBeast said he was “disgusted” by the “serious allegations”.
Later, further allegations about business practices surfaced on an anonymous YouTube channel, claiming to be a former employee. The BBC has not been able to independently verify the claims or this person’s identity.
Some of his philanthropic efforts – such as building wells in Africa, and paying for surgery for people with reduced sight and hearing – have drawn criticisms around exploitation.
“Deaf people like me deserve better than MrBeast’s latest piece of inspiration porn,” one person told the Independent last year.
But his empire continues to grow. The day before the lawsuit emerged on Wednesday, he revealed a team-up with fellow famous faces KSI and Logan Paul – a new food line designed to challenge Lunchables.
And as I wrote in an article about his meteoric rise last year, he has made his millions through hard work.
His videos are big budget experiences, with his most popular – viewed 652 million times – recreating the Netflix hit Squid Game in real life with a $456,000 (£342,000) prize.
Most of his philanthropy is less controversial – including giving away houses, cash and cars – which has worked to create an image of him being one of the internet’s good guys.
According to his website, he has delivered more than 25 million meals to the needy around the world.
People continue to flock to his social channels. In June, he gained enough subscribers to make his YouTube channel the largest in the world.
According to stats-checker Socialblade, MrBeast picked up an extra five million subscribers in the last 30 days alone.
That’s just one metric – we can’t tell how many people unsubscribed from his channel, for example.
What is certain is that the number of people who’ve actively decided to stop watching his videos has been eclipsed by those who’ve decided to subscribe.
The YouTube apology
He wouldn’t be the only YouTuber whose popularity holds through controversy – others have faced far more significant storms than MrBeast, with few facing many consequences outside of a public apology.
Logan Paul faced a massive backlash in 2018 after he uploaded a video to his 15 million subscribers which showed the body of a person who had apparently taken their own life.
After removing the original video, he shared a less than two-minute apology titled simply: “So sorry.”
Now, he has 23 million subscribers, owns an incredibly popular sports drink, and up until August was the WWE United States champion. He’s had quite a few pay-per-view boxing bouts, too.
Other high-profile YouTubers, including Pewdiepie, James Charles, and Jeffree Star have all had their own controversies, and got on with their careers after uploading apology videos.
A more modern example is Herschel “Guy” Beahm, known online as Dr Disrespect, who admitted he sent messages to “an individual minor” in 2017.
He stressed that “nothing illegal happened, no pictures were shared, no crimes were committed” and went offline for two months after posting the statement.
His comeback livestream earlier this month attracted more than three million views, despite criticism from other high-profile streamers.
Dr Disrespect remains the second-most watched streamer in the US this year, according to Streams Charts.
The point is: YouTubers tend to be forgiven quickly.
What next for MrBeast?
While MrBeast’s fanbase has continued growing, controversy is swirling once again – and his next move could determine his long-term success.
James Lunn, chief strategy officer at Savvy Marketing, says the star is “in an incredibly unique position” with a “multi-faceted” brand spanning many industries.
“We are indeed in uncharted waters,” he says, and “a proactive approach, addressing the issues transparently and ensuring accountability, could protect his brand”.
Brand expert Catherine Shuttleworth says the “sheer scale” of MrBeast’s fame may act as a buffer against backlash, but the latest lawsuit could be difficult.
“When it comes to his business ventures, particularly those targeting families and children – like Feastables chocolate bars or Lunchly – it’s a different story,” she says.
“Parents, who often hold the purchasing power, tend to be less tolerant of controversies involving safety, fairness, and ethics.”
Back in August 2023, when writing about MrBeast, I predicted he would soon take the YouTube crown despite him having half as many subscribers then.
He is now facing extra challenges as his fame rises, and a lot of the internet is eagerly awaiting his reply to what is, so far, one side of a complex story.
Technology
An AI can beat CAPTCHA tests 100 per cent of the time
An artificial intelligence can solve the CAPTCHA puzzles used by websites to distinguish whether browsers are humans or bots 100 per cent of the time.
