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Google goes out of its way to boost Assistant’s appeal by getting it to understand the many ways you may say things. In turn, that usually creates fewer instances of times when Assistant fails to understand you and says it can’t answer your question. Assistant has been getting a whole lot better over the past few years too -- allowing you to even do things like book tables at restaurants and order Uber rides, among other things. Alexa is the voice assistant for Echo and it is powered by Bing as its main search engine. Home Mini, on the other hand, has the Google Assistant which is widely used by Android smartphone users.
Upgrade your lifestyleDigital Trends helps readers keep tabs on the fast-paced world of tech with all the latest news, fun product reviews, insightful editorials, and one-of-a-kind sneak peeks. Both the Echo Dot line and the Nest Mini line allow you to use their respective assistants to set up voice shopping capabilities. Google Assistant and Alexa both offer routine setup, so that’s no problem. Google’s version is a bit more cookie-cutter, helpful prompts make it easy for beginners. Yet, Google Assistant also offers more complex custom Routine options. In my experience, the basic stuff like alarm, timer, weather works fine on both.
Amazon Echo Dot With Clock (4th Gen) Review
Whether you have light or dark decor, either speaker line will have something complementary. The Echo and smaller Echo Dot are orbs after their most recent redesign, abandoning the cylinder shape of the past. 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.
The sound vibrations produced by a passive radiator depend on its mass and the size of its enclosure. It is usually used in combination with a woofer to produce deep bass tones. More microphones result in better sound quality and enable the device to filter out background noise. Chromecast built-in is a technology that allows users to stream entertainment and apps from their phone, tablet, or laptop, straight to the Chromecast-enabled device. A key feature of both devices is the universe of smart home gadgets they can connect to and control. The Echo Dot connects to its power supply with a barrel connector, and the Google Home Mini uses a USB power supply.
Google Nest Hub
Same is the case with music streaming music and Home automation control. Echo Dot 3 and the Home Mini look similar in design with the fabric shell and plastic body. While Echo Dot has retained its 4 button layout, Home mini keeps the profile sleek with capacitive touch buttons hidden under the fabric shell. Keep in mind that, with both Alexa and Google Assistant, third-party speaker manufacturers are increasingly choosing to integrate the voice helpers into their own products.
Like the Echo dot 2, Echo dot 3 also keep the 3.5mm audio jack, meaning you can still connect external speakers to it. If you’re also looking into buying one of the two devices, there are certain factors you need to keep in mind. I’ve used and tested both the devices extensively and covered all the distinguishing features. Dolby Atmos is a surround sound technology that allows sounds to be interpreted as three-dimensional objects. A passive radiator is a type of driver that doesn't have a voice coil and a magnet.
Music (Winner – Google Home Mini)
There is a control panel on the device body, so you can easily access the volume control or remote without having to interact with a cable or another device it's connected to. Bluetooth is a wireless technology standard that allows data transfers between devices placed in close proximity, using short-wavelength, ultra-high frequency radio waves. Devices with stereo speakers deliver sound from independent channels on both left and right sides, creating a richer sound and a better experience. If you're deep in the Google ecosystem and don't care so much about speaker quality, you should participate in the Google Home ecosystem with a Home Mini. However, if you know you're alright with Alexa being limited or all you really care about is a cheap speaker to stream music to, you absolutely want to get yourself an Echo Dot. However, that huge speaker increase didn't come at some other sacrifice.
When you wake the next morning, a statistical breakdown of your slumber will greet you. You’ll be able to see how long it took to fall asleep, how long to rise after waking, and how much you snored and coughed. In contrast, the Google Nest Mini has three far-field microphones for voice detection, as well as a 1.57-inch speaker driver.
Considering both devices are sold are smart speakers, Echo Dot 3 outperforms the Home Mini with ease. Like a larger version of the Google Home Hub, the Nest Hub Max is big-screen smart display for your home, with a front-facing camera for video calls and the facility to check on your home remotely. Now in its third generation, the Echo Dot doesn't have the best audio quality in the range, so it's best suited for rooms where music playback won’t be its primary function. That said, you can pair it up with a Bluetooth speaker or another audio device using an AUX jack connection, making it a cost-effective upgrade you can make to any aging Hi-Fi system. It is compatible with Apple's Siri voice assistant, allowing you to use voice commands to control the device from other Apple HomeKit-compatible devices.
The Nest Audio lacks a bit of bass, while the Echo doesn't have much treble finesse, but both still offer high-quality sound considering their size and price. 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. Alexa and Google Assistant are two of the leading voice assistants out there. Here's how the smart speakers that use them stack up against each other. Both of them do the basic stuff like alarm, timer and weather just fine.
Home Mini lacks any buttons except for the mute button under the speaker. To adjust the volume, you can tap the left and right sides of the home mini. There are other gestures like long press on either side to play/ pause a song, end call, etc. Unlike the fixed buttons on Echo, home mini gestures can be updated and more gestures can be added later on. As you can see the Echo dot clocks in at 81 dB at 70% volume, while the Google Home is a little less loud clocking at 64dB.
While it’s not a big difference, the audio quality and loudness are slightly better in Echo dot 3. The choice really then comes down to the preference of ecosystem as opposed to the hardware. Then Google Home is probably for you, as the two areas are only going to become ever-more-closely linked. Google's natural language understanding is superior too, even if its voice implementation still needs some refinement.
Google’s designers have even spent time crafting Nest Mini’s circular power adapter, which fits neatly in the hand and protrudes from the wall far less than the Echo Dot’s power supply. These are small touches, yes, but they demonstrate a level of design detail and care that’s the hallmark of a great device. The Echo Dot and the Dot with Clock both retain the iconic color-changing LED status ring around their base.
The material used in the body is ABS plastic and it feels durable. The silicone-based rubber bottom on both devices ensure a secure position on the surface and prevent any accidental slips. 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. Most recently, Google released the Nest Hub Max, putting Google Assistant in a 10-inch smart display. It's the first product to come out under the converged brand name of Google and smart home security brand Nest.
Connectivity
There is no lag in home automation as well (although, has a slight advantage there as it’s compatible with the more smart home appliance). That said, the new generation of echo dot is decent looking and has better audio output and mic quality. But when it comes to asking queries, Google home mini is clearly a winner. Frankly, there's very little difference between the two right now. They're both very capable smart assistants that respond to voice commands and work well with many smart home devices.
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