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However, it still provides a pretty robust music-listening experience. So it’s still worth buying if you’ll use it for that, especially with the price tag of the Max being so much higher and not really worth it for most casual users anyway. He oversees all evergreen content and oversees the Homes, Smart Home, and Fitness/Wearables categories for the site. In his spare time, he also tests out the latest drones, electric scooters, and smart home gadgets, such as video doorbells. Before his tenure at Tom's Guide, he was the Reviews Editor for Laptop Magazine, a reporter at Fast Company, the Times of Trenton, and, many eons back, an intern at George magazine. He received his undergraduate degree from Boston College, where he worked on the campus newspaper The Heights, and then attended the Columbia University school of Journalism.
If you see inaccuracies in our content, please report the mistake via this form. Nevertheless, the sound quality is not comparatively up to par with the other devices in the lineup. Further, background music and answering questions are perfect, but it is not a gadget you should use every day to listen to music. Compared to the Home Mini, the Nest Mini aims to boost this with new hardware. Despite being the most affordable Google Assistant-enabled speaker available, the Google Home Mini does not suffer in terms of performance.
Google Home vs Mini vs Max: Which Should You Buy?
Both use the exact same Google Assistant to power their intelligence. Some have said it looks like an air freshener, a small vase, or a decorative candle. The top is plastic and the bottom is either metallic or fabric-covered, depending on the base you choose. The Google Home has more customization options, but the Home Mini looks cooler.
Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips. Unlike the Mini and the Max, the original Home doesn’t have Bluetooth, so you can’t pair it with other speakers--not that you’d want to, necessarily. At $129, it’s less of an impulse buy than the Home Mini, but is the best all-purpose choice of the three. The Mini costs so little, however, that it’s practically an impulse buy. As a result, you can pick one up and give it a try with little risk. Plus, if you upgrade to a better speaker later, you can keep the Mini in the mix by moving it to a different room to extend your smart home functionality.
Best Portable Speaker
The fabric top also acts as the main interface for the device when you do not want to activate it via voice command. Tapping the left or right of the mesh top will turn the volume down or up while tapping the middle enables you to pause music, stop an alarm or cancel a command. The Home Mini is available in three colours – chalk, charcoal, and coral red.
To fill out the “good, better, best” lineup, Google also announced the Google Home Max. However, this one seems to be more of an Apple HomePod competitor, since it will focus largely on music and providing the best audio quality possible. In fact, Google says that the Max is 20 times more powerful than the original Google Home . Delivering powerful, booming audio, Google’s newest smart speaker is large and in charge.
Compare Prices of Google Home Mini
Should a shop not offer prices in your local currency, we may calculate the displayed price on daily updated exchange rates. If you have a Google Home Mini and you want to connect it to a Wi-Fi, first download the Google Home app. Open Google Home on your device and from the list, select the device that you want to connect to the Wi-Fi. Ensure that your mobile and Google Home Mini are connected to the same Wi-Fi network.
All three of Google’s smart speakers let you control smart home devices, answer questions with Google Assistant, and a whole lot more. You can also select a Chromecast TV to be your default screen so that you don't need to repeatedly mention the name in the voice command. With these speakers, you can learn how to play music, make phone calls and control smart devices. You can keep an eye on your thermostats, and other devices and control your compatible devices. The Nest Mini is the obvious champion between these two smart speakers.
The Google Home Mini still allows you to control the volume by touching the sides of the speaker, and if you hold your finger on the side of the speaker, it acts as a play/pause button. Google Home and Google Home Mini are part of Google's legacy lineup of smart speakers. If you still have the older devices or are looking to buy used models, here's a comparison of Google Home and Google Home Mini. Our editors thoroughly review and fact-check every article to ensure that our content meets the highest standards. If we have made an error or published misleading information, we will correct or clarify the article.
The Nest Mini, however, does have an edge when it comes to notifications, reports, catching up on sports, and other sound-related uses when the speaker will be close at hand. It’s very slightly smaller (so slight, it’s hard to tell), and comes in slightly different color options. There’s also an integrated wall mount on this model, where the Home Mini requires buying a wall mount accessory. The touch controls on either side of the device and the LED lights on the top function the same way in both models. The biggest difference between the Google Home and the Google Home Mini is the sound they produce.
ZDNET independently tests and researches products to bring you our best recommendations and advice. Craig Lloyd is a smarthome expert with nearly ten years of professional writing experience. His work has been published by iFixit, Lifehacker, Digital Trends, Slashgear, and GottaBeMobile. And get a daily digest of news, geek trivia, and our feature articles. For more information, check out our Google Home Setup Guide, as well as our list of the Best Google Home Commands. When it comes to actual functionality, there isn’t any difference in Google Home vs Mini.
Several touch controls for volume, play/pause, and asking questions. Follow these prompts and your HomePod will automatically connect to the same network from your mobile device. With Google Home, your Nest and Matter devices work together reliably to help with your household needs. Just look for smart devices with a Works with Google Home or Matter badge.
It similarly has a physical mute button and indicator lights, as well as a power indicator light. Likewise, the top of the larger Home functions as a touch interface. Drag your finger clockwise or counterclockwise to increase or decrease the volume.
Google Home is the better buy, particularly if you are going to listen to music. If you mainly will be asking Google Assistant questions, controlling your smart home devices, or shopping, the Google Home Mini saves you a little money. Google Assistant ties into the knowledge graph used by the Google search engine, which makes it the best smart speaker interface this side of IBM Watson for answering questions. In comparison to the Home Mini, the Nest Mini adds a third microphone in addition to sound enhancements. Google has granted the second generation model to respond to voice commands better and faster than the first.
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