The new flagship Yandex Station boasts a stylish design, a functional LED display, vibrant ambient lighting, and advanced hardware, including both the processor and built-in speakers. We’ll tell you what this new model can do in our review.
Technical specifications
- Dimensions: 132 × 132 × 201 mm
- Weight: 1760 g
- Body material: fabric, plastic
- Dust and moisture protection: no
- Number of speakers: 3 × full-range, 2 × low-frequency, 2 × passive radiators
- Speaker power: 50 W
- Frequency range: 65 – 20000 Hz
- Number of microphones: 6
- Backlight: yes, ambient backlight on the rear panel, 16 million colors
- Display: monochrome LED display, 252 segments
- Wi-Fi: 2.4 and 5 GHz, a/b/g/n/ac
- Bluetooth: 5.0, BLE
- Smart home support: Zigbee, Matter
Equipment and design
Yandex Station 3 was packaged in a thick cardboard box, which depicted the model and listed its main features: ambient lighting and the Alice assistant .
Inside is the speaker , a power supply , and a small manual with examples of voice commands and usage scenarios. The package is spartan, but it fits in perfectly with the brand’s philosophy.
The new product is available in three colors: black, gray, and purple; we’re reviewing the latter. The design is reminiscent of the Station 2, but with more rounded corners, especially at the top. While its predecessor had a sharply truncated top, the new speaker has a more gradual transition.
The Yandex Station 3 body is covered in a pleasant-to-touch fabric. Hidden beneath the fabric is a 252-segment LED display that displays the clock, weather, Alice’s emotions, volume, and music visualization.
On the opposite side there is a microphone mute key, a vertical panel of 12 LEDs that is responsible for the ambient lighting, and a USB-C connector for power supply.
In the center of the top panel is a touch-sensitive button with the Alice logo, which starts music playback. Next to it is a key that turns the ambient lighting on and off. A ring-shaped groove around the perimeter allows you to adjust the volume. Four microphones are positioned slightly further along the panel; two more are hidden under the fabric covering the body.
Finally, the top panel and the body are visually separated by a strip of LED backlighting , which reacts to communication with Alice.
The bottom of the speaker is rubberized for better grip on the table surface .
Yandex Station 3 looks very cool.
Firstly, it fits easily into the interior, simultaneously attracting attention without stealing it from the rest of the design elements of your apartment.
Secondly, the pixel display supports a variety of images and animations: Alice will show the time, wink, and accompany the weather report with appropriate effects. Conveniently, the display can automatically adjust its brightness, and you can set a timer in the app to turn it off—for example, if you prefer to sleep in complete darkness.
Thirdly, the ambient lighting impresses with its variety of modes. It illuminates the space behind it, making it unobtrusive yet noticeable. The LEDs support up to 16 million colors, each of which can be illuminated independently, so the illumination can easily be multicolored. A wide variety of effects are available in the app, some of which can be accompanied by sound.
For example, by selecting a candle effect, you’ll hear the pleasant crackling of a flame. There are both calming modes, like lava lamp or northern lights, and dynamic ones, like light show and strobe – for every occasion, from soft lighting to help you fall asleep to intense party lighting .
In other words, the new product can create atmosphere, and its arsenal includes ambient lighting options for any situation and mood.
Connection and setup
When you first turn on Yandex Station 3, you’ll be prompted to open the Yandex app on your smartphone and follow simple steps to connect. After that, you’ll have access to the model’s settings.
Station 3 supports internet connection via 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz Wi-Fi and remembers multiple wireless networks, which can be useful if you occasionally take the device to your dacha. It also supports Bluetooth connectivity, allowing you to use the model as a regular wireless speaker. However, the music and lighting modes are disabled in this case.
The app lets you use an equalizer to adjust the device’s sound, configure it to work with Alice, and create scenarios for smart home control. Yandex Station 3 can control Zigbee and Matter devices even without internet access, although it only supports basic offline scenarios. Still, this feature is a welcome addition, something the previous version of the flagship speaker doesn’t support.
Moreover, the model responds to more than just voice: it recognizes the sound of broken glass, barking and meowing, a baby’s cry, clapping and finger snaps, the sound of water, alarms, footsteps, and, in certain scenarios, can, for example, send a notification to the owner’s smartphone if it hears something unusual, or play music in response to the sound of footsteps.
Impressions of use
Yandex Station 3 features five speakers: three full-range speakers, two low-frequency speakers, and two passive radiators. Yandex Station 2 had only two speakers, and its output was 30 watts, compared to the new model’s 50 watts.
The sound has been refined to a remarkable degree: detail is pleasing, the bass pleasantly surprises with its depth and volume, and the mids and highs maintain balance even at high listening volumes. As a result, the speaker produces a sound that makes you want to listen to it again and again.
Additionally, Yandex has updated its Room Correction 2.0 feature: smart algorithms analyze the shape of the room the device is in and fine-tune the sound so that the sound quality remains smooth and harmonious, no matter where the device is located.
Alice, as always, responds quickly, maintains a casual conversation, and barely hesitates. The AI assistant remembers family members and can address them by name. You can chat and play with her, ask a variety of questions, set alarms and reminders, and so on. The list of Alice’s capabilities is long, but you’re probably already familiar with them.
Conclusion
Yandex Station 3 is a smart speaker boasting several killer features. Among its advantages are: perfectly balanced sound, stunning ambient lighting, an LED display with a variety of effects, improved smart home device control capabilities, and excellent responsiveness.
The new product competes primarily with models within Yandex’s smart speaker line, so the manufacturer remains in the black. If you want a slightly more compact and affordable option, you can choose the Midi Station. Need more ports and louder sound? There’s the Max Station with AUX and HDMI . If you need a full-size display, the Duo Max Station is your choice. VK offers the Capsule Pro, which also has a built-in display and is less expensive, but its features and smart home integration are much more limited.
But when it comes to visual appeal, Yandex Station 3 stands out from the competition. The speaker perfectly combines an LED display, ambient lighting, and a backlit top panel, enhancing any interior. Therefore, if aesthetics are a priority, this is the best choice—especially if you wait for discounts. However, the final decision is ultimately yours.
- Built-in LED display
- Rich ambient lighting
- Excellent sound
- Smart home integration
- Not the most affordable price