Andreas Plesner at ETH Zurich in Switzerland and his colleagues fine-tuned an AI model nicknamed YOLO (You Only Look Once) to become an expert at solving the image-based challenges used to verify identities on websites. The particular type of CAPTCHA it tackled – reCAPTCHAv2, which was developed by Google – asks users to identify certain types of…
Technology
NYT Mini Crossword today: puzzle answers for Monday, September 23
The New York Times has introduced the next title coming to its Games catalog following Wordle’s continued success — and it’s all about math. Digits has players adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing numbers. You can play its beta for free online right now.
In Digits, players are presented with a target number that they need to match. Players are given six numbers and have the ability to add, subtract, multiply, or divide them to get as close to the target as they can. Not every number needs to be used, though, so this game should put your math skills to the test as you combine numbers and try to make the right equations to get as close to the target number as possible.
Players will get a five-star rating if they match the target number exactly, a three-star rating if they get within 10 of the target, and a one-star rating if they can get within 25 of the target number. Currently, players are also able to access five different puzzles with increasingly larger numbers as well. I solved today’s puzzle and found it to be an enjoyable number-based game that should appeal to inquisitive minds that like puzzle games such as Threes or other The New York Times titles like Wordle and Spelling Bee.
In an article unveiling Digits and detailing The New York Time Games team’s process to game development, The Times says the team will use this free beta to fix bugs and assess if it’s worth moving into a more active development phase “where the game is coded and the designs are finalized.” So play Digits while you can, as The New York Times may move on from the project if it doesn’t get the response it is hoping for.
Digits’ beta is available to play for free now on The New York Times Games’ website
Science & Environment
Here’s what you missed from first week
The US Coast Guard has heard a week’s worth of testimony from people close to the Titan submersible that imploded last June, killing all five aboard.
Investigators are seeking to uncover the details of what led to the tragedy and find recommendations that could prevent future deadly voyages.
Titan, operated by OceanGate, imploded less than two hours into its descent during a dive to the wreckage of the Titanic.
The accident led to questions over the submersible’s safety and design, and the materials used in its construction.
Here are five takeaways from the first of the two-week set of hearings:
1. Crew’s final words: ‘All good here’
Investigators with the US Coast Guard revealed one of the crew’s final messages before it lost contact with a ship above water: “All good here.”
The hearing revealed other text messages between Titan and its mother ship as the deep-sea vessel began its trek to the sea floor to see the iconic British ocean liner that sank in 1912.
Support staff aboard the surface ship asked about the submersible’s depth and weight.
Communications were patchy throughout the descent, according to investigators.
About one hour into the dive, the Titan sent a message at a depth of 3,346m that would be its last. The crew communicated it had dropped two weights.
Then communication was lost.
2. Witness recalls last look at Titan crew: ‘Five people smiling’
Mission specialist Renata Rojas, who helped with the doomed trip as a volunteer, testified before the US Coast Guard on her interaction with the crew before the sub descended.
At one point, Ms Rojas teared up while remembering “five people smiling” before boarding the Titan and heading below the water.
“They were just happy to go, that’s the memory I have,” she said.
She remembered losing communication and asking colleagues: “We haven’t heard from them, where are they?”
Ms Rojas, who previously visited the Titanic wreckage with OceanGate, admitted that the Titan submersible was not classified or registered.
“I knew the Titanic dive was risky, but I never felt unsafe,” she said during the hearing.
3. Whistleblower: Tragedy was ‘inevitable’
OceanGate’s former operations director David Lochridge testified to US Coast Guard investigators that he warned of potential safety issues before he was fired in 2018.
He claimed he was ignored.
Mr Lochridge said he believed the deadly incident with the Titan was “inevitable” as the company “bypassed” standard rules.
He was fired and sued by OceanGate for revealing confidential information, and he countersued for wrongful dismissal.
US court documents show Mr Lochridge had significant concerns with the Titan’s design, including that it was made from carbon fibre which he warned would damage further with every dive.
He told US Coast Guard investigators the “whole idea” of OceanGate was “to make money”.
“There was very little in the way of science,” he said.
4. New footage reveals Titan wreckage
The US Coast Guard released new footage showing the wreckage of the Titan sub on the bottom of the sea floor.
