What is the battery life of always-on, always-listening smart speakers like the Amazon Echo? To find out, we put a bunch of them to the test while they were on standby and playing music at varying volumes.
Apple HomePod Mini
The HomePod Mini is a super-efficient small speaker that uses very little power when it’s not in use or when it’s playing music at full volume. When not in use, it consumes 0.8-1W of power, and after a short period of time, it switches to an ultra-low power sleep mode, consuming roughly 0.5W.
When you play music at a low volume, its power usage only rises slightly, reaching a rough average of 2W. We utilized the volume at which we would listen while working.
The HomePod Mini consumes roughly 8W at high volumes, but it sounds best at somewhat lower volumes. When the volume is turned all the way up, you can hear the minor drivers’ compromise.
Google Nest Audio
The low-end power in Google’s Nest Audio is provided by passive radiators, eliminating the need for a more powerful bass amplifier. Regardless of the loudness of your music, it uses relatively little power, albeit consumption is higher than the HomePod Mini’s in all settings.
When waiting for a voice command, the Nest Audio uses 1.4W, which is less than the Amazon Echo devices we tested.
At modest volumes, such as those used when playing background music, the power consumption is roughly 3.5W.
At high volumes, this rises to 13W, similar to the Sonos One. Which option provides you with higher quality per watt? The Sonos system.
Amazon Echo Studio
Amazon’s Echo Studio is the company’s most powerful smart speaker, and its energy consumption reflects that. A
Depending on whether the mics are turned on or not, it should require 3-3.6W, according to Amazon’s own documentation. However, even after leaving it idle for a few hours, our power meter still read 5.6-6.1W.
This indicates that, at least with the software version used during testing, the amplifier circuitry is still active in standby mode. As a result, power usage does not increase all that much when playing music at modest volumes, hovering at 6-7W.
Because the Echo Studio uses an active subwoofer driver rather than passive bass radiators, power consumption fluctuates significantly more than in most competitors at high volumes. Big bass booms necessitate more power, and we measured 45W peaks at high volumes.
However, keep in mind that this is an extremely loud speaker with higher peak loudness than others. Within minutes, your neighbors will be enraged. That draw isn’t reliable either. Most of the time, it’s substantially lower.
Amazon Echo
Amazon’s own estimations of the Echo’s power consumption of 3W are almost spot on. When it’s just sitting out and waiting for Alexa to wake up, it uses 3W.
Using a skill, such as the Golden Ticket movie trivia game, only increases consumption to 4W. When you listen to Spotify at maximum volume, the average power consumption is roughly 6.6W.
In standby mode, the Google Home promises to utilize only 2W, although this will only save you roughly $1 over the course of a year. If you have a lot of Echos, keep in mind that they consume electricity at about the same rate as a low-power LED lightbulb.
Amazon Echo Dot
As a tiny device, you may anticipate the Echo Dot to require a lot less power than the full-size Echo.
In standby, we discovered that the power drain fluctuates between 1.7W and 3W. We’re shocked to see such consumption drops, given that it’s doing precisely what the larger Echo does at this point.
When you use Spotify to play music through the Echo Dot, it stays around the 3W mark. This is due to the puck’s insufficient amplifier and speaker. It’s bizarre, though, to believe it uses the same amount of electricity whether it’s actively doing something or not.
Sonos One
In standby mode, the Sonos One consumes 3.5-4W, which is quite high if you just use your Sonos occasionally.
If you’re not a soundphile, we believe the Sonos One can serve as your primary audio source.
We think it’s fantastic. Even at 80%, it only consumes 11.2 watts. That at a volume that will irritate your neighbors.
Do you listen to Sonos all of the time?
What is the procedure for turning off the Sonos Beam? Is there a power button included in the package? No, it’s not true! Sonos Beam is built in a way that is energy-efficient and automatically saves electricity. As a result, there is no need to turn off the gadget.
If you don’t want to use it for a while, all you have to do is leave it alone, and the speaker will go into Standby mode on its own. It eliminates the need to pay attention to the Sonos speaker and turn it off at the appropriate time.
So, what does this Standby mode entail? At this moment, your device is essentially idle. You can simply play the music instead of turning on the device the next time you want to use it. Apart from that, there are no additional buttons to hit in order to reactivate this device.
As a result, it stays with you when you want it to operate and goes into sleep mode when no music is being played. The speakers do not have a power button. You can easily unplug the gadget in cases where you need to turn it off for various reasons. Sonos makes operating its speakers as simple as that!
How much power does Sonos consume?
When not in use, Sonos units use roughly 5 watts on average. With 5 Sonos devices in the house, the average idle usage is 25 watts.
What is the power consumption of a Sonos amplifier?
One of the main reasons to invest in the Sonos audio ecosystem rather than Amazon, Google, or Apple’s smart speakers is the overall flexibility: Sonos simply makes more types of audio products than any of the other players, allowing you to create a relatively custom home audio system quickly and easily.
For years, the $499 Sonos Connect:Amp, which is exactly what it sounds like: a compact Sonos-connected amplifier that can drive any standard speaker, has been the unsung key to that freedom. People (including professional smart home integrators) have hacked up TV speaker systems utilizing Connect:Amps in a variety of ways, from driving several sets of ceiling speakers in mono to driving multiple sets of ceiling speakers in stereo. The Connect:Amp is a fantastic tool, but it’s a little weak at 55 watts per channel, and the basic hardware is starting to show its age.
Sonos is expanding its roster with the $599 Sonos Amp, a completely new design that provides unrivaled flexibility for a connected audio component. With 125 watts per channel and AirPlay 2 support, as well as HDMI input and a great variety of custom control settings and configurations, it’s far more powerful and capable than the Connect:Amp.
The Amp can be used to power a pair of bookshelf speakers. You can build a 4.1 home theater around your TV by adding two extra Sonos speakers and a subwoofer. Alexa may be used to control it (and eventually Google Assistant). You can use it to power massive vintage speakers. If you’re the type who keeps equipment racks in the basement, you can rack mount it. It accomplishes all of these tasks with ease and grace, firmly establishing Sonos as the most versatile and powerful connected music system available.
Do smart speakers consume a lot of power?
Electricals that are on 24 hours a day, seven days a week use a lot of energy in every home. Refrigerators, standby appliances, set-top boxes, televisions, pumps, boilers, broadband routers, computers, chargers the list of energy-sucking devices is endless! Voice-controlled’smart speakers’ and home hubs have now become the next’must-have’ technology. Ironically, new technology uses far more electricity than the old foe leaving things on standby!
For individuals who have difficulties typing, can’t find their remotes, or require assistance setting the timer on their heating, connected homes are being hailed as the next big thing. I can now hear myself yelling “Google, hello! Siri! Alexa! “Can you tell me where my phone is?” … “I’m not sure… but I found this on the internet.”
Is it safe to leave the Sonos system plugged in?
Without causing damage, you can leave your Sonos Move plugged into the power for a day or two at a time. However, it is never a good idea to leave a battery-powered item plugged in for an extended period of time. The battery will become inactive as a result of this, and an inactive battery will gradually lose charge capacity over time.
Will Sonos continue to play when I leave the house?
Sonos is designed to keep playing even if the controller is turned off or out of range. It will play music services until the queue is empty/completed in your scenario, skipping any tracks on the missing controllers. Before leaving, press Stop and/or empty the queue to correct the situation.
When I’m not at home, how can I turn off Sonos?
The majority of Sonos gadgets are powered by a simple power wire that is connected into a wall outlet. Disconnect the power plug to turn the speaker off. Any LEDs on the speaker’s top will be turned off.