1. Try Searching by
    1. Category (Best $100 Headphones, Best 50 Inch TVs, …)
    2. Brand (Sony, Samsung, LG, Bose, …)
    3. Model (S405, QC 35 II, …)
    4. Etc
Get insider access
Get insider access
Preferred store
Your browser is not supported or outdated so some features of the site might not be available.
Best
Bluetooth Portable Outdoor Bose Loud Home Shower Parties Alexa Small JBL Brands Budget And Cheap Bluetooth For Bass Waterproof Bluetooth Golf Bluetooth For Sound Smart iPhone Bluetooth Under $100
Tools
Compare Table Review List Review Index Graph Custom Ratings
Popular
JBL Boombox 3 JBL Charge 5 JBL Authentics 500 JBL Flip 6 Bose SoundLink Max Sonos Era 100 Harman/Kardon Go + Play 3 Ultimate Ears EPICBOOM Sonos Era 300 Ultimate Ears WONDERBOOM 4 JBL PartyBox Stage 320 Sonos Move 2 Bose SoundLink Flex Bose SoundLink Flex (2nd Gen) Ultimate Ears MEGABOOM 4 JBL PartyBox 310 Harman/Kardon Onyx Studio 8 Sony SRS-XB100 Ultimate Ears HYPERBOOM JBL PartyBox Club 120
163
Speakers bought and tested
Supported by you via insider access, and when you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.
Driven by data, run by a passionate team of engineers, testers, technical writers, developers, and more.
We are hiring!
  1. Home
  2. Speaker
  3. Compare
  1. Table of Contents
  2. Top
  3. Main Differences
  4. Design
    1. Pictures
    2. Style
    3. Portability
    4. Build Quality
    5. Controls
    6. In The Box
  5. Sound
    1. Frequency Response Accuracy
    2. Raw Frequency Response
    3. Soundstage
    4. Dynamics
  6. Active Features
    1. Battery
    2. Voice Assistant
    3. App
  7. Connectivity
    1. Wired
    2. Bluetooth
    3. Wi-Fi
  8. Comments

Amazon Echo Gen 4 vs Apple HomePod (2nd generation)

Side-by-Side Comparison

Products

Amazon Echo Gen 4
Apple HomePod (2nd generation)

Tested using Methodology v0.8

Updated Feb 03, 2025 02:20 PM

SEE PRICE
Amazon.com

Tested using Methodology v0.8

Updated Feb 03, 2025 02:19 PM

SEE PRICE
BestBuy.com
Amazon Echo Gen 4 Picture
Apple HomePod (2nd generation) Picture
Bluetooth
Yes
Wi-Fi
Yes
Speakerphone
Yes
Voice Assistant
Yes
Battery Powered
No
Bluetooth
No
Wi-Fi
Yes
Speakerphone
Yes
Voice Assistant
Yes
Battery Powered
No
  1. Recommended in 3 articles:
  2. Home
  3. Alexa
  4. Smart
  1. Recommended in 3 articles:
  2. Brands
  3. iPhone
  4. Apple

Variants

  • Echo Gen 4 ((Product) Red)
  • Echo Gen 4 (Charcoal)
  • Echo Gen 4 (Glacier White)
  • Echo Gen 4 (Twilight Blue)
  • HomePod (2nd generation) (Midnight)
  • HomePod (2nd generation) (White)

Review

See Amazon Echo Gen 4 review

See Apple HomePod (2nd generation) review

0
2

Our Verdict

Amazon Echo Gen 4

Apple HomePod (2nd generation)

Depending on your listening habits, you may prefer either the Amazon Echo Gen 4 or the Apple HomePod (2nd generation). Both smart speakers offer excellent voice assistant support through their respective assistants. Only the Amazon speaker can playback stereo content without downmixing it to mono, and its bass and treble adjustments make it more customizable overall. That said, the Apple speaker brings more rumble in the low-bass, which is great for fans of EDM and hip-hop.

0

Check Price

SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
SEE PRICE
BestBuy.com
SEE PRICE
BestBuy.com
SEE PRICE
Walmart.com
SEE PRICE
B&H
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com

Main Differences for

Threshold 

0.10

Music 

6.8
7.2

Frequency Response Accuracy 
 

6.9
7.8

EQ 
 

Bass/Treble
No

Full Comparison

Design

Style  

Style Photo  

Amazon Echo Gen 4 Style Photo
Apple HomePod (2nd generation) Style Photo

RGB Lights  

No
No

Show text

Portability 
 

5.5
4.3

Dimensions Photo  

Amazon Echo Gen 4 Dimensions Photo
Apple HomePod (2nd generation) Dimensions Photo

Volume 
 

168 in³ (2,757 cm³)
205 in³ (3,367 cm³)

Weight 
 

2.0 lbs (0.9 kg)
5.1 lbs (2.3 kg)

Power Source 
 

AC Only
AC Only

One-Hand Carry 
 

Yes
No

Show text

Build Quality 
 

6.4
6.4

Build Quality Photo  

Amazon Echo Gen 4 Build Quality Photo
Apple HomePod (2nd generation) Build Quality Photo

