Amazon Echo Dot 2020 vs Google Nest Mini: Which is the best compact smart speaker?

(Pocket-lint) - At the past update, Amazon reinvented its astute speaker, taking the beloved Echo Dot and changing it into much of an Echo Mini, with a caller plan and boosted audio performance, but inactive sticking to the aforesaid footprint.

But however does this comparison to its large rival from Google? This is the Amazon Echo Dot fourth-gen against the Google Nest Mini.

Design and dimensions

• Echo Dot (fourth gen): 100 x 100 x 89mm, 328g
• Nest Mini: 98 x 98 x 42mm, 173g

The Echo Dot and the Nest Mini look similar siblings, some offering a akin decorativeness arsenic some are covered successful mesh, some utilizing recycled integrative successful their operation and some having a akin footprint.

The large quality is that tallness - with the Echo Dot having a spherical design, it's a batch bigger overall. That means that the Echo Dot makes much of a connection connected the aboveground you enactment it on, portion the Nest Mini is simply a batch much discreet.

The Echo Dot is astir treble the weight, truthful it's much important wide and that besides means it vibrates little erstwhile you crook the measurement up. The Nest Mini, connected the different hand, tin beryllium wall-mounted for convenience, whereas the Echo Dot fourth-gen truly needs to beryllium sat connected a surface.

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Controls and connections

• Echo Dot: Bluetooth, 3.5mm, power buttons, Alexa
• Home Mini: Bluetooth, pat to control, Google Assistant

The Echo Dot has raised controls connected the apical with a airy ringing astir the base, portion the Nest Mini relies connected taps to power it. It's a insignificant thing, but the Echo Dot is instantly easier to power for a idiosyncratic not acquainted with it - though some are designed chiefly to beryllium controlled via dependable - with Alexa oregon Google Assistant respectively.

The Nest Mini has a carnal power for muting the microphone, which is simply a batch much deliberate than the fastener property of the Echo Dot, however.

The Echo Dot has an vantage successful offering a 3.5mm connection, should you ever privation to hard ligament it to different device. Both, however, person Bluetooth, which volition mean you tin link to different speakers wirelessly if you wish.

Sound quality

• Echo Dot: 40mm speaker
• Nest Mini: 40mm speaker

Both these devices person a 40mm talker and arsenic you mightiness expect, the dependable show is similar. With some these devices being compact, the purpose it to get that tiny format. However, some speakers occurrence upwards, portion the Echo Dot has an vantage with a larger housing.

The larger lodging and the accrued value mean the talker itself has much abstraction and the effect is dependable that's better, particularly arsenic you crook the measurement up. There's little vibration and distortion and greater clarity, although, ultimately, these devices are constricted by the tiny talker size overall.

Both speakers tin besides beryllium stereo paired if you person 2 Echo Dots oregon 2 Nest Mini, and tin besides beryllium grouped with different devices successful the aforesaid country oregon astir your home.

Both are bully astatine dependable detection excessively and we'd accidental they are much oregon little connected a par - we've recovered some to beryllium amended than the third-gen Echo Dot.

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Voice adjunct and functions

• Echo Dot: Alexa
• Nest Mini: Google Assistant

Of people some these devices are conscionable vessels for the astute adjunct that they carry, Alexa for Amazon and Google Assistant for the Nest Mini. Of the two, Alexa feels similar the much earthy adjunct to speech to, portion besides offering the amended audio prime - Google Assistant is often accompanied by a hiss erstwhile replying.

But Google Assistant is smarter, often capable to reply questions that Alexa conscionable can't fig out, nary uncertainty driven by the excavation of accusation that Google has astatine its disposal.

Alexa is simply a gateway to Amazon shopping, if that's what you want, portion interfacing with different Amazon properties - similar Fire TV, portion Nest Mini volition enactment with Chromecast.

Ultimately, the astute skills they connection are similar: erstwhile you've paired up astute services successful their respective apps, some volition power a wide scope of connected devices similar plugs, lights and heating and there's precise small quality overall. 

Google has a flimsy vantage being a autochthonal work for Android devices (so thing you tin bash connected Home Mini you tin bash via dependable connected your Android phone), but Amazon makes up for astir of that deficiency via the Alexa app.

Conclusions

Ultimately, the large deciding origin present is which astute adjunct you get connected with the best, due to the fact that that's what volition physique your strategy successful the future. Alexa connected the Echo devices offers a wide scope of options, with a batch much hardware devices than Google has to connection - Echo Auto, Echo Flex, for example.

Google offers that telephone integration better, and is simply a smarter service, but is little earthy to speech to and determination are less Google hardware choices overall.

When it comes to dependable quality, the Echo Dot fourth-gen has the borderline and it is amended arsenic an autarkic speaker, portion the Home Mini is much compact and tin beryllium discreetly accommodated successful ways you can't bash with the caller Echo Dot.

As for the terms - there's thing successful it. Both are the aforesaid price, though some are apt to beryllium regularly discounted and the Nest Mini is presently overmuch cheaper.

Writing by Chris Hall. Originally published connected 23 October 2020.