Turns out Sony, JBL, Panasonic, Anker, and Mobvai weren’t the only companies releasing Google Assistant-powered smart speakers at IFA earlier this month. Japanese consumer electronics manufacturer Onkyo also introduced a voice-controlled speaker called Onkyo Smart Speaker G3.
As per a press release issue by the company, Smart Speaker G3 comes with built-in Google Assistant and Chromecast Audio like the speakers from the companies we mentioned earlier. It will be able to answer queries, provide weather and traffic updates, read out recipes, set reminders, control smart home devices and more.
Onkyo states that in addition to all the smart things that it can do, it is a great speaker at its core.
“Designers computer-modelled a wooden acoustic-suspension enclosure to eliminate standing waves and vibration that compromise performance. A custom woofer with massive motor is held in place by a thick metal surround, enabling 1.5 times the cone excursion of conventional drivers for wide-spectrum reproduction. The speaker produces dynamic sound with taut bass and clear mid-range, with high frequencies aired by a quality soft-dome tweeter,” Onkyo noted a press release.
Sporting a boxy, two-way speaker design, the Onkyo Smart Speaker G3 will be priced at $199 and it will go on sale beginning January 16 in the United States.
With so many manufacturers launching Google Assistant speakers, it will come down to brand-value, speaker aesthetics and sound quality to succeed in the end.
Onkyo Smart Speaker G3 key specifications & features
- 3.15-inch pressed-pulp diaphragm woofer, 0.79-inch soft-dome tweeter
- High-output amplification
- Wifi, Bluetooth
- Dimensions: 20mm x 165mm x 128 mm; Weight: 1.8 kg
Get the brains of Google and the sound quality of the new Apple HomePod while saving a few bucks. Now that is a win, win, win.
Can’t wait to get one of these. Been a huge fan of the Google Home and much prefer over our Echo as can use natural speech with the GH versus the commands required with the Echo. Plus the GH knows who is who based on voice which the Echo can not do. Still even though almost 3 years old. So I can say call mom and the GH calls my mom, wife asks it calls hers and kids ask and it calls my wife. But bigger deal with music recommendations as they get all messed up on the Echo but not on the GH. But this will have all the pluses of the GH but then a great speaker.