$99 Speaker Showdown: HomePod Mini vs. Amazon Echo and Google Nest Audio

[George Dawes]

I've bought 2 , one black , one white , they're on separate floors of my house and the intercom feature is useful

Sound quality is amazing considering the size and price and I really like Siri , he's hilarious

Overall very impressed

 

[Dreamer2go]

Does anyone know if Homepod Mini has the function like the Google's speaker devices where I can group certain speakers in certain rooms, then play music to those speakers (or all connected speakers) just by telling Siri?
I feel like it's a great feature from Google's hub, but it doesn't have Apple Music support which I think is the better platform...

Very tempted into splitting two smart speakers system where music is done via. Homepod, while smart home devices are controlled via Google Assistant.

 

[iStorm]

So you can't mute the microphone on the Homepod mini, so in reality it's Apple that's "always listening" not Amazon or Google, interesting that the company that bangs on about your privacy all the time doesn't give you an option to be private 🤣

I think we'll be fine. It's really not much different than how "Hey Siri" works on the iPhone, iPad, or Apple Watch. Those are always "listening" too...

 

[MidwestMacGuy]

Actually, I'd never buy any of those listed. I prefer this...

 

[Johnny907]

We bought one HomePod mini, and we love it.

Siri kinda sucks, but privacy is paramount, especially in the home.

If you care about privacy, get a dumb Bluetooth speaker.
Apple was already busted once publicly for not being as privacy conscious as claimed, and frankly I’m shocked and amused when folks delude themselves into thinking Apple is any different in this regard.

 

[DocMultimedia]

*keeps it old school with his Ultimate Ears MegaBOOM 3 ... none of these speakers can match UE's fidelity ... sometimes it's important to "disconnect" and just listen to music without interruption.

I've got one of those for my porch parties. Really nice audio. Great battery life.

 

[Morgenland]

There seems to be a copy-paste template at Macrumors: I was sure beforehand what kind of report would come, even the wording was predictable, great ....

 

[Morgenland]

I'm looking forward to a comparison article on here that says something other than 'they do the same kinds of things... depends on which ecosystem you prefer.'

There seems to be a copy-paste template at Macrumors: I was sure beforehand what kind of report would come, even the wording was predictable, great ....

 

[FightTheFuture]

I wish you luck. You may be happier taking that $200 to Costco or Sams and grabbing a screaming deal on a LG/Samsung/Sony or other Soundbar with Subwoofer. You will realize better bass response (movies have explosions, car crashes, and others with a nice rumble that neither the $99 nor the full size Homepod can match). You will also have a variety of sound settings for your theater, such as Music, Sci-Fi, Vocal, Cinema, Drama etc. None of these are available as an option with either the Homepod nor the smaller pods. What you get - is what you have.

AppleTV does have a calibration set up for the delay that is inherent in almost any home theater set up, so that is a plus. However, you may find that the AppleTV does not want to stay paired with the Homepods, and you may have to use your iPhone to re-pair them nearly every time you watch a movie.

Siri - well, it's no surprise that Siri is just pathetic. I WANT to like the Homepod product, I WISH I liked the Homepod product, but it falls so far short as a home theater device, that I just cannot recommend them as such. For the price of two, you are better off with an off-brand Soundbar w/woofer.

Like I said, if it’s not up to snuff I’ll just return one. Oddly enough the biggest flaw you mention, Siri/HomeKit is the exact reason I would keep it. We need to expect more from the appliances taking space in our house. Something that can answer my phone, lock my doors, change the thermostat and play music that suits my tastes is more valuable to me then a sound bar that takes as much space as a tv and does nothing until you turn it on.

 

[currentinterest]

I own two HomePod minis and 4 HomePods. They are delightful, sound ver good, and Siri works great for me. My son the AI/ML software engineer has replaced all his Amazon devices with HomePods. He showed me how Siri was actually much better at understanding more complex commands. His whole house is basically automated, from door locks to water heaters. Perhaps there is, but I haven’t found anything I find deficient in Siri and love the emphasis Apple puts on privacy.

 

[cuencap]

What's the best Airplay 2 speaker (other than HomePod Mini) in that price range? I have two Sonos Ones and LOVE them, but they are $199 and can be bought for $150. Was planning on getting a Mini for a bedroom recently turned into an office. Sound isn't critical in that room. I think the Sonos One would be overkill for the size of the room. I think I just talked myself into sticking with the Mini...

 

[WilliamDu]

Aside from the considerable current price advantage of the Echo, you can use the Alexa app to group them, set up as stereo easily and if you want intercom with another room, you can have it with a $19 3rd gen Echo Dot wherever else you want intercom, keeping the Echo for its sound advantage over the Dot wherever you want the Echo quality. I have an Echo Studio with Dots in three other locations in the house-no shouting. The new Echo is not as good as the Studio but still more useful with Alexa. The $19 Dot is a great buy.
Additionally, you can get the Echo in red, white and a nice blue color as well as charcoal. Simple link with Bluetooth devices.

 

[contacos]

Within the last month or so Alexa can’t understand anything I say especially when it comes to saying “Alexa play (album) by (artist) “. Getting frustrating

I noticed this too! I literally have to shout at her sometimes to even activate and then it just does the ding dong sound without actually doing anything

 

[mcdawg]

For $200, you could get a great sound bar with a 500 watt subwoofer included. It sound just like in the movie theater if your room is 50 ft. square or smaller.

If your room is 50 square feet or less, you almost certainly live in prison.

 

[mcdawg]

50 sq ft? Like a jail cell?

