Google Home Mini and Amazon Echo Dot are both smart and versatile home speakers. While they have a lot in common, both are better at different things. We’re here to look at Google Home Mini vs Echo Dot: which one is better overall?
Which one has more features, Google Home Mini vs Echo Dot?
First, let’s look at their similarities. Both home AI speakers can do the following:
- Stream music
- Control smart home devices (lights, TV, speakers)
- Answer questions
- Give you the weather
- Find your phone (they turn off your phone’s silent mode and then call it)
- Broadcast messages
- Call any of your contacts
- Reminders and to-do lists
However, the difference between the Home Mini and the Echo Dot does come out in the different features each device has:
Features exclusive to the Google Home Mini:
- It has multi-room audio
- It can send video to Chromecast, to play Youtube videos on your TV
- You can use Google Play for music
- And it supposedly has a smarter AI (Google Assistant), which can answer more complex questions
Features exclusive to the Amazon Echo Dot:
- It can read Kindle Books
- It has a voice remote for when you’re too far away from the device for it to hear you
- There’s voice-enabled shopping on Amazon
- Amazon has thousands of Alexa “skills” that
- With Automatic Labs installed in your car, you can use Echo Dot to check fuel levels, parking location, and maintenance reports.
Which is easier to use, Google Home Mini vs Echo Dot?
While Google Home Mini has better sound quality, most customers report that pairing and connecting with external speakers is much easier to do with Echo Dot. You can connect Echo dot via wireless or Bluetooth, while for Google Home Mini, you have to buy a Chromecast audio device to make it work.
When it comes to voice commands, Echo’s commands have to be memorized, while Google supports natural language. Because of this, Google Home is easier to use and supports a broader range of questions, which can pretty much a big factor for families who have younger or older family members.
Google Home Mini Compatible Devices
The Google Home Mini, which is basically just a smaller Google Home, can be connected to various Google enabled apps and devices. Here are some:
- Google Chromecast, Chromecast Ultra, and Chromecast Audio Speaker
- Music streaming services (Spotify, Google Play Music, Pandora, Youtube)
- Smart thermostats (Nest Learning Thermostat, Honeywell Lyric Thermostat)
- August Smart Lock
- Smart Lighting (Philips Hue, Lifx, Wiz LED, TP Link)
- If This Then That (IFTTT)
*Google is adding more compatible devices every time it updates. We recommend visiting their website for a full list of Google Home Mini compatible devices.
Amazon Echo Dot compatible devices
Amazon Echo Dot is simply a smaller Amazon Echo. It connects with various apps and devices through wired or Bluetooth pairing:
- Music streaming services (Spotify, Amazon Music, Pandora)
- Smart Lighting (Philips Hue, Belkin Wemo Light Switch)
- Logitech Harmony universal remote
- Big Ass Fans Haiku Ceiling Fan
- VAUX portable battery and speaker
- August Smart Lock
- Automatic Labs’ Automatic
*Like Google, Amazon is adding more each update. We recommend visiting their website for a full list of compatible devices.
Common problems with Google Home Mini
- There’s no audio jack, rendering the device unable to connect external speakers.
- You need Chromecast to connect to Bluetooth devices. You need to buy a Chromecast to connect it to your smart TC or other Bluetooth devices.
- It can’t play audio books. There is no text to speech for ebooks.
Common problems with Alexa
- You need to use keywords for voice commands. Alexa doesn’t support natural language, which can be annoying and unnatural, and forces you to memorize commands.
- The speaker has relatively poor audio quality. The Echo Dot is not a good alternative for a Bluetooth speaker when listening to music.
So, which is better, Google Home Mini vs Echo Dot?
In our opinion, both are great smart home speakers for their price. Ultimately, it comes down to a person’s preference and lifestyle. If you’re using a lot of Google devices, then a Home Mini is the a smarter choice. However, if you are going to buy a home speaker for home automation, Echo Dot is compatible with a wider range of smart home devices.