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The modest smart speaker has come a long way in recent years. Amazon Echo launched the smart speaker race in 2014 and since then many other products have gone on sale, including the Google Home line. Some people want a smart speaker for every room in their home, and if you buy full-size speakers, it can be expensive quickly.
This is where smaller speakers like Amazon Echo Dot and Google Home Mini come on the scene. The speakers do not sound as good as their more expensive and larger counterparts, but they are just as smart. a lot less expensive.
But what is the best, the Google Home Mini or the Amazon Echo Dot? We put the two smart speakers face to face to find out. We have been using both methods for years. These observations are therefore drawn from the experience of daily life.
Specifications and dimensions
* At the time of writing this article, Google Home Mini was on sale for $ 29 and Amazon Echo Dot was on sale for $ 29.99. The original prices are listed below.
Design
The Google Home Mini and Amazon Echo Dot are both puck shaped speakers, which are about the same size. However, the overall appearance is slightly different: while Google Home Mini is covered with a fabric, Amazon Echo Dot is covered with a fabric and a simple plastic top.
When it comes to orders, the Google Home Mini has small touch controls on the top. You then press the top side to control the volume and you have a switch at the back to turn off the microphone.
Amazon Echo Dot takes a slightly simpler approach. It has four buttons at the top, including volume controls, a microphone mute button, and an "Action" button, which you can press for operations such as device binding.
The Google Home Mini and Amazon Echo Dot are both relatively beautiful. They are both different colors, although the colors of the Google Home Mini are a little brighter. Nevertheless, if we had to decide which speaker looked better, we would give this title to Amazon Echo Dot – although, again, the two will look perfect in any home.
Implementation process
The setup of Google Home Mini and Amazon Echo Dot is a simple process. To set up Google Home Mini, just download the Google Home app and plug in the speaker, after which it should appear immediately for setup in the app. Then follow the on-screen instructions to connect to your Wi-Fi network.
The process is very similar for Echo Dot. Start by downloading the Alexa app and clicking the "+" button in the upper right corner of the window. features tongue.
The setup of Google Home Mini and Amazon Echo Dot is simple, so it's pointless to make a buying decision based on the setup process.
Sound quality
The Google Home Mini and Amazon Echo Dot are speakers, but they both insist on their smart features a bit more than the sound quality. After all, if you're really looking for high quality sound, you'll probably be better off investing in one of the biggest smart speakers, like Google Home or Home Max, Amazon Echo or Echo Plus.
This does not mean that you have to ignore the sound quality, and fortunately, these two speakers sound pretty good for their size and price.
While the Google Home Mini outperforms older generations of Amazon Echo Dot in terms of sound quality, the third-generation Dot seems to have a slightly deeper and richer sound compared to the Google Home Mini.
That's not to say that the Google Home Mini system has a terrible sound. Even though it's a bit small and devoid of many details, it will do the trick for most people who do not plan to use the device primarily for listening to music. Neither speaker can get Great strong, but they will be strong enough for most basic uses.
Smart features
Of course, the most important thing to consider for any of these speakers lies in the smart features they offer. Google Home Mini comes with Google Assistant, the digital assistant on which Google has been working for some time. Amazon Echo Dot, on the other hand, presents Amazon Alexa.
Both digital assistants have a lot to offer. They can control most traditional smart home devices, find information on the Web, connect to streaming music services, and more. The different assistants, however, have their advantages.
For example, Alexa may be able to connect to a few other smart devices than Google. However, Google is more apt to search for information on the Web, thanks to its long history of search. The assistant is also better with accents and languages.
The main advantage of Google over Amazon may be that Google Assistant is the default digital assistant of most Android phones. Therefore, if you use an Android phone and you use it, its integration on your smart speaker will integrate your digital life more closely.
There are also other features. Alexa works well with Fire TV from Amazon and other devices, while Google Assistant can convert to Cast-enabled devices, such as Google Chromecast. In the end, the digital assistant that suits you best really depends on the ecosystem in which you already are. If you own and use an Android phone, we recommend that you bring Google Home Mini. If, however, you are an iOS user, Alexa will do its job perfectly and Alexa will be able to connect to your Apple Music account.
The bottom line
None of these two speakers is really better than the other – it depends on the smart ecosystem you already use. In general, Amazon Echo Dot is probably the best option for most people, but if you're using an Android phone and you're pretty connected to the Google ecosystem, then the Google Home Mini system is the best solution.
Buy the Google Home Mini for $ 29 at Best Buy, Target or Walmart ($ 49 at the start)
Buy the Amazon Echo Dot for $ 29.99 on Amazon, Best Buy or Target ($ 49.99 in origin)
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