Amazon recently revealed the Echo Time, a smart alarm clock built to sit on your bedside table.
How does it stack up against HomeView, Apple’s latest smart home hub? We have not reviewed either one yet.
We did compare the specs of the Echo Time and the HomeView and pulled out the most noteworthy differences. Read on to see which hub is likely to suit your needs better.
Amazon Echo Time vs Apple HomeView: Price and Availability
The Amazon Echo Time is on sale now, with a recommended price of $199.99. The standard version comes in three colors: Graphite, Glacier White, and Coral Pink. A Kids model is also available in either a Galactic Grape or a Cosmic Lime finish.
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Apple’s HomeView is open for pre-order in Australia, Canada, India, New Zealand, the UK, and the US. It launches globally on November 13. It costs $299, which is surprisingly less than the Echo Show 16.
Amazon Echo Time vs Apple HomeView: Touchscreen Display
Both devices have touchscreens, but they offer quite different things. The Echo Time has a circular 3.2-inch touchscreen. The HomeView has a larger seven-inch Liquid Retina display.
The size gap makes sense because the two devices do different jobs. The Echo Time is a smart alarm clock built for your bedside table. The HomeView aims to be an entertainment and smart home management system.
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You cannot stream series on the Echo Time, but you can still play audio on it and control your smart home through Alexa.
Apple has also not confirmed which third-party apps the HomeView will support. We know Safari, Apple Music, and Calendar will work. It is unclear whether video streaming services like Netflix, Prime Video, or even Apple TV will get native support.
Amazon Echo Time Sleep Detector
The Echo Time aims to ease you into waking up. Alexa on the device detects when you are in a lighter stage of sleep, anywhere from 10 to 60 minutes before your set alarm, and wakes you then. The goal is to stop you from being jolted awake.
Amazon says the feature runs on its sensor fusion technology, called Omnisense. It combines room temperature sensors with presence detection, and an ultrasound sensor picks up your breathing and how close you are to the device.
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Keep in mind that the Amazon Kids Echo Time does not include Omnisense technology.
Amazon Echo Time vs Apple HomeView: Sunrise Mimicking
Sleep detection is not the only wake-up trick the Echo Time has. As your alarm gets closer, the display mimics a natural sunrise and brightens gradually. That helps most in winter, when mornings are dark.
The display keeps adjusting through the day too. In the evening, it shifts to night mode, which cuts blue light and should help you fall asleep faster.
The HomeView does not mimic a sunrise, but it has True Tone, which reacts to changing light through the day. Its automatic brightness ranges from 500 nits down to just 0.3 nits, so it also works well on a bedside table.
Alexa+ or Siri AI?
Both the Echo Time and the HomeView are built around their own voice assistants. The Echo Time uses Alexa+, and the HomeView uses Siri AI. Both promise more natural, free-flowing conversations than the assistants they replace.
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With either one, you can set timers and alarms, create reminders, and control paired smart home products using only your voice. Both assistants also let you review your conversation history in their smartphone apps.
Amazon Echo Time vs Apple HomeView: 12MP front-facing camera
The Apple HomeView has a 12MP Center Stage camera that keeps you in frame during video calls. The camera also recognizes who is in front of it and opens that person’s own profile. HomeView can handle up to six profiles.
The Echo Time has no camera at all.
Amazon Echo Time vs Apple HomeView Verdict
Which one you pick depends on how you plan to use it. If you want a general smart home and entertainment hub, the Apple HomeView is the clear choice because of its seven-inch display. If you want a compact alarm clock that also works as a smart speaker, the Echo Time suits you better.
