Extend your hand to Sony’s extravagant Xperia Hello! smart speaker

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…or what Sony is calling its “communication robot”.

If the likes of the Amazon Echo, Google Home, Apple HomePod and indeed Sony’s LF-S50G are being classed as ‘smart speakers’, then we’d consider Sony’s Xperia Hello! nothing short of a brainbox.

For one, it is actually robot-like – not just in functionality but physical form too. It utilises a swivelling camera as the robot’s head and features a 4.6-inch 720p display as its body. And it's not just a body, the display can display information such as messages, weather and time.

Sony doesn’t expect to shift “a significant volume” of Xperia Hello!’s – the 150,000 yen (around £1000) price tag won't help – and currently only has plans to release it to the Japanese market before deciding whether to let it loose on the world. Either way, it certainly puts a new spin on smart speakers...

Becky Roberts
Becky Roberts
Freelance contributor

Becky is a hi-fi, AV and technology journalist, formerly the Managing Editor at What Hi-Fi? and Editor of Australian Hi-Fi and Audio Esoterica magazines. With over twelve years of journalism experience in the hi-fi industry, she has reviewed all manner of audio gear, from budget amplifiers to high-end speakers, and particularly specialises in headphones and head-fi devices.

In her spare time, Becky can often be found running, watching Liverpool FC and horror movies, and hunting for gluten-free cake.