The Seattle rival had already unleashed the, and. Since then, several new Echo devices have been introduced. As a direct challenger to the Amazon Echo Dot, the Google Home Mini differentiates itself by being better looking. We tested both the device and the platform it runs on to determine whether Google can take Alexa down a notch. Pop open the box and the Mini greets you cradled in an inverted dome of plastic. The Google Home Mini itself is an attractive device which looks and feels much warmer than the second-generation Echo Dot. It should be noted, however, that Amazon recently introduced its third-gen Dot, which has a similar fabric cover to the Google Home Mini. It looks like a cloth-covered pebble that sits in the palm of your hand. The top of the Home Mini is cloaked in a coarse textile in your choice of coral, chalk, aqua, or charcoal colors, while the lower portion is coated in a grippy silicone that resists sliding, fingerprints, and feels pretty nice, too. Anyone in the home or office who wants to use the with the Google Home Mini also must have a Google account and the Google Home app. Because the Mini differentiates users based on voice and attempts to customize the experience, it needs individual accounts to associate that information with. Setting up the Google Home is easy via the app. Our Google Home Mini was instantly recognized and we were soon prompted to enter our Wi-Fi security information. With basic setup now complete, you can begin to use the Home Mini, but to expand its capabilities, you will first want to decide how much you want the device to do for you. Want to order groceries online. Want Google Assistant to start on your device. The same goes for any non-Google music apps. To add smart-home devices, all you need to do is go to a devices list in the app and click on the ones you want to add. Like the Echo Dot, the Google Home Mini can also be used as a Bluetooth speaker. It should be noted that the Home Mini can only connect via Bluetooth to one device at a time. The Mini has all of the capabilities of the Google Home, but in a much tighter package. You can ask it to tell you a story, and it will play you a segment from. You can also set up shortcuts that give the Mini specific directions to do something. The can work with an array ofand depending on your setup, can lock your doors, turn off your lights, or operate any other connected device. The hands-free calling feature allows you to make outgoing phone calls to anyone in your contacts list, assuming they google home mini smart speaker in the United States, Canada, or Mexico. How well does it work. We had three users connect to the Mini using individual accounts, and the Mini was able to distinguish among two different female voices and one male voice. And when a female voice directed the Mini to add paper towels to her shopping list, the Mini added the item to her shopping list and not other users connected to the device. The transitions happened seamlessly, meaning that we did not have to tell the Mini who was talking or log out of any accounts in order to get the personalization. Command execution Once we were set up on the device, we were impressed overall with how well the Mini responded to our directives — in English, anyway. The Google Mini seems a bit more intuitive than previous home assistants in that it was able to understand less specific instructions. So rather than having to tell Google to play Netflix on Chromecast, it worked when we simply told it to play Orange is The New Black. However, when we attempted to speak to the device in Spanish, the Google Assistant had a bit more trouble. It only responded to directives in Spanish about half the time and often got confused. Google home mini smart speaker call quality This is one area where has an edge over the Google Home Mini. Even though Amazon only recently added voice-calling while Google has had it for longer, we were disappointed with the overall sound quality with the Mini. The people on the receiving end of our call could not hear us very well. When we tried to talk with the person while standing 10 feet away from the speaker, our voices were barely audible. Perhaps Google should have invested in more than two microphones, or some better noise-cancellation software for this device. Smart device control We were only able to test the Google Home Mini with a Chromecast Ultra, but the integration between the two devices was excellent. Commands were executed immediately — when we ordered the Home Mini to start a video, the Chromecast was already loading the video while the Home Mini began to acknowledge our request. It is google home mini smart speaker the immediate response is to be credited google home mini smart speaker the fact that both devices are made by Google, but our hope is the same will be true when we are able to connect various smart home devices. Compatible apps The Google Home Mini can play music from YouTube and Google Play right out of the box, and from Spotify and Pandora once those services are linked through the Google Home app. Apple Music is not one of them, but you can still play it using a Bluetooth connection. For some reason, Google Home devices default to YouTube for music playback. Sound quality When we first tested the Google Home Mini, we noted that the device sounded much better than the. The newest version of the Echo Dot is louder, richer, and clearer than the Home Mini, making it the clear winner. The Amazon Echo Dot also has an advantage over the Google Home Mini in that it can be connected to nearly any speaker or audio system with a simple cable connection, whereas there is no audio output on the Google Home Mini. For its size and for casual use, however, it is more than ample. Warranty information Google offers a basic one-year warranty covering any defects in materials or workmanship under normal use. The small speaker is surprisingly loud and full sounding for its size, is able to understand voice commands from across the room, and integrates extremely well with other Google-made devices. Is there a better alternative. But the Mini has an advantage over the Dot in artificial intelligence — it is customized to the user, you can simply do more with it, and it interacts well with a broader range of devices. How long will it last. With the new Google Home Mini and speakers, Google is obviously here to stay. The list of apps and devices that work with Google Home will only continue to grow. Updated October, 12 2018 to note that the new Amazon Echo Dot outdoes the Mini in sound quality and to note that Google Assistant is now bilingual.
