Top 6 budget smart speakers in 2024
By ForGeeks Smart speakers have become more popular than ever in the last couple of years. They range in price from 2,999 rubles (discounted) to 50,000 rubles. Some of them, which fall into the budget class (up to 10,000 rubles), are small in size. They can easily be placed on a shelf, a cabinet or a windowsill. Such speakers won’t catch the eye, but if you want, they can be a great addition to the interior, especially given the variety of colors that manufacturers offer.
Smart speakers contain a voice assistant that can fulfill your wish (almost Genie) — turn on the right music, tell you the weather forecast or tell you the time, but they can also be a great companion for your children. For example, Yandex stations with Alice have gotten their voice assistant so pumped up that it can tell your child a story, play simple games like word games, and keep them occupied in some other way.
Important: Each speaker will only be used 100% if you have a subscription to that company’s services – Yandex, VK and Sber Prime.
Address: The voice assistant will only be used 100% of the time if you have a subscription to Yandex, VK and Sber Prime.
Yandex Station Lite
Yandex speakers have arguably become the most popular on the market. At the same time, they’ve also been on the market the longest, so they’ve gained respect and recognition from customers. Yandex has a decent range of smart speakers, but let’s talk only about the budget options.
The cheapest version of the Light speaker with voice assistant Alice costs 4,999 rubles for the purely plastic version, or the price goes up to 6,999 rubles for the customizable version.
The smart speaker is equipped with a 5W speaker so you can enjoy your favorite music, as well as four high-sensitivity microphones to better recognize your speech and requests for the voice assistant. In addition to the basic functionality, the station can also work as a baby monitor — any sound from the nursery will appear on your phone.
The station connects via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi. The speaker also quietly syncs with the multimedia system you already have in your home. This allows you to listen to music from any room without having to carry a speaker everywhere.
Allows you to listen to music from any room without having to carry a speaker everywhere.
Also, despite its small size compared to the more expensive models in the range, the Light Station syncs well with «Smart Home» and you can use it to control other gadgets that are also connected to the system — such as turning on the kettle, adjusting the lights, etc.
The Light Station also syncs well with «Smart Home» and you can control other gadgets that are also connected to the system — turning on the kettle, adjusting the lights, etc.
Sber Sberboom Mini 2
Cost — from 3,999 rubles.
The functionality of this speaker, like many others, is similar. Most importantly, it has voice control. You can ask it to play your favorite song, ask Salute’s voice assistant a question, or ask it to play a pre-determined cleaning scenario.
The speaker’s small size doesn’t fool you – it has good sound, which will be plenty, especially when it comes to models in this price range. Thanks to its high-quality microphone, the speaker picks up voice commands well, so you may not need a TV remote anymore – you can change channels, turn off apps on your TV thanks to your virtual assistant.
VK Capsule Neo
Cost from 2,999 rubles.
This speaker is probably the most budget-friendly option in our selection, but that doesn’t mean it’s worse than the competition. It’s a simple plastic speaker with a clock or LED eyes.
The Marusya voice assistant performs at pretty much the same level as Alice. Although there’s an opinion that Marusya is better for communicating with children, it’s more a matter of personal preference. The speaker, like all the previous ones, can also be configured to control a smart home, supporting work with devices from more than 50 manufacturers. That’s pretty handy.
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VK Capsule Mini with Marusia
Cost – from 4,999 rubles.
Like the previous speaker, you’re greeted by Marusya’s voice assistant. But in addition to its internal features and new functions, which we’ll talk about later, this speaker’s design has changed. Now you can not say that such a mini station is primarily aimed at children. It has a sleek, understated design that will fit perfectly into any interior, whether you’re at home or in the office.
One of the main features of this model is the stereo pairing function. By combining two identical speakers, you’ll get a better and deeper sound that will help you enjoy your favorite music, as the power of the built-in 5W broadband speaker.
The stereo pairing function is a great feature.
Sber SberBoom Home
Cost from 6,999 rubles.
Since the functionality doesn’t differ much from the younger Sbera speaker, let’s get straight to the features of this model. This version is equipped with an LED display. Thanks to this, not only can you see the time, but you can also view the weather forecast, traffic data and the emotions of the Salute voice assistant.
Zigbee module allows you to control your smart home even if there’s some sort of internet failure. This version also has more pumped-up speakers, and two speakers can be combined for stereo sound.
Yandex Station Mini
Cost from 6,999 rubles.
We should point out that there are two versions of this station – with and without LED clock. The price of this function is about 500 rubles.
Cost – from 6,999 rubles.
The main difference is two things – design and speakers. Now the speaker looks more elegant thanks to the fabric braiding instead of a simple colored plastic case. As for the speakers, they’re 10 watts, twice as powerful as the Light Station.
Otherwise, the functionality doesn’t change significantly, just improves. So here are the two main criteria for deciding whether or not you should overpay for the more advanced version of the speaker.
