Nest Mini: Welcome the Glossy New Google Assistant Smart Speaker
Should You Upgrade Your Home Mini To Nest Mini?
Google’s Home Mini is a great device as it offers you the power of Google Assistant in a small speaker. Nest Mini is an improvement of the Google Home Mini, and it’s quite easy to confuse the two as they are quite similar in a lot of things starting from the price (both are priced at ~$49). There are a slight differences in the design, and for the eagle eyed, few tweaks here and there can be noticed, but is it worth the upgrade though?
Among all the marginal changes in Nest Mini, the mounting hole, improved sound, and an additional built-in microphone stand out. It also comes with a machine-learning chip making it faster and smarter than its predecessor. The new product’s capacitive touch controls have also been refined. If you have not had any experience with the smart speaker, Nest Mini would be a great place to start.
Nest Mini Release Date And Price
The Nest Mini will cost you $49 to enjoy the world of smart speakers. This is the same price that its predecessor was retailing at.
It was announced on 15th October in New York City, and it will be available in the market from 22nd October. You can purchase it at Google’s Store, Amazon, as well as other retailers near you.
Design And Features
In the wake of improved agitation for environmentally sensitive products, Nest Mini is thankfully eco-friendly. It is made using recycled materials. The cover is mainly recycled plastic bottles while the body has a construction of green materials too.
In terms of design, there is no significant difference between the Home Mini and the Nest Mini. They are the same in size and shape, chic fabric grille, and the number of LED displays.
Nest Mini comes in charcoal, chalk, coral, and sky blue colors. The two speakers also have the same oval shape when you view them from the side and share similar ergonomic design throughout
The new Mini has a built-in wall mount, and capacitive touch controls to control your music playback, whereas Google Mini needed an additional accessory for it, which is not there in the Google Mini. The microphone switch will enable you to turn off active listening so that Google Assistant will not always pick up your voice.
What I love most about this new Mini is the fact that it comes with an ultrasound technology that makes LEDs light up as you approach the speakers. As they light up, you can visibly see the volume buttons that help you navigate through the music.
The new Mini comes with updates and supports Bluetooth 5.0, which will come in handy when playing music through your device. What’s interesting is that you can use it as an intercom, which helps when you are conversing with people over the phone.
If you’ve used the Home Mini, you know that sound is not exactly it’s strong point, something that Google tries to argue out, saying it has twice the bass power of its predecessor.
Nest Mini Hardware And Specifications
The Google Home Mini has a 40mm speaker driver that comes with a Chromecast and its audio, as well as Bluetooth, to help you connect to your device seamlessly. Looking at it closely, the latest Mini has the same hardware specifications. The Nest Mini also has a 40mm sound driver, but it adds a 360-degree sound. It also features an additional microphone and another speaker to the three that Google Home Mini comes with.
If you remember, the older Mini has 9W worth of power, but the new Mini is more powerful as it comes with 15W. Are you looking for faster Google Assistant results? The new mini features a dedicated machine learning chip that makes this easier.
Google Assistant
When you want to use the Google Assistant on your Nest Mini, you can summon it by simply saying “Hey Google,” or “Ok Google” to the Nest Mini. A question or a command should follow this, and LEDs will light up to indicate that Google Assistant is listening to you. What’s more? You can either choose a male or female voice to speak to you.
Do you want to know how the weather will be like next week? Or the EPL results? Google Assistant helps you find answers to any questions you may have. It can also set timers for you, set alarms, and remind you of any upcoming appointments. Google Assistant can also help you make hands-free phone calls in the United States of America, the United Kingdom, Australia, and Canada and even over Google Duo.
Another important feature of Google Assistant is that it can support programmable routines that include turning off the lights and locking the doors when you say, “Hey Google, Goodnight.” It can also include turning on the lights and reminding you of your upcoming appointments when you say, “Hey Google, Good morning.”
When it comes to music, Google Assistant helps you to play music from YouTube, Google Play Music, Spotify, and so on. The advantage of the Nest Mini is that it can connect to any internet radio station. You can also listen to audiobooks from Google Play Books as well as playing music directly from your phone, tablet, or iPad via Bluetooth or Google Cast.
Pros and Cons of Nest Mini
Pros:
- It is affordable as it comes at $49, which is not much considering how much it can do for you.
- It is small in size which makes it portable and easy to mount
- It is available in a variety of colors
- The smart speakers have an excellent and high-frequency response
- Nest Mini can also help you perform some routine tasks in your home, such as turning the lights on and off and locking the doors. It also reminds you of your upcoming appointments in the morning.
Cons:
- As much as the Nest Mini smart speaker is an improvement of its predecessor, there is not much of a difference between the two.
Bottom line
Nest Mini is pretty much the same speaker as its predecessor, only that it has a few design changes. Google claims that Nest Mini has an improved bass power, which is debatable because they both have 40mm drivers. The only noticeable difference is that Nest Mini comes with an additional microphone and a keyhole to help you mount it on the wall.
So, is this worth your investment? Unless, you are venturing into the world of smart speakers for the first time and want to adopt Android ecosystem, there are no unique selling points for the Nest Mini. Safe to say Alexa and Amazon still rule the roost - for now!
Editor Notes:
Our final choice is the Nest Mini with a 40mm sound driver that adds a 360-degree sound to your room. It has an additional mic that you can turn off to prevent the picking of active voice from the surrounding. With ultrasound technology available, you can walk towards the Nest Mini, and LEDs light up for you to adjust the settings easily.
Additionally, the Nest Mini Connects to any internet radio station allowing you to get more from the radio than the predecessor. It also has a better voice command assist in helping you control routines in your home.
Another unique feature is the Keyhole for mounting on the wall that is not available in the Home Mini.
Lastly, the high captivating touch controls which improve usability are present in the Nest Mini, and you’ll need to incur extra costs to get them for the Home Mini.