The deep-sea vessel is seen with the “OceanGate” logo on its side as debris is scattered around it.
The vessel’s tail can also be spotted among the wreckage as well as the submersible’s wires, gauges and electronics.
A remotely operated vehicle obtained the footage.
5. Leading submersible manufacturer: Titan was ‘not ready for primetime’
Patrick Lahey, the co-founder and chief executive of leading submersible manufacturer Triton, told investigators he wasn’t impressed by the Titan submersible.
Mr Lahey’s company manufactures submersibles that descend to the deepest points of the ocean.
While not mandatory, he stressed the importance of certifying submersible vessels through a process that involves an extensive safety assessment carried out by independent marine organisations.
Mr Lahey told the panel there was no reason why the Titan submersible couldn’t have been certified.
He toured the Titan sub that later imploded while on vacation in the Bahamas and said he “wasn’t particularly impressed” by what he saw.
“It looked to me like a lot of the stuff was not quite ready for primetime,” he added, saying he expressed his concerns to OceanGate.
Mr Lahey added that the vessel did not seem “particular well thought out”.
“It just looked amateur-ish in its execution,” he said.
Technology
Google TV Streamer unboxed before international availability
Google’s latest streaming device has already reached some end-users before its international availability. Quite a few social media users unboxed the new and powerful Google TV streamer and confirmed the contents of its retail box.
Google TV Streamer is already in stores around the world
Google announced its latest Android TV set-top-box called the Google TV Streamer, last month. The power-packed streaming device replaces the old Google Chromecast products.
The pill-shaped Google TV Streamer is similar to an Android TV box, unlike the Chromecast products, which were dongles. The new form factor packs a more powerful processor and offers Google AI integration, smart home functionalities, and the latest Google TV experience.
2024 @madebygoogle google tv streamer available at @JBHiFi pic.twitter.com/OcfTeTsnWm
— @AKOz (@AKOz100) September 20, 2024
Google was to release the Android 14 set-top-box internationally on September 24. However, quite a few early adopters managed to buy the Google TV Streamer early, unboxed it, and posted photos online.
Multiple Reddit posts indicate the Google TV Streamer has reached stores in the UK, Germany, and Canada. Needless to say, it is an established practice to ship products early. This ensures they are available to customers on the launch day.
Google ships the Android 14 set-top-box without an HDMI cable
As the images reveal, Google has opted for simple yet clever packaging for the Google TV Streamer. The search giant has packed a power adapter, a voice remote, and a long USB-C to USB-A cable (1.8 M) along with the streaming device. According to a user, the streaming device has around 26GB of storage space free from the 32GB claimed capacity.
Google has placed each of the four pieces in a single tray, with two outer ones bending (at a right angle) to fit into the box, reported 9to5Google. According to Google’s plastic-free packaging design guide, this packaging, “allows the entire insert (or tray) to be removed as a unit with little to no risk of products falling out prematurely.”
It is interesting to note that despite asking about $100 for the new Android 14 set-top-box, Google hasn’t bundled an HDMI cable. This means users would have to repurpose an old one or buy a new HDMI cable.
Science & Environment
Natural Resources Wales job cuts put nature at risk, campaigners warn
Campaigners have warned against “brutal” cuts to Wales’ environmental watchdog, saying the plans “put nature at risk”.
Natural Resources Wales (NRW) is seeking to close 265 posts, and is considering reductions in areas including tackling waste crime, advising on climate change, managing heritage features and running visitor centres.
One trade union claimed the regulator could be left without “enough staff on the ground” to protect the environment.
NRW said it was making “every effort to protect areas of work that have the most impact on nature, climate and pollution”.
BBC Wales has spoken to a number of current and former NRW staff.
While acknowledging the organisation was in “an impossible financial situation”, many felt “angry” and “excluded from planning the solution”, one said.
“We have lost a year we could have spent working to save some of Wales’ most loved services – like organising community buy-outs of our visitor centres,” they claimed, describing the situation as “a shambles”.
