Nest Mini vs Home Mini: Five Must-Know Facts
- The Nest Mini features a better sound system overall than the Home Mini.
- The Home Mini has a USB port for extra power.
- The Nest Mini allows for wall-mounting, without requiring a kit.
- Both devices have similar sound quality, although the Home Mini’s speaker is bigger.
- The Nest Mini is the more portable of the two by far.
The Nest Mini and Home Mini are popular smart speaker products that seem the same on the surface, but these smart home device products offer different features to consider. Both devices perform essentially the same functions but feature different designs.
Read on to learn more about the differences and which of these budget-friendly devices is the best overall option for you.
Nest Mini vs Home Mini: Side-by-Side Comparison
| Nest Mini | Home Mini | |
|---|---|---|
| Design: | Compact | Sustainable |
| Microphones: | Two | Three |
| Sound: | 360º, 40mm driver | 40mm driver |
| Volume: | Tap to activate | Tap to activate |
| Mic mute button: | Yes | Yes |
| Size: | 3.9 inches | 3.8 inches |
Google Smart Speakers: The Complete History
Google Home, later Google Nest, emerged as a competitor to Amazon’s Echo. This product, which saw a United States release date on November 4, 2016, was designed to utilize Google Assistant.
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Google Home Mini, a more compact, budget-friendly version of the device, saw an October 19, 2017 release date. A more expensive version of this device that was larger, with a higher price, had a December release that year.
In 2019, Google shifted its smart speaker devices to the Nest brand. However, in 2021, the Google Home name used for many previous generations returned. In 2022, smart home device products were marketed under both names.
The Nest Mini: Superior Features?
The Nest Mini made improvements to some of the previous generations of Google speakers. An extra microphone and a larger speaker were two of the key features. This unit is easy to wall-mount, and convenient for many who use their Nest Mini primarily for entertainment.
One of the things that this smart home device can do that previous generations could not is to save locally-used, frequent commands. One of the advantages of this feature is allowing the device to “learn” more easily.
How Home Mini Revolutionized Smart Speakers
The Home Mini offered the features and versatility, including the sound quality of Google Home. However, this new device came in a smaller size for greater portability. A fabric top in four colors allows users to see the status lights easily.
Rather than a button, a switch allows users to mute the device easily. There is also a micro-USB connection allowing for effortless power. Versatility matters with this unit, and it delivers efficiently.
Nest Mini vs Home Mini: Which One Is Better? Which One Should You Use?
Although these devices have evolved a lot since the initial 2016 release date, they retain most of the features, including sound quality, that made many consumers decide to buy. Price is just one of many features that consumers look at in the “smart speaker wars.” Benefits like mounting a speaker on a wall without buying accessories always matter to many.
©ZikG/Shutterstock.com
The Nest Mini could be your best overall option if features like portability and versatility matter. If a budget-friendly smart speaker solution is at the top of your list for devices, you won’t go wrong using the Nest Mini.
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