The Echo from Amazon and the Home from Google are both pretty great as web-powered voice assistants. But they do have one fatal flaw: they’re tethered to a power supply. The solution is a battery base.
Stick your smart speaker on one of these gadgets, with an integrated battery that can power it for several hours, and suddenly you can take it anywhere in the house. Or anywhere with a Wi-Fi signal, for that matter—if your speaker supports direct input, it can even work as an amplifier for your phone or laptop. Just to round out the list, we’ve also selected the best low-cost, third-party smart speakers that include their own batteries.
The Best Battery Base for Google Home: Ninety7 Loft ($50)
Niche manufacturer Ninety7 has a few spots on this list, because they’re clearly the best in this oddly specific product category. The Loft is the crown jewel of their product line, offering a base that fits neatly in with the replaceable fashion covers for the Google Home itself.
And speaking of fashion, it comes in black, grey, and brass finishes to complement your choice of décor. The magnetic battery powers itself with the Home’s own adapter cable, so you can leave it plugged in when you’re not using it in portable mode, and it will last for up to eight hours on a charge.
The Best Battery Base for Google Home Mini: Ninety7 JOT
This base is essentially the same design as the Loft above, albeit not quite as sleek-looking since it needs to hold the much less avant-garde Google Home Mini. That said, the Jot and the Home Mini make for a fetching little combo: slide the speaker in and plug in the USB charger and it’s good to go for eight hours.
Again, you won’t need an extra charger since it uses the one that comes with the Home Mini. The finish comes in silver or black to match your Home Mini, though to be honest, contrasting the colors looks pretty good, too.
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