Another added this came after previous attempts to reorganise NRW’s structure, and that it was like rearranging “deckchairs on the Titanic”.
They criticised the message the cuts sent out, given that the Welsh government had declared both climate and nature emergencies.
“You can’t on the one hand declare an emergency and then on the other say ‘it’s alright, we’ll call the fire brigade a bit later’.”
Unison, the largest of five trade unions representing NRW staff, said workers had told them the plans would not “solve problems in the long run.”
“They also have concerns about losing staff with years of experience,” said regional organiser Andrew Woodman – adding that “Unison will fight for every job”.
What are the cuts being considered by NRW?
While NRW’s core grant from Welsh government has not increased in recent years, costs have risen due to high inflation.
The “funding gap” in its budget is set to reach £13m in 2025-26, and will exceed £17m by 2026-27 without action.
NRW has been carrying out a 45-day consultation with unions and has uploaded documents summarising the proposed changes online.
Work related to influencing policy on the environment will be scaled back – including in areas like climate change, the documents suggest.
There will no longer be “a dedicated education and health team”.
Cuts are proposed to “the management of heritage features” in public woodlands, and cafes and shops at NRW’s visitor centres.
When it comes to dealing with incidents, NRW will adopt “a higher tolerance of risk” and reduce the number of “low priority calls we respond to”.
The organisation is planning “some small reductions in enforcement including tackling waste crime”.
NRW’s dedicated environmental library in Bangor is also set to close, a move which has sparked outrage and a petition from ecologists.
Open to the public, it also has an online catalogue featuring reports and surveys.
The information can be used to help with planning applications, and monitoring of rare species.
“As a plant recorder I find this service indispensable,” explained botanist Heather Garrett.
“I can ask for a report, I can see maps and find out all sorts of things about a particular site – are there gaps in the records or rare species we can check for?
“If the library closes I think our voluntary efforts to stop the decline of nature and to restore it will be severely impacted,” she added.
Gareth Clubb, WWF Cymru’s director, said the plans “put Welsh nature at risk”.
“There will be environmental crime that doesn’t go detected, there will be incidents where NRW doesn’t have the capacity to deal with them,” he claimed.
“These are brutal budget cuts to important public services,” added Sam Ward, head of Climate Cymru.
NRW needed to be “well-armed” with funding and expertise if Wales was to “have a chance of combatting climate breakdown and biodiversity collapse”, said Prof Christian Dunn of the British Ecological Society.
One area NRW intends to dedicate more resources to is tackling water pollution, at a time when the state of rivers and seas is a key concern for the public.
Afonydd Cymru’s chief executive Gail Davies-Walsh said that detail was encouraging.
“The overall budget cuts are a chance for the regulator to refocus on performing its legal duties and perhaps less on work that could be delivered more cost-effectively by partners,” she said.
What does NRW say?
“There is no doubt that this is a significant and challenging time for us all at NRW,” explained Prys Davies, NRW’s director of corporate strategy and development.
“Public funding is exceptionally tight across the whole of the UK and we are having to… critically review what we can and must continue to do, what we stop, and what we slow or do differently.”
He said bosses “fully understood the impact” on colleagues and support was available.
“They have continued to show the upmost professionalism and dedication to their roles during this challenging period,” he said.
Information received during the consultation would now be reviewed and final proposals presented to NRW’s board for consideration in mid-October, he added.
Deputy First Minister and climate change secretary Huw Irranca-Davies said he had confidence that “NRW will work through this with stakeholders and staff to come to a position where they can carry out their statutory duties”.
“The hard reality is that right across government, and right across the UK we are facing these difficult decisions that (have been) forced upon us after so many years of austerity,” he added.
Technology
The best smart speakers for 2024
There’s never been a better time to get a smart speaker, especially if you’re a music fan. When voice assistants first started infiltrating these devices, hands-free controls were really the star of the show. Even now, one of the most common ways that people interact with Siri, Alexa and Google Assistant is through a smart home speaker. But now you have dozens of options to choose from, and most of them sound much better than the first smart home products did. Sonos recently entered the game with its own voice assistant on its stellar-sounding speakers, and even lower-end models like the Echo Dot and Nest Mini have better audio quality than their first iterations did. If you’re struggling to pick the best smart speaker for your needs, we at Engadget can help. We’ve outlined our top picks below, plus all of the things you should consider before buying a smart speaker today.
