Short answer: the Bose Lifestyle Ultra Speaker. It ranks #14 of 29 powered desktop speakers by sound quality, rated 3.7/5, at $279. The Google Home Speaker ranks #13, rated 3.0/5, at $99.99, $179.01 cheaper, not enough of a saving to outweigh the sound-quality gap.
Why pick the Bose Lifestyle Ultra Speaker: A compact smart speaker with an up firing driver for taller sound, built in Alexa, AirPlay 2, Google Cast and an aux input. It keeps a wired aux input, which the Google Home Speaker lacks. Watch for: RTINGS lists sub-par directivity as its main weakness, and reviewers agree a single unit sounds narrow from side to side, so it works best as a stereo pair.
Why pick the Google Home Speaker: A compact Gemini smart speaker that doubles as a smart home hub with a Thread border router and Matter support. Watch for: This is Google’s current speaker, and reviewers agree it is a downgrade in sound from the discontinued Google Nest Audio it replaces: SoundGuys measured its acoustic hardware directly against the Google Nest Audio and found a single 58mm full-range driver against the Google Nest Audio’s 75mm woofer plus dedicated 19mm tweeter, calling it ‘half the audio hardware for the same sticker price.’
Buy the Bose Lifestyle Ultra Speaker. It is rated higher for sound quality, and the $179.01 you would save on the Google Home Speaker does not close the gap.
Looking for alternatives? See the complete Powered Home rankings.
Prices on this page were last checked November 11, 2026 at 3:26 AM UTC. Product prices and availability are accurate as of that date/time and are subject to change; the price and availability shown on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.
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Specifications Side By Side
| Bose Lifestyle Ultra Speaker | Google Home Speaker | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $279.00 each | $99.99 each |
| Ranked | #14 of 29 in Medium Size Powered Desktop Speakers | #13 of 15 in Small Size Powered Desktop Speakers |
| Aux Input | Yes | No |
| Battery Life | No Battery | No Battery |
| IP Rating | None | None |
| Party Mode | Yes (Bose app multi-room, AirPlay 2, Google Cast) | Yes (Wi-Fi multi-room, Chromecast built-in) |
| Power Input | AC power cord | USB-C (30W adapter, power only, no USB Audio) |
| Stereo | No | No |
| Weight | 3.7 lbs (1.68 kg) | 0.9 lbs (396 g) |
| Wi-Fi | Yes | Yes (Wi-Fi 6, dual-band) |
| App | Yes (Bose) | Yes (Google Home) |
| Built-in Microphone | Yes (far-field, mic mute button) | Yes (3 far-field mics, hardware mute switch) |
| EQ | Yes (Bass/Mid/Treble + up-firing driver level) | Yes (Bass/Treble, via Google Home app) |
| Power Bank | No | No |
| TWS | Yes (stereo pairing via Bose app) | No (two units pair only through a Google TV Streamer, not with each other directly) |
| Drivers | 3in woofer, 1in tweeter, 1.5in up-firing mid/high driver | 58mm full-range driver |
| Inputs | Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, 3.5mm aux | Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Chromecast |
| XLR Input | No | No |
| RCA Input | No | No |
| TRS Input | Yes (3.5mm) | No |
| Optical Input | No | No |
| Coaxial Input | No | No |
| USB Input | No | No |
| HDMI Input | No | No |
| AES Input | No | No |
| Bluetooth | Yes | Yes |
| Bluetooth Version | 5.3 | 5.4 |
| Dimensions | 7.2” x 4.8” x 6.6” (184 x 121 x 167 mm) (H x W x D) | 3.4” x 4.2” x 4.2” (86.6 x 107 x 107 mm) (H x diameter) |
| Voice Assistants | Amazon Alexa / Alexa+ | Google Assistant / Gemini for Home |
| Streaming Services | AirPlay 2, Google Cast, Spotify Connect | Chromecast built-in, Spotify Connect |
| Bluetooth Codecs | - | SBC |
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