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But Google was certainly no slouch, and the fact remains that both are still strong choices, depending on which capabilities you prioritize. While both do pretty well in the case of general knowledge and extendability, for example, if you want the broadest possible support for music and podcast services, Alexa is probably the one to pick. If, on the other hand, you have a household with multiple people in it, each of whom want to get their own personal information via a smart speaker, Google Assistant might be a better choice. If you can only afford the entry-level devices, and music remains a top priority for you, go for the Google Home Mini, which sounds a lot better than the Echo Dot. Unless you hook up a Dot to another speaker over Bluetooth or the 3.5mm jack, it’s just too thin and harsh to fully enjoy. However, given its size, you'd expect it to have fewer microphones and drivers.
Both assistants -- and thus both speakers -- are very capable at this point and will adequately respond to most questions and commands you can think to throw at them. If you already own a Dot or an Echo, the Mini doesn't offer you anything compelling enough to warrant throwing away your current investment. The Google Home Mini is ready to take its place alongside the Dot as one of the best affordable smart speakers out there. The Nest Mini may not have a clock option, but it still uses LED dots to communicate, and it’s available in chalk, charcoal, coral, and sky. Again, the build quality is excellent, and the Nest Mini’s pincushion form gives the device its own identity. Google’s recent design upgrade made the nest Mini more eco-friendly too.
Is Google Assistant harder to talk to than Alexa?
Yet, Google Assistant also offers more complex custom Routine options. With Google Nest Mini, there are fewer compatible music services sources, but you can use Spotify, Pandora, YouTube, Deezer, and Google Play Music, among other options. Alongside hardware connectivity, both devices can also access “skills” or “actions” that deliver enhanced features like news reports, recipes, reservation bookings, jokes, quizzes, and more. Again, the Echo Dot leads here, with a plethora of different types of skills available for the device . Google’s offering is certainly smaller at this point but is expanding quickly, adding features like a multilingual mode, a translator mode, and step-by-step cooking instructions. In 2019, Google revamped its Nest brand with a new focus on privacy — some compatibility partnerships ended, some continued, and some were stuck in development limbo for the foreseeable future.
The Echo Dot also has a version with a built-in clock, which both looks nice and is very useful. The Nest Audio, meanwhile, is shaped vaguely like a pillow standing on its end, while the tiny Nest Mini is more like a puck. Whether you have light or dark decor, either speaker line will have something complementary. Conversely, instead of having lights along the top, the Echo has a light ring around the base.
Amazon Echo vs Google Home: audio
Both home automation devices must be connected to power full time, unless you use a third-party battery dock. The Echo Dot connects to its power supply with a barrel connector, while the Google Home Mini uses a USB power supply. While the Echo Dot features a hockey puck-shape with fabric-covered sides and button on top, the Google Home Mini has a puck-shape and encases its touch-sensitive controls beneath a fabric. The Echo Dot is available in charcoal, heather gray or sandstone. Created as a delightful counterpoint to today's banal and predictable voice-activated speakers , Horatio the surprise and unpredictability that mass-produced modern electronics fail to deliver.
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards. From price to feature set and even some surprising aspects that you might not have considered, here are the key points you need to know that separate the HomePod Mini and the Nest Mini from one another. The good news is that it's just as impressive as that puck speaker. In a tiny, classy package you get really impressive sound , and easy access to the Google Assistant with all its wisdom.
Can Alexa do things Google Home can’t?
However you can make use of ‘Google Duo’ for similar functionality, plus the Google Nest Hub Max allows you to watch its video feed. We will say that Google’s Nest smart speakers have versatile designs and are a useful pick if you already use Google Assistant or the Google Home app. Google Assistant in particular is an accurate and handy voice assistant for scheduling your life. Sometimes it comes down to which brand you prefer — and neither of these is a bad choice. They’re both very capable smart assistants that respond to voice commands and work well with many smart home devices. Read our full head-to-head below to get a better idea of the specifics.
Automatically prioritize video conferencing and gaming traffic on all devices, or decide which devices to prioritize for all traffic types. Get more insights on your network, whether it’s a notification when a new device joins your network or detailed insights for troubleshooting a poor internet connection. The discontinued Google Home Max was easily the loudest first-party smart speaker out there, but it’s no longer available. Now, the Echo Studio is by far the strongest in terms of sound quality, with powerful audio and the ability to fill a room with directional sound thanks to its angled drivers. If you’re away travelling , you can use the Alexa app to drop in on any of your Echo devices. Dropping in on the Echo where your loved ones are most likely to be can be a nice way of saying ‘hi’ and checking how they’re all doing.
Sound Quality
The Sonos One is a brilliant speaker, but it lacks one thing that Sonos has finally brought to the table with the Sonos Move — portability. This is the first ever hybrid speaker from Sonos, bringing the best of both worlds to the table. When it's docked on its cradle in your home, the Move is an exemplary smart speaker very much in the mold of the Sonos One.
But it STOPPED working and I’ve been advised ALL support is discontinued. Great to see more affordable options from Google, and their 3 year guarantee of software updates. Still, the feature is handy when you're asking about your calendar appointments, or asking it to call Mom (and not, say, your roommate's mom). The one exception was my "limbo" test, where I try to wake each speaker from roughly 20 feet across the room using an increasingly quiet voice. The Echo Dot was able to respond to noticeably lower levels than the Mini. It's a small thing, but it might make the Echo Dot the better pick for quiet talkers.
If you want a voice assistant that’s easy to talk to, a Nest speaker will be better. And, of course, any smart home devices you already use should be factored into your decision. We will say that the Google Home and the voice assistant inside does seem smarter than Alexa. We’ll continue to update this post as more features and capabilities for both devices are announced.
You can plug the Dot into your own speakers to make up for its own lack of sound quality. One other point worth mentioning is the Google Home Mini's array of far-field microphones. In almost all of my tests, they were able to hear me about as well as the ones in the Echo Dot.
From voice calling to TV controls, new features are constantly coming to each platform. Google Assistant, meanwhile, uses the Google Shopping platform, so it has a wider reach. However, finding specific products or getting the results you want may be more challenging, especially without an accompanying smart display. You can also reorder an item, but Google can’t give the same recommendations as Alexa can.
Google passed the “chocolate chip cookie recipe” test with flying colors, even walking me through the recipe step by step. Alexa was almost as good, offering multiple recipes, providing a list of ingredients, a recipe mode, and giving me the option to get the recipe in the Alexa app. One of the best examples of Alexa’s superiority with routines is the simple option to have it play a sound or message whenever a sensor triggers on the front door.
Shopping capabilities
You’ll need dedicated Nest security devices like the Nest Secure for that. Nest’s other smart speaker option is the Nest Mini, a smaller disk around four inches in diameter designed to be a desktop companion. Unlike the similar Echo Dot, the Mini is also designed with the possibility of mounting it to a nearby wall. However, lots of users who have put the two devices head-to-head believe Google Assistant could be the smarter of the two. Learning experience, and wider variety of voices than Alexa, it has the biggest potential for the future. Keep track of your daily calendar, any meetings or appointments you may have coming up, and any reminders you may have set for yourself.
Because of this head start, Alexa supports more smart home devices than Google. Still, most major smart home device makers like Philips Hue and Samsung SmartThings support both. Google Duo has been integrated into the Google Home app and it can be used to start a voice or video call with your Google Home device. The Nest Hub Max (with an in-built camera) will support video calls, whilst the rest of the range support voice-only calls.
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