Picking an assistant: Google vs. Alexa
The first thing most people should do is decide what voice assistant they want to use. Google Assistant and Amazon’s Alexa are both well-supported options that are continually evolving, with new features added at a steady clip. A few years ago, Alexa worked with more smart home products, but at this point, basically any smart device worth buying works with both.
It’s mostly a matter of personal preference. If you’re already entrenched in the Google ecosystem and own an Android phone, it makes sense to stick with that. And if you have multiple Google-based smart devices in your home, you can use Google Home to easily control and navigate your devices. But while Alexa isn’t quite as good at answering general knowledge questions, it syncs just fine with things like calendars from your Google account. And it works with perhaps the widest variety of smart home products as well. If you’ve never used Alexa or Google Assistant, you can download their apps on your iOS or Android phone and spend some time testing them out before buying a speaker.
There are downsides to having a smart home device that’s always listening for a wake word, as giving more personal information to Amazon, Apple and Google can be a questionable decision. That said, all these companies have made it easier to manage how your data is used — you can opt out of humans reviewing some of your voice queries, and it’s also less complicated to manage and erase your history with various digital assistants, too.
Sonos vs. Apple
If you buy a Sonos device with a microphone, you can also use the company’s own voice assistant, voiced by Giancarlo Esposito. It’s focused purely on music control, so you won’t use it to do things like send messages or ask the weather forecast. But as a music assistant, Sonos Voice Control is generally quite fast and reliable.
As for Apple, you won’t be surprised to learn the HomePod and HomePod mini are the only Siri-compatible speakers on the market. It’s rumored that Apple will potentially release a new range of smart displays, like its HomePod with a touchscreen, sometime soon. Apple’s Siri has a reputation for not being as smart as Alexa or Google Assistant, but it’s totally capable of handling common voice queries like answering questions, controlling smart home products, sending messages, making calls and streaming music via AirPlay. Technically, Siri and Apple’s HomeKit technology doesn’t work with as many smart home devices as the competition, but it’s not hard to find compatible gear. And Apple has most definitely improved Siri’s functionality over the last couple years, with handy features like and Intercom tool and routines that take advantage of the built-in temperature sensor in the HomePod and HomePod Mini.
Best smart speakers for 2024
Connectivity: Bluetooth, Wi-Fi | Assistant support: Amazon Alexa | Max wattage: 20W | Battery life: N/A
Most people’s entry point into the smart speaker world will not be an expensive device. Amazon’s fourth-generation Echo Dot and Google’s Home speaker, the Nest Mini, are the most obvious places to start for two important reasons. One, they’re cheap: Both the Nest Mini and Echo Dost cost $50. Two, they’re capable. Despite the low price, these speakers can do virtually the same things as larger and more expensive devices, offering essential functionality
The Google Nest Mini was released in late 2019, but Amazon just refreshed the Echo Dot recently. The Echo Dot is the best small speaker with a smart assistant for most people and one of the most compact Alexa-enabled wireless speakers, period. Amazon keeps improving the audio performance across its Echo device line, and the Echo Dot is no exception. It produces much louder and clearer audio than I’d expect from a $50 speaker. The Nest Mini doesn’t sound bad, and it’s perfectly fine for listening in the bedroom while getting ready for the day, but the Echo Dot is a better all-purpose music listening device.
From a design perspective, Amazon broke the mold with the latest Echo Dot. Instead of a small puck like the Nest Mini, the new Dot is shaped like a little globe. It’s much bigger than the Nest Mini, but that size gives it room for higher-end audio components. Although mostly hands free, relying on Alexa to answer questions, set timers, work as an alarm clock and more, the Dot keeps the physical volume buttons and mute switch on top, along with a button to activate Alexa’s voice control. While the Dot doesn’t look as sleek as the Nest Mini, having physical buttons makes it easier to adjust volume and mute the mic. I do wish the Dot had a way to physically pause music; on the Nest Mini, if you tap the middle of the device, the music stops.