Material Quality 
 

Good
Good

Water Resistance 
 

Unspecified
No

Dust Resistance 
 

Unspecified
Unspecified

Impact Resistance 
 

Unspecified
No

Floats In Water 
 

Unspecified
No

Show text

Controls 
 

6.0
8.0

Controls Photo  

Amazon Echo Gen 4 Controls Photo
Apple HomePod (2nd generation) Controls Photo

Controls Photo 2  

Amazon Echo Gen 4 Controls Photo 2
Apple HomePod (2nd generation) Controls Photo 2

Ease Of Use 
 

Great
Great

Feedback 
 

Great
Great

Music Play/Pause 
 

No
Yes (Tactile)

Call Answer/End 
 

No
Yes (Tactile)

Volume Up/Down 
 

Yes (Physical)
Yes (Tactile)

Track Next/Previous 
 

No
Yes (Tactile)

Microphone On/Off 
 

Yes (Physical)
No

Additional Controls 
 

Yes
Yes

Show text

In The Box 
 

In The Box Photo  

Amazon Echo Gen 4 In The Box Photo
Apple HomePod (2nd generation) In The Box Photo

Show text

Sound

Frequency Response Accuracy 
 

6.9
7.8

Frequency Response Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Slope 
 

-1.22
0.87

Std. Err. 
 

3.54 dB
3.68 dB

Low-Frequency Extension 
 

54.2 Hz
32.7 Hz

High-Frequency Extension 
 

18.2 kHz
19.3 kHz

Show text

Raw Frequency Response 
 

Raw Frequency Response Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Binaural Recording @ 1m 
 

Binaural Recording @ 2m 
 

Soundstage 
 

7.8
7.6

Directivity Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Directivity Index 
 

4.06 dB
0.90 dB

Stereo 
 

Yes
No (mono)

Show text

Dynamics 
 

5.6
5.7

Dynamic Range Compression  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

SPL @ Max Volume 
 

84.8 dB SPL
85.2 dB SPL

DRC @ Max Volume 
 

3.96 dB
3.78 dB

Show text

Active Features

Battery 
 

0.0
0.0

Battery Life 
 

N/A
N/A

Charge Time 
 

N/A
N/A

Power Saving 
 

No
No

Charging Port 
 

No Battery
No Battery

Battery Powered 
 

No
No

Show text

Voice Assistant 
 

10
10

Alexa 
 

Built-in (Wi-Fi Only)
No

Google Assistant 
 

No
No

Speakerphone 
 

Yes
Yes

Siri 
 

No
Built-in

Voice Assistant 
 

Yes
Yes

Voice Activation 
 

Yes
Yes

Microphone Mute 
 

Yes
Yes

Far-Field Performance 
 

Excellent
Excellent

Ambient Noise Performance 
 

Excellent
Excellent

Show text

App 
 

9.3
6.6

App Picture  

Amazon Echo Gen 4 App Picture
Apple HomePod (2nd generation) App Picture

App Name 
 

Amazon Alexa
Apple Home

iOS 
 

Yes
Yes

Android 
 

Yes
No

EQ 
 

Bass/Treble
No

Stereo Pair Mode 
 

Yes
Yes

Party Mode 
 

Yes
Yes

Multi-Room 
 

Yes
Yes

Show text

Connectivity

Wired 
 

Aux Input 
 

Yes
No

USB Audio 
 

No
No

Other Ports 
 

No
No

Show text

Bluetooth 
 

7.5
0.0

Bluetooth 
 

Yes
No

Bluetooth Version 
 

Unspecified
No Bluetooth

Bluetooth iOS Latency 
 

141 ms
N/A

Bluetooth Android Latency 
 

119 ms
N/A

Bluetooth Range 
 

305.1 ft (93.0 m)
N/A

Multi-Device Pairing 
 

No
No

Show text

Wi-Fi 
 

6.5
7.7

Wi-Fi Version 
 

Wi-Fi 5
Wi-Fi 4

Wi-Fi Frequency Band 
 

2.4GHz & 5GHz
2.4GHz & 5GHz

Wi-Fi 
 

Yes
Yes

Apple AirPlay 
 

No
Yes

AirPlay Latency 
 

N/A
121 ms

Google Chromecast 
 

No
No

Chromecast Latency 
 

N/A
N/A

Show text

Check Price

SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
SEE PRICE
BestBuy.com
SEE PRICE
BestBuy.com
SEE PRICE
Walmart.com
SEE PRICE
B&H
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Back to Top

Amazon Echo Gen 4

Apple HomePod (2nd generation)

Comments

  1. Comparison
 • Posted 1 year ago

Amazon Echo Gen 4 vs Apple HomePod (2nd generation): Main Discussion

What do you think of these products? Let us know below.


Looking for a personalized buying advice from the RTINGS.com experts? Insiders have direct access to buying advice on our insider forum.

Follow Discussion0 followingSee All Soundbars & Speakers DiscussionsCopy link
0 replies
PreviewBack to editorFormat guide
No comments yet, refresh to see new ones
We make money directly from you via insider access (which gives you access to extra features) and when you buy a product after clicking a link to a retailer. Learn more about how we work.
We buy our own products, just like you, mostly from the United States. When a product is discontinued or no longer popular, we sell the review units locally. You can see what products we currently have for sale here.
© 2025 9298-5266 Quebec Inc. All Rights Reserved. Visit our corporate site.