Report: Google Home beats Amazon Alexa in Q1 global device shipments

According to a new quarterly tracking estimate from Canalys, Google shipped more smart speakers in Q1 2018 than Amazon. Globally, the firm said that there were roughly 9 million units shipped overall. The three largest markets are the US, China and the UK.

According to the report, Google Home grew 483 percent (from a much smaller base) to Amazon’s 8 percent. Google Home device shipments represented 3.2 million units vs. 2.5 million Amazon Alexa devices.

By comparison, Slice Intelligence data, focused on the US market, show a different sales and market-share picture for Q1:

• Alexa devices: 73 percent.
• Google Home: 14 percent.
• Apple HomePod: 10 percent.
• Sonos One (running Alexa): 2 percent.

Other analyst estimates are consistent directionally with the Canalys report — showing that Google is gaining on Amazon. Earlier this year, reporting Q4 US data, Consumer Intelligence Research Partners said that Google Home represented about 40 percent of the smart speakers sold during the holiday period.

In the US market, it appears that Amazon still has at least a two-thirds market share advantage.