Overall, the Dot is the best budget choice for most people, but I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend the Nest Mini as another affordable smart speaker option. I generally prefer using Google Assistant over Alexa, and anyone who feels the same should go ahead and get the Nest Mini. The Dot does sound notably better, so if you plan to listen to audio on a regular basis, that’s probably the way to go. But if you only plan to use it for a quick song or podcast when you’re getting ready in the morning, just pick your favorite assistant and go from there.
- Compact design
- Strong sound for its size
- Physical buttons to mute mic and adjust volume
- Not as sleek as the Nest Mini
Connectivity: Bluetooth, Wi-Fi | Assistant support: Amazon Alexa | Max wattage: 30W | Battery life: N/A
Amazon, Apple and Google all have $100 smart speakers: the fourth-generation Echo, the HomePod mini and the Nest Audio, respectively. All three companies claim superior audio quality, so for lots of people these speakers will be the sweet spot between small speakers like the Echo Dot and Nest Mini and bigger, more expensive models like the Sonos Era 100.
Once again, Amazon punches above its weight. Like the Dot, the latest Echo is totally redesigned and the new internals were made with music in mind. It combines a three-inch woofer with two 0.8-inch tweeters — a more advanced setup than either the Nest Audio or HomePod mini. (The Google Nest Audio uses a three-inch woofer but only a single 0.75-inch tweeter, while the Apple HomePod mini makes do with a single “full range” driver and two passive radiators.)
In practice, this means the Echo is noticeably louder than either the Nest Audio or HomePod mini and much better suited to play room-filling sound than the competition. It also delivers an impressive bass thump and powerful mid-range frequencies. In fact, my main complaint with the speaker is that highs aren’t quite crisp enough. Compare the Echo to an Era 100 and the 100 sounds much more lively, while the Echo comes off a bit muddy. Then again, the 100 costs more than twice as much as the Echo.
While the Echo speaker may beat the Nest Audio and HomePod mini on volume and bass, Google and Apple’s speakers are not bad options. The HomePod mini is the quietest of the three speakers, but it still sounds balanced across the entire audio spectrum. The bass isn’t too assertive, but there’s more presence than I would have expected given its tiny size (it’s by far the smallest of these three speakers).
And it has a few nice perks if you’re using an iPhone 11 or newer. Thanks to the U1 “ultra-wideband” chip in recent iPhones, the HomePod mini can tell when there’s a phone near it, which makes handing off music from your phone to the speaker (or vice versa) quite simple. Playback controls for the HomePod mini will automatically pop up as well, and your phone’s lock screen will display music suggestions if the speaker isn’t currently playing. Setup is also dead-simple — just bring an iPhone or iPad near the speaker and it’ll automatically start the process.
Google’s Nest Audio is also quite pleasant to listen to. It’s a little louder than the HomePod mini, and has stronger bass, to boot. It doesn’t have the same overall power and presence that the Echo does, but for $100 it’s a well-balanced speaker that should serve most people’s needs.
All three of these speakers support stereo pairing as well, if you want more volume or crave a more immersive experience. For $200, two Echoes will fill a large room with high-quality sound and enough bass to power a party. A pair of HomePod mini or Nest Audio speakers aren’t quite as powerful, but it makes for a great upgrade if you’re a more avid listener. A pair of Nest Audio or HomePod mini speakers sounded great on my desk during the workday. I don’t need overwhelming volume but can appreciate the stereo separation. And two of those speakers together can easily power a larger living space, although the Echo is the better choice if volume is a priority.
Here too, I think that picking the smart assistant that works best in your house and with your other gadgets is probably the most important factor — but given Alexa’s ubiquity and the new Echo’s superior sound quality, it’s the best smart speaker at this price point.
- Louder than competitors, with punchy bass
- Two paired speakers support stereo sound
Connectivity: Bluetooth, Wi-Fi | Assistant support: Amazon Alexa, Sonos Voice Control | Max wattage: 10W | Battery life: N/A
If you have more than a passing interest in music, the Echo Dot and Nest Mini aren’t really going to cut it. Spending more money to upgrade to a speaker designed with audio quality in mind is one of the best decisions I’ve made. For years, I didn’t have a proper home music solution, but in the end the modest investment has made my life much more pleasant.
