The most common smart speaker problems, from 1,145 verified buyers
What owners of the 4 smart speakers we cover complain about and love most, from every 1 to 3 star review and the newest 4 and 5 star ones, written by people the shop checked had bought it. Data as of 12 Nov 2026.
Key findings
- The most common smart speaker problem owners report: “App, connection or software problems”, raised in 49% of the 1 to 3 star reviews, followed by “Didn't perform as well as hoped” (8%).
- What happy owners praise most: “Does its main job well”, in 39% of the 4 and 5 star reviews we read.
- 89% of verified buyers rated their smart speaker 4 or 5 stars, against 93% across every product type in our study; smart speakers rank 30 of 37 for happy buyers.
- 7% gave 1 or 2 stars, about 1 buyer in 14.
- Across the 4 smart speakers with 30 or more ratings, the share of happy buyers ran from 82% to 95%.
- The cheaper half of these smart speakers (up to £55) had a median of 95% happy buyers, against 85% for the pricier half, so paying more did not buy happier owners.
- Buyers in Asia, Africa and Oceania were the happiest (100% at 4 or 5 stars), and buyers in the US and Canada the least (86%).
Most common problems
Share of the 125 reviews of 1 to 3 stars that raise each problem, grouped across models. What to check before you buy.
- 1. App, connection or software problems49%Came up on 3 models
- 2. Didn't perform as well as hoped8%Came up on 2 models
What to check before you buy
The problems above, most common first, and how to avoid each one. Our advice; the order comes from the reviews.
- 1. App, connection or software problems (49% of complaints)
Check whether the features you want need the app, and that the app supports your phone. Basic functions that work without an account are a plus.
- 2. Didn't perform as well as hoped (8% of complaints)
Judge it on independent tests rather than the box: the numbers makers print are often best-case figures.
What owners love most
Share of the 338 newest 4 and 5 star reviews we read that praise each point.
- 1. Does its main job well39%Came up on 4 models
- 2. Easy to set up and use14%Came up on 4 models
- 3. Good value for the money5%Came up on 2 models
How buyers rated them
By where they bought
Regions with 30 or more ratings, by where the shop is. Shops in each region sell different models, so a gap can come from the models as much as from the buyers.
| Region | Ratings | 4–5 stars |
|---|---|---|
| UK | 342 | 95% |
| US and Canada | 773 | 86% |
| Asia, Africa and Oceania | 30 | 100% |
Against similar product types
| Product type | Ratings | 4–5 stars | 1–2 stars |
|---|---|---|---|
| Games consoles | 16,121 | 97% | 2% |
| MacBooks | 618 | 97% | 1% |
| Tablets | 5,392 | 96% | 2% |
| Mirrorless cameras | 568 | 96% | 2% |
| Office mice | 1,335 | 95% | 2% |
| TVs | 10,811 | 94% | 4% |
| Smartwatches | 2,553 | 94% | 3% |
| Ergonomic mice | 2,682 | 92% | 4% |
| Office keyboards | 2,346 | 92% | 5% |
| Keyboard and mouse combos | 1,949 | 92% | 4% |
| Gaming keyboards | 546 | 92% | 5% |
| Soundbars | 2,700 | 91% | 5% |
| Gaming headsets | 2,366 | 91% | 6% |
| Headphones | 4,776 | 90% | 6% |
| Smart speakers | 1,145 | 89% | 7% |
| Earbuds | 5,500 | 86% | 9% |
How we counted
We count only reviews a shop marks as coming from a checked purchase, and leave out reviewers paid with a free product or a reward and complaints about the shop rather than the product. We read every review of 1 to 3 stars and the newest 4 and 5 star ones, sum up each model's recurring points in our own words and count the owners behind each, then group those points into the themes above across models; a theme shows once at least three owners raised it on two or more models. These are the smart speakers we cover, not every model on sale, so compare them with the other product types here rather than with ratings elsewhere. Price halves use UK prices. The full study compares every product type, and How we decide has the rules for each shop.
Quote and chart these numbers with a link to this page. Cite as: WhichOneToGet, “Smart speakers: verified buyer ratings”, 12 Nov 2026, https://www.whichonetoget.com/research/verified-buyer-ratings/smart-speakers.