GoKawiilBrady Snyder / Android Authority
I use both the Google Home and Apple Home ecosystems, and that means I’ve used my fair share of smart speakers and displays. I’ve let the Nest Mini, Nest Hub Max, HomePod Mini, and HomePod 2 all power my home — and now it’s the Google Home Speaker’s turn. Google’s new smart speaker retails for $99, matching the price of Apple’s HomePod Mini. So, I put both orb-shaped speakers in my living room for a week, testing their chops as speakers and digital assistants.
It’s easy to forget that the HomePod Mini is nearly six years old. Given the smart speaker’s age, I expected the Home Speaker to handily beat it. That didn’t prove to be the case. The Home Speaker is certainly smarter, but the HomePod Mini sounded better. That said, if you need a smart speaker to handle smart home control, casual music playback, and everything in between, there’s only one option I recommend.
Google Home Speaker vs. HomePod Mini: Which would you choose? 9 votes Google Home Speaker 89 % HomePod Mini 11 %
Google’s Home Speaker is louder, but HomePod Mini is sharper
Brady Snyder / Android Authority
If you’ve owned a Google Home or Nest speaker in the past, there’s something you need to understand about the Home Speaker right off the bat. Although it costs the same as the Nest Audio once did, it’s a completely different product. The Home Speaker is about half the size, uses a single driver, and places greater emphasis on the “smart” part of being a smart speaker. This isn’t a Nest Audio successor, it’s a HomePod Mini alternative.
Starting with the specs, the Google Home Speaker uses a 58mm full-range driver with omnidirectional sound. Apple doesn’t advertise the size of the HomePod Mini’s full-range driver, but it’s said to be about 50mm. That passes the eye test, as the Home Speaker is slightly bigger than the HomePod Mini. Both speakers can fit on any desk, table, or shelf, as they’re tiny. The 360-degree sound means you don’t have to stress too much about speaker placement.
The HomePod Mini works fine on a desk, but you need a stereo pair to adequately fill a room.
The similar footprint made me think these speakers would sound similar, but I couldn’t have been more wrong. I used Apple Music to stream songs through both speakers, controlling them using my voice and their companion apps. The Google Home Speaker’s volume immediately impressed me. I listened to songs at 10% or 20% volume, and it filled my mid-sized living room. If I cranked it up near three-quarters or max volume, the sound permeated my entire one-bedroom apartment.
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