For years, the Sonos One has been a favorite of mine, combining a reasonable price with good sound quality and a plethora of useful features like easy multi-room audio, stereo pairing and compatibility with tons of services. This year, Sonos replaced the One with the Era 100, a $250 speaker that is an improvement in almost every way you can think of. Most importantly, it uses a new speaker array that includes two tweeters instead of just one as well as a woofer that’s 25 percent bigger. The end result is that the Era 100 handily bests the One in sound quality, with impressive bass, surprisingly huge volume and increased high-end clarity thanks to the additional tweeter.
There are a lot of other improvements beyond just sound quality. The Era 100 uses its built-in microphones for much easier Trueplay tuning, which optimizes the speaker’s output based on where you place it. Previously, you had to use an iPhone and walk around the room waving the phone to optimize your Sonos speaker, but now the process is much simpler. The Era 100 also includes line-in via a USB-C port and also has Bluetooth for when you just want to quickly connect a device to the speaker. It’s a bummer that you need to buy an adapter to hook up a turntable or other audio equipment to the Era 100, but since the One didn’t support line-in at all, I’m still glad it’s an option. You can also pair two Era 100s with a Sonos soundbar to get a solid home theater setup with surround sound.
There are a handful of other small but solid improvements, like redesigned controls on the top that make it easier to skip tracks and a mic mute switch that cuts the power to the mic for extra security. Like the One, it’s easy to set up Alexa or the Sonos voice assistant here, but the Era 100 doesn’t support the Google Assistant – so if you were previously using a Sonos speaker and relied on Google, you’re unfortunately out of luck here. Other than that one change, though, the Era 100 is an excellent all-around performer. It’s a great speaker on its own and is also a great starting point if you want to build a multi-room audio setup.
The Amazon Echo Studio remains an excellent-sounding speaker as well, and at $199 it’s a good bit cheaper than the Era 100 as well. If you want to save some cash or already have a bunch of other Echo devices in your smart home ecosystem, it makes sense as a speaker for higher-quality music playback. But given that it’ll be four years old this fall, I think it makes sense to opt for a newer device that’ll get longer support and updates.
- Excellent sound quality
- Gets loud
- Built-in mics for Trueplay tuning and voice control
- Line-in USB-C port
- Bluetooth support
- Doesn’t support Google Assistant
Connectivity: Bluetooth, Wi-Fi | Assistant support: Amazon Alexa, Sonos Voice Control | Max wattage: Not specified | Battery life: N/A
As nice as the Era 100 and Echo Studio are, there’s only so much you can get out of them. If you crave more bass, clarity and stereo separation, the $550 Sonos Five is the best sounding smart speaker on this list. It has many of the conveniences in the Era 100 and sounds significantly better than any other Sonos speaker. It also sounds much better than the Echo Studio and anything Google is currently selling.
That said, the Five stretches our definition of a smart speaker here because it doesn’t have a built-in voice assistant. But it’s so good at music playback that it’s worth recommending you pick one up along with an Echo Dot or Nest Mini. Both of those speakers work with Sonos, so you can use voice commands to control the Five just as you would a dedicated Alexa or Google Assistant device. Sonos also refreshed the speaker two years ago with a new wireless radio as well as more memory and a faster processor. This means it should stay current and work with future Sonos software updates for years to come.
Since we’re talking “best” here, I’m going to go ahead and recommend that true music junkies splash out on two Five speakers and pair them in stereo. Put simply, it’s the most enjoyable experience I’ve had listening to music in years; I found myself picking up new details while listening to albums I’ve heard over and over again. It’s a wonderful experience and worth saving for if you’re a music lover. I didn’t know what I was missing until I tried the Five.
