Sony LF-S50G

Attractive design ; Splashproof ; Clock display ; Gesture controls

Sound isn't amazing ; Gesture controls

A decent upgrade over the Google Home.

Decent sound quality ; Reliable voice control ; Clock interface ; Works well with Chromecast devices ; Removable cover for easy cleaning

Gesture control can be frustrating ; Limited bass/low-end range ; Google Assistant still has limitations

Attractive, splashproof design ; Google Assistant is great ; Multi-room functionality

Tiring sound is out of its depth at this price ; Hit-and-miss gesture controls

Sonos One currently sets the bar at this level, and the LF-S50G struggles to match it

Gets loud ; Excellent voice recognition ; Splash-proof

Can’t make calls (yet) ; Average sound quality ; Rubbish gesture controls

In isolation, the Sony LF-S50G is a very good smart speaker. It’s great at picking up voice commands, sounds good and features a handy LED clock. However, compared to the competition, the Sony is a poor value as other speakers in its price range...

Google Assistant support. High-quality audio. Gesture controls. Splash-resistant build.

Unoriginal design.

Sony's LF-S50G speaker will be available in October for $199.99. We're looking forward to seeing how it stacks up against the Google Home in real-world testing, not to mention Amazon's Alexa-powered lineup, and Apple's HomePod when it comes out later...

The Sony LF-S50G speaker has a lovely design. It's small, it's subtle and based on our experience with it, it appears to manage to produce a decent sound from its compact body.

We're both surprised and pleased by the Sony S50G, apart from the name. It's nice to see a new alternative to the Google Home with some additional features like NFC and Bluetooth. The splashproof design looks great, too. We're just not sure about the...