Oh, shoot. You beat me to it. I wasn’t patient enough to make it to the end of the thread before posting.

 

[WilliamDu]

I noticed this too! I literally have to shout at her sometimes to even activate and then it just does the ding dong sound without actually doing anything

You've got bad ones. I have an Echo Studio, 2nd gen Echo, and three Dots that all hear conversational level commands, one in my kitchen with a Microwave running in the background.

 

[vicviper789]

Please post a link to your evidence.

I said probably 😉

 

[WilliamDu]

If a device can hear the words "Hey Siri", "Alexa" or whatever Google listens for, the mike is live and anyone on the other end can hear you.
Live with it or unplug it.
Do you really think there are rooms full of elves sitting around filtering the conversations of the millions of owners of all of these devices?
Why?
I hereby apply for the job-even at minimum wage and no benefits
I'm not going to hold my breath waiting for a job offer.
NSA can listen to your phone calls too, but that's another story.
Rampant paranoid population.

 

[mcdawg]

It is a comical sight how much speaker you get per $99 from each company, now that Apple made a product with a specific price target in mind, instead of targeting the quality they wanted to, and then pricing it accordingly.

The fact that it produces impressive sound for its size is negated by the fact that they didn’t need to make it that small to begin with, and it could sound better.

I’m happy that Apple made it, I’m all-in on Homekit and on the Apple ecosystem so it’s a great addition, but even if it does sound quite clear, it still sounds tiny and simple, a far cry from the original HomePod. Price is very different - I know. But could still sound better/louder at $99.

That really is true.
I’m not carrying the thing around.
It’s a compact smart speaker - great. Not huge, not expensive - great.
But making it extra tiny is really of no particular benefit, to me or anybody else who doesn’t strangely get off on its sheer tinyness, and isn’t worth anything if there is a trade off in sound quality or in increased cost due to the self-imposed constraints that require more elaborate engineering and construction.

I already thought thinness for thinness’ sake resulted in poor trade offs for things I do carry around, like my iPhone, where I’d happily take a few more mm of width for better battery performance, or any of the Macbooks that would gain almost no size from the prudent addition of a few more ports.

But this, now, Apple? I do think the HomePod mini is a nice product, but the fetishization of small has gotten uncomfortably weird.

 

[contacos]

You've got bad ones. I have an Echo Studio, 2nd gen Echo, and three Dots that all hear conversational level commands, one in my kitchen with a Microwave running in the background.

I also had to give every one of my Echos different command names now because the echo in the wrong room would suddenly activate like I would be talking to it in the bed room but the echo in the living room would start playing music

 

[Brien]

Within the last month or so Alexa can’t understand anything I say especially when it comes to saying “Alexa play (album) by (artist) “. Getting frustrating

My gripe is the ramp up in ‘by the way’ adverts. This isn’t a podcast.

Siri may suck more but ads are worse IMO. + the privacy stuff.

If Apple would put a little more effort improving Siri and addressing where the HomePods fall short, it would be a no-brainer for iOS users

 

[A MacBook lover]

Siri is the HomePods biggest let down

until Apple drastically improve it, the HomePod will remain infuriating

All the assistants are the same. None of them are groundbreaking.

 

[LeadingHeat]

Okay lets go with your theory that Apple is going around sneakily selling data for potential millions of dollars when they outright say they don't.

1) Don't you think there would be any leaks from employees of these companies buying this data.

2) Apple is paying penalty after penalty for minor things such as undisclosed engineering decisions (ie. throttling performance to eliminate shut downs) What do you think would happen if it were proven that Apple lied about this.

3) Apple doesn't need to sell your data because they have a viable business plan that charges consumers up front. People get upset at the cost of Apple products but this is the reason why they are more expensive. Other companies choose to sell your data to make up profits for lower initial pricing,. If you are okay with it, then there is nothing wrong with that model. And if you look at Apple's profits, there business model seems to be doing okay without going that route.

If it were ever to be known that Apple is lying about this, It would be catastrophic in terms of the sheer lawsuits but even worse the companies image would be totally destroyed. Do you really think that Tim Cook is sneakily going around with his ski mask selling your "hey Siri, what's the temperature" data and telling companies to keep it on the hush hush. He has nothing better to do than risk the entire company so that they can make a few extra million on the side, when they make billions each quarter. Yah... Okay.

I will buy products based on privacy and you can go ahead with your conspiracy theory of everyone being the same and buy from companies that outright say they are selling your data. I will never have a google or amazon listening device in my home no matter how much better or cheaper it is. But that's just me.

I’m glad some people still have some common sense. I can’t imagine the hellstorm that would ensue if they were doing it behind the scenes. If they’re being this blatant about saying they’re strictly not selling data, and taking your privacy seriously, that puts them at a HUGE risk of lawsuits and distrust in the company overall. Exactly as you said. If I keep typing I’ll end up saying the same exact things you did so I’ll stop here. 😂

 

[mcdawg]

My gripe is the ramp up in ‘by the way’ adverts. This isn’t a podcast.

Siri may suck more but ads are worse IMO. + the privacy stuff.

If Apple would put a little more effort improving Siri and addressing where the HomePods fall short, it would be a no-brainer for iOS users

Whoa!
There are ads on Alexa?!?
For real?!?

 

[sir1963nz]

Well in New Zealand Apple is the clear looser by a country mile. It is the only product not available for customers to buy.

Now here is the funny part.
The home pod is available in Australia .
The regulations are in essence the same in NZ as AU, we share most standards.
The Apple store for NZ is in Australia , in fact it is the SAME online store physically, same warehouse.
So there is ZERO reason for them not to be sold in NZ.