The Sonos Era 300, also recently released, is a $450 speaker that supports Dolby Atmos spatial audio from Apple Music and Amazon Music Unlimited. I’ve found that the quality of spatial audio mixes can be very hit or miss, but the good news is that the Era 300 sounds outstanding whether it’s playing back Atmos content or just standard tracks. It’s not quite as good as the Sonos Five, but it does have built-in microphones for voice assistants and easy Trueplay tuning as well as Bluetooth and the redesigned controls on the Era 100. Again, the main downside is that Google Assistant isn’t supported here.
Finally, if you’re an Apple Music user or have a lot of Apple hardware in your home, the second-generation HomePod is definitely worth considering. At $300, it’s a lot cheaper than these Sonos speakers but supports spatial audio like the Era 300. The Era 300 and Sonos Five are better speakers overall (and certainly much louder), but there’s a lot to like about the HomePod’s audio quality at its price point. It’s a clear, crisp vocal-forward speaker, and its design and software processing does a great job of making music sound like it’s all around you, even if you’re not playing back Dolby Atmos tracks.
- Stellar audio quality
- Two paired speakers support stereo sound
- No Bluetooth support
- No built-in voice assistant
Connectivity: Bluetooth, Wi-Fi | Assistant support: Amazon Alexa, Sonos Voice Control | Max wattage: 10W | Battery life: 10 hours
While many people will be happy with a few speakers strategically placed throughout their home, you might want something that works outside as well as inside. Fortunately, you can find speakers that pair voice controls and strong music playback performance with portable, weatherproof form factors. For my money, it’s hard to beat the Sonos Roam for sheer versatility, not to mention audio quality.
When used inside the home, the Roam works like any other Sonos speaker. It fits in with an existing multi-room Sonos setup, or you can get a pair for stereo playback. Like most other Sonos speakers, it works with the Sonos Voice Assistant or Amazon Alexa, and it supports essentially every major music service available. It sounds very good given its tiny size; it’s quieter and not quite as clear as the Sonos One or the Era 100, but it still packs a surprising bass thump and distinct highs.
Since it was designed with on-the-go usage in mind, the Roam has a battery and Bluetooth so you can take it anywhere and use it far away from your Wi-Fi network. And its diminutive size makes it easy to take it everywhere, both around the house and out and about. It’s also the first Sonos speaker that is fully waterproof, as well as dust- and drop-resistant, so you shouldn’t worry about taking it to the pool or beach.
The Roam gets about 10 hours of battery life, whether you’re on Wi-FI or Bluetooth. There are other portable speakers that last longer, so if you’re really going to push the battery you might be better served by another option.
Another wireless portable speaker option is the $449 Sonos Move 2. It’s much larger and louder than the Roam, which is unsurprising given how much more expensive it is. It’s a nice upgrade over the previous Move, with two tweeters for more detailed sound, a battery that lasts more than a day and redesigned touch controls up top. It also has a line-in jack via USB-C, so you can hook up a turntable when you’re using it inside. If you’re willing to sacrifice portability for power and better sound quality (and can afford it), the Move 2 will be more satisfying than the Roam.
A better choice than the Move, unless you already have other Sonos products, is the $399 Bose Portable Smart speaker. It supports Alexa and Google Assistant commands, and since it can connect to WiFi, you can ask your preferred assistant to play music from Spotify, Amazon Music and other services. On top of that, it produces well-rounded sound, sports an IPX4 design with a convenient carry handle and will last up to 12 hours on a single charge.
Bose also has a good alternative to the Roam. The $149 SoundLink Flex supports Siri and Google Assistant commands, plus it has an IP67 design that’s roughly the size of a small clutch bag. It pumps out bright, dynamic sound and can pair with other speakers for stereo sound, too – it’s excellent and slightly cheaper than the Roam.
While this guide is all about smart speakers, we’d be remiss if we didn’t mention all of the solid portable speakers out there that either have limited smart features or none at all. We have an entire guide to the best portable Bluetooth speakers, so if you’re purely concerned with portability and less about having an ecosystem of connected speakers, there are lots of options worth investigating.
- Works with existing Sonos setups
- Good sound quality with strong bass
- Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity
- Just average battery life
- Doesn’t get as loud as other portable speakers
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