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Goes from here forward, the Dot has an important hardware feature that the Mini surprisingly lacks -- a line-out jack. You can plug the Dot into your own speakers to make up for its own lack of sound quality. Despite the lack of physical buttons, the Home Mini still has touch controls you can use. To adjust the volume, you tap the sides of the device, or you can long press the sides to play and pause music. Both assistants -- and thus both speakers -- are very capable at this point and will adequately respond to most questions and commands you can think to throw at them. If you already own a Dot or an Echo, the Mini doesn't offer you anything compelling enough to warrant throwing away your current investment.
The difference is clear when you listen to the two assistants speak. With the Echo Dot, Alexa's voice is a little tinny-sounding, and music playback not much better than what you'd get from your phone. By comparison, the Home Mini makes the Google Assistant sound warmer and more natural. Music playback was more passable with the Home Mini, too -- though, like the Dot, you really shouldn't plan on using it for anything more than close-range, casual listening.
Smart features
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. The smallest of the three is the Google Home Mini speaker. 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.
Tapping on the back arrow in the top-left corner will take you to the app’s “Devices” screen where your Google Home will appear in the list. Next, you’ll select which music streaming provider you want to use with your Google Home. Obviously, Google Play Music and YouTube Music are options, but you can also link to Spotify or Pandora. Hit “Continue” when you’re done to move onto the next step. Setting Up the Google Home takes only just a few minutes, after which you’ll be off to the races.
Can Alexa drop in on Google Home?
The tutorial consists of nothing more than giving you a few voice commands you can use and shows you how to use them. Hit “Finish Tutorial” on the last screen to exit out of it. When the app connects to your Google Home, the device will play a test sound to confirm that it’s connected. With beefed-up sound at the price of a standard Echo model it's well worth looking at the third-gen Echo if you're thinking of buying a new smart speaker.
You’ll be able to opt out of some settings, like Voice Match or personal results. You can change these settings at any time after you complete setup. The Google Home app will walk you through the steps to set up your Google Nest or Home speaker or display. When comparing Google Home vs. Alexa, they have several similarities and differences. Both of these devices come with similar features and capabilities. They're essentially smart home hubs that can help you order groceries, turn on the television or lights, or listen to your favorite tunes at an acceptable volume, among other things.
Troubleshooting tips during setup
At this point, Google Assistant is just as capable as Alexa, so the Mini is a great alternative to the Dot, especially since both speakers cost just $50. If something went wrong when you tried to set up your Nest or Home device, you aren’t alone. Use Alexa’s unique features to order groceries or takeout. At the top, select the home with the room you want to delete. Choose a suggested room name or scroll to the bottom and tap Add a custom roomenter the room nametap Save.
Follow the remaining steps to complete your Google Home setup. Still, the feature is handy when you're asking about your calendar appointments, or asking it to call Mom (and not, say, your roommate's mom). Regardless of which voice you choose, I still wish Google would give its Assistant a better name. Google Assistant has been chasing Alexa since Google debuted it in 2016. Google Home Mini joined the race late last year to chase the popular, affordable Echo Dot.
Amazon Echo vs Google Home FAQ: quick questions answered
And get a daily digest of news, geek trivia, and our feature articles. When you purchase through our links we may earn a commission. Follow the remaining prompts to complete the setup process.
It also makes my home Alexa unusable to add items to various shopping lists. Follow the steps to set a nickname for these devices and add them to a room. To control your devices more easily, assign them to a room in a home. You can create a new home, create a new room, or add your devices to an existing room. Depending on your location, you may be able to stream music from other services, too. While you may not want two songs playing simultaneously, both devices have music streaming options that work for every type of consumer.
At the top right, tap Settings Room choose a room tap Next. At the top left, tap Add Set up device Works with Google. Users who have opted into presence sensing will receive helpful alerts if their phone location is incorrect.
If you say “OK, Google, listen to the news,” your Google Home device will then give you a news report that’s customized to your preferences. When finished, Google will give you a chance to review all your choices, and then offer a tutorial that shows you general information about how the device works. If you are offered this tutorial, it’s smart to take the opportunity to learn more! Afterward, you can do as you please with the smart device, but we’re going to talk about several other customization options that users may want to spend time going through. To use a Google Home device, you’ll need a Google account.
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. Having said that, Alexa tends to be better when it comes to support for a wider range of devices, as well as better smart home integration. So if you have a lot of smart home devices already, Alexa might be your best bet.
Check out our roundup of things Google Assistant can do for more info, or head to the Google Assistant partners page for all the brands Google Home can work with. The Google Home Mini puts all of the smarts of Google Assistant into a small and affordable package. The Mini sounds surprisingly good for its size and features a colorful design that can blend into your home's decor.
For the most part, though, Alexa and the Assistant are more or less interchangeable. Much of that stems from the fact that the two are locked in a fencing match for features, thrusting with each new trick and parrying to match the tricks of the other. From voice calling to TV controls, new features are constantly coming to each platform.
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