Apple’s new HomePod mini, priced at just $99, is better positioned to compete with cheaper smart speakers from companies like Google and Amazon.
The HomePod mini has been praised for its high-quality sound at its price point, so we thought we’d compare it to Google’s Nest Audio and Amazon’s Echo to see how it measures up in terms of sound quality, design, and smarts…
At similar volumes, the HomePod mini has a more balanced sound with nothing blown out, but the Echo and the Nest deliver more bass (perhaps a little too much) and can reach higher volumes due to their larger sizes… Even with a much smaller form factor, the HomePod mini isn’t too far off from the larger speakers, and the HomePod mini’s sound continues to be impressive for such a tiny device…
All in all, these speakers are all fairly similar when it comes to sound and performance. Choosing between them mostly comes down to ecosystem preference. If you already have Alexa-enabled devices, the Amazon Echo is a better choice. Similarly, if you use Google Assistant, it makes sense to pick up a Nest Audio. For those in the Apple ecosystem, especially those who use Apple Music and have HomeKit setups, the HomePod mini is an ideal choice.
MacDailyNews Take: People who value their privacy choose Apple products over all others.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Fred Mertz” for the heads up.]
Biggest problem with the home pod mini is Siri.
It’s really not. For anything I need to use Siri, it’s working just fine.
I get weather, select music, turn volume up/down, and get traffic.
So far, it’s working great in the kitchen. I got six of them as gifts and I’m pretty sure they will be well received.
If you don’t have an ecosystem, it might not be worth getting though – not surprising.
Tell your homepod mini via siri to turn up the volume 10% and it will turn it down to 10% of max capacity. Tell siri to turn down the volume 90% and it will turn it up to 90% of max capacity.
That’s how it works. After using it for a while you’ll get used to what 25%, 50%, and 75% sound like. If you want to just turn it up a little without specifying a percentage, just say “hey Siri louder”
The fact that I could explain what is happening should indicate that I know how it works. I don’t agree with how it works. When I say “Turn down the volume to…” Siri should know that I want to reduce the volume. When I say “Turn up the volume to…” Siri should know that I want to increase the volume. Instead it is doing the opposite of what I ask. Siri should learn how I say things. Which is one of the issues I have with Siri. Understanding a volume command is just one example, and it should be one of the easier and more used command. While I like the sound and compatibility of the homepod compared to a google mini, I didn’t have to learn a specific format on how to increase the volume for my google mini. When comparing Siri to other personal assistants, Siri has some catch up to do.
I need privacy Google and Amazon can’t help with that.
Agreed I need privacy but also something that works.
If only AAPL would turn up the privacy factor to a 10, sell it broadly, it would be worth billions in just a few years…esp with the advancing state of big ears-big eyes…which includes Goog/Amazn.