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The Echo Dot also has a version with a built-in clock, which both looks nice and is very useful. The Nest Audio, meanwhile, is shaped vaguely like a pillow standing on its end, while the tiny Nest Mini is more like a puck. Alexa has an edge with third-party functionality, thanks to thousands of different skills that can do everything from order pizza to read a bedtime story. It tends to require very specific syntax, though, especially when activating and using most of those skills.
Our journalists combine independent research with over-the-top testing to save people time, energy and money when making buying decisions. Whether it's finding great products or discovering helpful advice, we'll help you get it right . The Home Mini does not offer Bluetooth output, nor does it have a wired audio-output option. However, if you have a Chromecast speaker, such as the JBL Playlist, or Chromecast Audio dongles connected to a sound system, you can cast the Home Mini’s sound output to that speaker via Wi-Fi. Casting is better than nothing, but it’s not as commonplace as using Bluetooth or a cable.
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However, that means you won’t be able to ask Siri to change the song or turn the volume up. The Google Assistant also supports popular streaming services like Deezer, Pandora, Spotify, and YouTube Music. By default, the Google Assistant will now play songs on YouTube music, which gives you access to millions of songs for free, but you’ll also have to listen to lots of ads.
Google passed the "chocolate chip cookie recipe" test with flying colors, even walking me through the recipe step by step. Alexa was almost as good, offering multiple recipes, providing a list of ingredients, a recipe mode, and giving me the option to get the recipe in the Alexa app. Using both assistants, I tried a handful of queries related to ordering food, making reservations, and getting recipes. Both assistants offered recommendations for a good Indian restaurant in my neighborhood, including varying details such as address, rating, and prices. If you’re more concerned with getting information than blasting music, the Google Home Mini is a great option.
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This helps control all kinds of devices and services, like starting a Spotify playlist when you get home from work. You can also get reminders about picking up tomatoes at your preferred grocery store. It's possible to add shopping list items to Google Keep with voice commands if you create a list in the app and give a specific name. It works as long as you don't have the same list names on the Google shopping list site. It doesn't have the helpful photos or categories, but doesn't require the website.
But the Echo can also call another Echo device, whether it’d be one of your other Echos in your house , or a friend’s Echo who lives across the country. Of course, Google Home will likely add a lot more of these kinds of features in the future, but for now the Echo takes the cake when it comes to all the random stuff it can do. Besides the defaults, though, both the Echo and Home can link to your Spotify or Pandora accounts, so if you’re committed to one of those music providers instead, it’s no problem.
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In the end, Alexa gets the edge here, thanks to having slightly more integrations, including with a service as big as Apple Music and Apple Podcasts, which is still the largest podcast directory around. It generally gave solid, fast answers with context, though sometimes with too much or too technical information. For example, when I asked why the sky was blue, Google Assistant went on a lengthy explanation about diffuse sky radiation that would have any five-year-old’s eyes glazing over. Because Alexa is a little slower to understand complex commands, however, this one has to go to the Google Mini Home.
It makes Alexa a bit hard to talk to unless you get used to phrasing requests how Alexa wants to receive them. In addition, the Echo can be used as an intercom so you can speak through to another speaker to tell everyone in the house that dinner is ready without shouting. However, its predecessor – the Echo Dot – is still available, now for the discounted price of £24.99. And, while their jobs are more or less the same – to respond intelligently to your request – the results, how they work and which devices they work with can differ. The Nest Hub has more color options; it comes in aqua, sand, charcoal and chalk. Some of the links on our site are from our partners who compensate us.
While both do pretty well in the case of general knowledge and extendability, for example, if you want the broadest possible support for music and podcast services, Alexa is probably the one to pick. If, on the other hand, you have a household with multiple people in it, each of whom want to get their own personal information via a smart speaker, Google Assistant might be a better choice. However, you can do a lot more with those devices when connected to Alexa than you can when they’re linked with Google Assistant. For example, with Alexa, you can have your smart lights turn on if Alexa hears a window breaking or a fire alarm; or, you can activate smart home devices based on your location. With few exceptions, Google Assistant only lets you control individual smart home devices by creating a schedule or by speaking a command. While the Google Home Mini has outperformed the Echo Dot in the past, providing deeper, richer sound, this is no longer the case.
Frankly, there's very little difference between the two right now. They're both very capable smart assistants that respond to voice commands and work well with many smart home devices. Read our full head-to-head below to get a better idea of the specifics.
Alexa’s version is a bit more complex, but once you get the hang of it you can easily set up detailed routines based on exactly what you want to do. Alexa also still beats Google Assistant when it comes to compatibility, so there’s a greater chance of your smart devices actually working with the Dot. Smart home routines connect a variety of settings for smart devices under a single command. It’s a great way to prepare a smart house for the morning, set the mood for an evening dinner, get the family ready for bed, and a lot more…all you have to do is set them up. The Echo Dot and the Dot with Clock both retain the iconic color-changing LED status ring around their base.
Piyush has been working to strive to provide the best differences and comparisons. He holds a major in Communications and MBA in Finance from NMIMS, Mumbai, India. One can dim the lights with Philips Hue lights for example to set the mode or end the endless “who will turn the lights off” dialogue during night time. The Google Assistant is the best smart assistant for getting directions. Siri and Alexa can handle the basics when it comes to directions or how long the drive will be.
If you're going for pure sonic superiority between the Echo and Google Home ranges however, opt for the Google Home Max. Its bass is well tuned, its mids and highs well defined, and its top volume levels loud without verging into highly distorted territory. There's no right or wrong approach really – Google's is simpler, but Alexa's encourages faster and broader development and support from third-parties. It’ll be interesting to see if Google will lower the permanent price of the Home down to $100 to match the full-size Echo, but that’s obviously speculation for another day. In other words, you can set it up so that instead of saying “Hey Google, dim the living room lights to 25%”, you can just say “Hey Google, dim the lights”.
If you want a voice assistant that's easy to talk to, a Nest speaker will be better. And, of course, any smart home devices you already use should be factored into your decision. You can make free phone calls using Alexa and Google Assistant to anyone in your contacts list, a business, or by speaking the phone number directly.
The “Find my phone” feature on Google is really handy, while the Alexa Guard is equally helpful in a different tandem. And though it may not be a key difference at first, it certainly makes the gadget more fun and practical. One can also use IFTTT which helps them integrate third-party apps that are not included under the Google partner policies. This device makes one’s day overall easier by helping them plan their day, remember important days, help them explore new areas, recipes, hobbies, and many more. These include controlling the temperature of the AC, drawing the blinds, or dining the lights as commanded. Thus it is less frustrating to the user and this feature of better adaptability and more fluidity is a superior overall experience.
This makes it way easier to get information that’s pertinent only to you. So instead of saying something like, “What’s on Craig’s calendar for today? The Home and Echo will recognize your distinct voice and name off upcoming events that are on your calendar and no one else’s.
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