GOOGLE-HOME MINI

hen Google announced its first and only smart speaker in late 2016, it was already well behind Amazon. The Seattle rival had already unleashed the Echo, Echo Tap, and Echo Dot. Since then, several new Echo devices have been introduced. With the Home Mini, Home Max, and soon-to-be-released Home Hub, Google now has larger and smaller options to compete with Amazon’s good-better-best lineup.

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.

Out of the box

The Google Home Mini’s packaging is a foreshadowing of the device’s simplicity. Pop open the box and the Mini greets you cradled in an inverted dome of plastic. Just below the plastic tray you’ll find a Micro USB power cord with a rounded wall plug, keeping with the Mini’s orb-ish theme.

Not much in the way of instructional literature is included, but you won’t need it anyway. As with most internet-connected devices today, you’ll be doing most of your set-up work through an app — in this case, the Google Home app.

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.