How does the Google Home Mini compare to the Amazon Echo Dot?
Does Google's fun-sized smart speaker have the specs to stack up to Amazon's popular Dot?
The Google Home Mini listens for your commands.
Now that the Google Home Mini is more than just a rumor, it's time to compare it side-by-side with the similar Amazon Echo Dot.
The Mini is a smaller, more affordable version of Google 's voice controlled smart speaker Google Home. It's obviously inspired by the Dot, which similarly shrunk the power of the original Amazon Echo down into a compact puck you could buy for a reasonable price.
Since the Dot has helped Amazon dominate smart speaker sales, Google's move to launch a more affordable Google Home makes a lot of sense. Both the Dot and the Mini are always-listening smart speakers that respond to your voice commands. The Mini makes use of Google's digital assistant -- simply called the Google Assistant. The Dot has Amazon's assistant Alexa built-in to answer your questions.
Physically, the two have similar specs.
Google Home Mini vs. Amazon Echo Dot
| Google Home Mini | Amazon Echo Dot | |
| Price | $50 | $50 |
| Available colors | Chalk, Charcoal, Coral | White, Black (more through cases) |
| Voice controls | Google Assistant | Amazon Alexa |
| Size | 3.86 inch diameter, 1.65 inch height | 3.3 inch diameter, 1.3 inch height |
| Weight | 6.1 oz | 5.7 oz |
| Physical Extras | Touch controls, microphone switch, Micro-USB port | 3.5 mm audio output port. Buttons for volume, actions, and mute. Micro-USB port. |
| Battery powered | No | No |
| Wi-Fi enabled | Yes | Yes |
| Bluetooth streaming | No | Yes |
The Dot's biggest advantage over the Mini is the 3.5 mm stereo output port which allows you to connect it to your own speakers. Plug in the Dot, and you can add voice controls to your own sound setup. You can do that with the Mini or the Home too, but you need to buy an extra Chromecast audio streamer.
Otherwise, the primary difference between the two comes down to Google Assistant vs Alexa. Here are all the smart devices that work with Assistant. Here's Alexa's list. Since the voice assistants in the Mini and the Dot have the same capabilities as the original Home and Echo, also check out our detailed comparison of the two, which dives into the back and forth battle as Google and Amazon have continually added features in a smart speaker arms race.