While it's not obviously louder, the Nest Mini is bolder. Both the Echo Dot and Nest Mini support Bluetooth pairing for your phone, tablet, or computer, and each can also connect to a larger Bluetooth speaker, if you want better sound. Still, there are some laudable changes here, though none that demand turning in your existing Home Mini s to your local recycling center. Yes, the Echo Dot comes with a marginally better app and more options more speaker choices, more smart home product compatibility, compatibility with Apple Music, etc. .
It is one of the most affordable smart speakers in the market. Durability and longevity are areas where Google Nest speakers tend to thrive. Similar to other Google smart speakers, Google and some retailers will very likely try to give you a free Google Nest Mini when you purchase some other products. Far-field microphones on Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa products alike are all pretty good, but Google is trying to make this product a little bit better this time around. The Bad You still can't connect the Mini to larger speakers via auxiliary cable, and there's no digital display like Amazon's newest Echo Dot has.
The microphones are also making use of a new feature Google calls ultrasound sensing. What else can the Nest Mini do? The Google Assistant on Google Home is only available in English U. And it makes an excellent holiday gift, too. The Google Home Max is a seriously powerful speaker, which when combined with Google Assistant could make it the only one you need in your home for entertainment. What do you think about Google Nest Mini vs Home Mini? Google's second generation of its smallest speaker comes in the form of the Nest Mini. Google Nest speakers can now control more than 30,000 different smart home devices, you can have the Nest Mini speak , and so much more.
Manage tasks — Set and manage a timer for cooking, game time, laundry, and even sleep. Google Nest Mini 2nd Gen removed this reset button. Speaking of voice, the physical microphone kill switch, in any smart speaker or display, is still here. Using the Google Home app, simple tap the Google device you want to reach, and call. Image credit: Tom's Guide And if you'd rather that it didn't listen in on anything happening, you can simply switch off the microphones. Neither will blow you away with their sound quality, and both Alexa and Google Assistant have their own strengths, weaknesses, and quirks. Nest Wifi: Setup Google Wifi was already one of the easiest mesh network systems to set up and the new Nest system takes things further by bringing the platform inside your Google Home app — then adding Google Assistant to the mix.
An integrated bracket on the underside of the new Nest Mini makes it officially wall-mountable. The Nest Mini comes in four color choices: Chalk, charcoal, coral, and a new sky color. Retailers include , , , and. I think the Nest Mini can hear you just about as well as the Google Home Max. Bass certainly is better, and it makes a difference when you ask Google a question, with the voice replies easier to hear than on the original. Show More Google Nest Mini review: The big picture Google is all about getting its voice-powered into as many places as possible.
Also unchanged are the invisible capacitive buttons on the left and right side of the Nest Mini that let you raise and lower the volume. Google also didn't address the most commonly cited hardware disparity between the Home Mini and the Echo Dot, the 3. Stay tuned for my full Pixel 4 reviews as well as more on the rest of Google's new 2019 kit, like the updated WiFi router and Pixel Buds. The Mini looks almost identical to its predecessor, but there are some distinct changes. It has to be said that are more powerful than the. Have fun — Test your knowledge with trivia and games.
If you've got the original Mini there's little to warrant you upgrading here; for new customers, this is the best small Google Assistant speaker. The Nest Mini learns those actions, stores that data locally and processes those commands without sending any information to Google's servers. Since the device has to be plugged in, the wire will need to be draped down the wall. By the same token, those who heavily depend on Google services or who protect their homes with Nest devices should go with the Nest Mini. Some retailers may bundle the Nest Mini 2nd Gen with other devices as well.
Both speakers can be grouped with other Google Home or Nest speakers to fill your entire home with music. Of course, you can also use touch to pause on Google Nest Mini now. You can use the Nest Mini as an intercom with other Google-brand speakers in your home to broadcast messages. Google told me that one half-liter plastic bottle makes enough fabric to cover a little bit more than two speakers. Just to the speaker you want and the Mini does the rest. Then create your Wi-Fi network name and password use your existing one and all devices will just transfer over and the app will ask which room the device is in. You now have to use the tap control on the top to reset Google Nest Mini.
Distortion at high volumes is minimal. It will also work with Nest's face recognition, so it can change the display details to suit different users, though it doesn't deliver familiar face alerts like or. I try my best to reduce my footprint when it comes to plastic use and waste, so this aspect alone would see me forking over my cash on the Nest Mini versus comparable products. It is very much about using the Google Assistant and is the easiest and cheapest access point to the system. Lounder speaker Although the size of the is still 40mm as in Google Home Mini, Google Nest Mini is obviously louder than the old Home Mini. Google showed a demo at its launch event which showed off some Philips Hue bulbs reacting basically instantly to commands given to the Nest Mini. Google started to brand their smart home devices under Nest in 2018.