Recently, more and more tech companies have begun to challenge Amazon's grip on the smart speaker market. Just last month, for example, Chinese electronics company Xiaomi unveiled their own $45 Amazon Echo alternative, named the Mi AI - and today, electronic device accessory maker Anker has announced their own version of Amazon's Echo Dot.
Anker's Dot alternative -- called the Eufy Genie -- will be priced at $35 and reportedly offer roughly the same functionality as the Echo Dot. It's Alexa-powered, so virtually all of the skills the Dot has will translate over to the Genie. As such, you should be able to order pizza, buy groceries on Amazon or activate other smart home gadgets in your house in the same way that you would with Amazon's smart speakers, simply by telling the Genie what you want it to do.
Although the devices look somewhat similar in size and shape, there are a few key differences in terms of hardware. For one, the Echo Dot sports a whopping seven built-in microphones. This is obviously what allows it to pick up your voice so well (and from virtually any direction). Anker's Genie, on the other hand, will only ship with two integrated speakers. Still, for $15 less, that compromise might be acceptable.
Aside from fewer microphones, the Genie's base model is also lacking Bluetooth compatibility. Although the company mentioned that a $40 Bluetooth-enabled version of the device is coming in the future, the lack of Bluetooth pairing in the launch model of the device might be a deal-breaker for anyone who might prefer to use their own wireless speakers in lieu of the Genie's 2W speakers.
The Eufy Genie officially starts shipping out to consumers on August 16.
https://www.techspot.com/news/70508-anker-eufy-genie-smart-speaker-15-cheaper-than.html
