The folks at iFixit are tinkering again, and this time, their muse is none other than the rival of Amazon Echo, the Google Home speaker, which hit the shelves on Nov. 4.
The teardown of the Google Home speaker from iFixit threw up some intriguing facts and revealed why it was a wiser decision to purchase the Amazon Echo over the former despite its steeper price.
Two Microphones vs. Five
Wondering what surprises the teardown threw up that have us rooting for the Amazon Echo over the Google Home? Lesser microphones.
That's correct. When the iFixit team removed the casing of the Google Home without any issue, they discovered that the device had only two microphones.
"Two InvenSense INMP621 MEMS microphones — will only two be enough compared to the Echo's seven?" quizzed the team at iFixit.
For the record, the Amazon Echo has seven microphones by comparison — S1053 0090 V6 microphone — as evidenced by an iFixit teardown.
"Around the edge of the wheel, we find the microphones responsible for hearing your commands (six on the perimeter, plus one in the center of the board), and LEDs used to indicate Alexa's acknowledgment," shared the team during its teardown of the Amazon Echo.
Basically, the writing is on the wall. When you have two microphones competing against seven, it is evident which will offer better quality. The seven microphones on the Amazon Echo will undoubtedly be able to grasp voice commands better when compared to the Google Home.
For example, when you issue a command to Amazon Echo's Alexa to search for music versus the Google Home, which boasts contextual learning, it will be easier for the former to hear you thanks to the seven mics that enhance its abilities.
Anatomy Of Google Home: Just A Bigger Chromecast?
As iFixit's revelations in its teardown suggest, the Google Home is basically an overgrown $35 Chromecast with a speaker attached. The Google Home shares quite a few of the same components with the 2015 dongle such as the same RAM module, flash, CPU and some chips.
While the Google Home may have achieved an 8 out 10 score on reparability versus the 7 out of 10 for the Amazon Echo, the fact that the audio capabilities of the speaker are limited to just two mics should set off alarm bells for anyone looking to purchase the $129 device. Shelling out $180 for the Amazon Echo is smarter if you do not wish to compromise on quality.
The Google Home speaker is now available for purchase from several retailers, but spend wisely!
