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It’s easier to fit into a tight space than the 4th-Gen Echo or the Nest Audio, and is a fraction of the weight of both speakers for when you need to take it with you. While you technically can have both Google and Alexa speakers together under one roof, we think that’s more fuss than it’s worth. You’d be best off picking the one you prefer and keeping everything connected to a single platform. Once you’ve peppered a few smart speakers around the house so you can talk to them wherever you are, you’ll feel like you’re living in a sci-fi movie. It costs $229 (£219, $349), similar to the original price of the 10-inchLenovo Smart Display. These smart displays are ideal for making Google Duo video calls to friends and family members.
Not only can you ask the Google Assistant to play your favorite tunes, podcast or other audio service, you can also connect to the Nest Audio from any Bluetooth-capable device and use Nest Audio as an external speaker. To be clear, you can use an Echo as a Bluetooth speaker as well, but Apple’s HomePod Mini lacks the same feature. For the Nest, you’ll need to use the Home app for the initial pairing process, but after you can just to say “Hey Google” or “Ok Google,” followed by “Connect” to reconnect Nest Audio to your phone, computer or tablet.
Amazon Alexa vs. Google Home: Verdict
With its 5.5-inch display, you can use it to show family photos, view weather forecasts, and watch TV programmes. Both Alexa and Google Assistant let you combine your devices into rooms, so you can say commands like, "turn on the living room lights." They both also support Routines, which let you combine multiple actions into one command. 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. Recently Google launched a follow up to its smallest smart speaker; the Google Nest Mini comes with three speakers (that's one more than the original), and is made from recycled materials.
Both have seen some major upgrades over the years, but they're also still works in progress. We first reviewed it when it was called the Google Home Hub, and it hasn't actually changed much since then, aside from adding a unique sleep-tracking feature. Its small size and price puts it between the Echo Show 5 and the Echo Show 8, which is why Google released the larger, louderNest Hub Max to compete with the Echo Show 10. The new Google Nest Mini is set to sound even better too, withy the inclusion of an extra speaker. 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. That's a tough question because they're both similar and we find it difficult to pick between the two.
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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. If you're looking for a small Echo speaker, your best best then is the Echo Spot, which despite its size, offers a richer sound. The screen, however, massively increases its expense, so bear that in mind – if you don't want a screen, the Echo Dot with Clock is an attractive option.
As someone who has used Alexa, Cortana, Siri and Google Assistant based speakers over the last 5 years... Personally I find Google Home/Assistant has the fewest issues, and Spotify has some sort of issue across every ecosystem. YMMV, but I wouldn't drop a lot of money to find out everyone's Spotify integration has some kind of issue. "play Spotify on 525" (the name I gave to my "whole house" speaker group), usually results in Eine Kleine Nachtmuzik, which is K.525 in the classical music catalog.
Amazon Echo (4th Gen) Review
Like the Echo Dot, the speaker is puck shaped, if a little more pebble-like with softer edges, and has a top side covered in a fabric speaker mesh. You can pick up the Google Home Mini in a range of colors, with four flashing LED lights illustrating when it's listening to your commands and showing the volume level. However, lots of users who have put the two devices head-to-head believe Google Assistant could be the smarter of the two. Learning experience, and wider variety of voices than Alexa, it has the biggest potential for the future. Her voice is so much more pleasant, I love that I only need to say Alexa. I've been a Google Home user for perhaps three years and have accumulated a few speakers and a couple of displays.
All of these devices can go on sale around big discount holidays like Black Friday and Prime Day . The Echo Show 10 has a 10.1-inch touch screen with 1,280-by-800-pixel resolution. The Nest Hub Max has a comparable display that's just a fraction of an inch smaller , with the same resolution. The Echo Show 5 and Nest Hub are both much smaller, respectively featuring 5.5-inch, 960-by-480 and 7-inch, 1,024-by-600 screens. The Echo Show 8 sits between the two extremes, with an 8-inch screen that has the same 1,280-by-800 resolution as the Echo Show and Nest Hub Max, for the sharpest picture. Echo Show devices use Alexa, while Google Nest products use Google Assistant.
We found the HomePod Mini especially easy to set up with our iPhone, thanks to a quick pairing process that only took about three minutes. This is a capable 7-inch smart display that is ideal for controlling your home from your bedside. It doesn’t have a camera so it’s not for video calls, but it works with a lot of streaming services for watching shows or, more realistically, checking a recipe video on YouTube. The best smart speaker for you ultimately depends on what you plan to use it for. If you want a voice assistant that's easy to talk to, a Nest speaker will be better.
The HomePod Mini relies on Siri — yes, the same Siri the iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple Watch use — for any voice interactions. All of your Apple devices are smart enough to know when they’re around each other, so when you say “Hey Siri” near a HomePod Mini, your Apple Watch or iPhone will let the smart speaker answer. You can then use Siri to play from your Apple Music library, control your smart home devices, send messages or ask for your daily agenda.
Renaming 525 group to "the whole house" results in a song called "Mama's House" instead of Mozart. I was recently given an Echo Dot 3rd Gen, and just really gotten around to setting it up and adding all my lights, kettle, aircon, TV etc to it. I was pleasantly surprised by how easy it was, and how reliable it has been.
From there, you’re able to eliminate at least one option as you continue to examine your needs and wants from a smart speaker. The Echo works with almost every smart home device and platform, with Nest Audio right behind it, and finally, the HomePod Mini’s deep integration with Apple makes it a must-have for any iPhone user. It’s also worth considering factors such as sound quality and space — the Echo will get the loudest, while the HomePod Mini will fit easiest into any setup. Going beyond the iPhone, if you already have smart home devices around your house like light switches, thermostats or a doorbell that integrate directly with Apple’s HomeKit platform, then you should add a HomePod Mini to the mix. Not only does it allow you to use Siri for voice commands and interactions, but a HomePod Mini doubles as a HomeKit Hub. The HomePod Mini is the smallest out of the leading smart speakers, with a design that’s about the size of an apple.
(Love asking "Ziggy" to do stuff, one less syllable than "Hey Google"). Shop your favorite products and we’ll find the best deal with a single click. Both the Show 8 and the Nest Hub have intuitive smart home control panels that are easy to use, but the Nest Hub's control center is organized slightly better, especially after a recent update to the UI. He's reviewed everything from vacuum cleaners to beer brewing robots in pursuit of the perfect smart home. He wants the smart home to make him feel powerful, and it's getting there. With a new, better-sounding Echo Dot that still costs $50, Alexa's now in a better position to stay competitive with the insurgent Google Assistant.
Which one you decide to go with may well depend on which you personally prefer and what kind of products you're using than which is technically 'better'. We have 3 google homes in the house and I loved them except for how annoying the wake word is. When I'm trying to get google to do something and she keeps misunderstanding me, answering the wrong thing, or not turning her volume down, having to say OK Google repeatedly is obnoxious. The Echo Dot is a pretty cool gadget and is probably one of the most popular devices in the Echo line.
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