The Google Nest Mini is a small, budget-friendly speaker with built-in Google Assistant capabilities. It's voice-activated and can understand you even if you aren't close to the speaker. However, it doesn't get very loud, and because it's only powered by AC, it isn't suitable for outdoor use. Its default sound profile lacks a lot of low-bass, but there are bass and treble adjustments in the Google Home app to help you customize its sound. While it has built-in Chromecast capabilities, its latency over this connection is likely too high to be suitable for watching videos or movies, which is a bit disappointing.
Our Verdict
The Google Nest Mini is middling for music. Its balanced mid and treble ranges reproduce clear and accurate vocals and lead instruments. However, it's lacking a lot of low-bass, so you don't feel the deep thump and rumble in bass-heavy genres like hip-hop. It doesn't get very loud, either, and it has to downmix stereo content into mono to play it, which doesn't sound as immersive. On the upside, there are bass and treble adjustments to help you customize its sound profile.
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Bass and treble adjustments.
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Doesn't get very loud.
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Downmixes stereo content to mono.
The Google Nest Mini is poor for videos and movies. While it can reproduce vocals and dialogue clearly and accurately, it lacks low-bass, so you don't feel the deep thump and rumble in action-packed scenes. It doesn't get very loud, either, and there's compression when you play it at max volume. Also, its latency with iOS and Android devices and with Chromecast is likely too high to be suitable for watching videos. However, some apps compensate for latency, so your real-world experience can vary.
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Bass and treble adjustments.
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Doesn't get very loud.
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Downmixes stereo content to mono.
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High latency.
The Google Nest Mini isn't bad for podcasts. Its balanced mid-range can reproduce vocals clearly and accurately. However, this speaker doesn't get very loud, and there's a lot of compression at max volume. Also, because it's powered by AC, it isn't very portable.
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Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and Chromecast compatibility.
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Doesn't get very loud.
The Google Nest Mini is great for voice assistant. It has built-in Google Assistant capabilities. You can activate the speaker using your voice, and it can understand you even if you're far away from it. There's also a mic mute switch so you can control when the speaker is listening to you. Unfortunately, it doesn't get very loud.
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Built-in Google Assistant capabilities.
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Mic mute switch.
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Doesn't get very loud.
The Google Nest Mini is only powered by AC, so it has to be plugged into an outlet to work. As a result, it isn't suitable for outdoor use.
- 5.6 Music
- 4.9 Videos/Movies
- 6.4 Podcasts
- 8.3 Voice Assistant
- 4.9 Outdoors
- Updated Aug 24, 2023: Updated the Portability picture for greater clarity and consistency between reviews.
- Updated Aug 22, 2023: Added market comparison with the Amazon Echo Pop in the App box.
- Updated Jan 06, 2021: Review published.
- Updated Jan 04, 2021: Early access published.
Differences Between Sizes And Variants
The Google Nest Mini comes in several different color variants: 'Sky', 'Coral', 'Charcoal', and 'Chalk'. We tested the 'Sky' variant, and you can see the label for the model we tested here. We expect the other color variants to perform similarly.
We also tested the 2nd Generation variant of this speaker, which comes with a few additional features compared to its predecessor, including stereo pairing with other Mini speakers. The 1st Generation variant may perform differently than our model.
If you come across another version of this speaker, let us know in the discussions so we can update our review.
Compared To Other Speakers
The Google Nest Mini is a small, stylish speaker with built-in Google Assistant capabilities. The speaker can understand you even if you aren't close to it, and you can mute the microphone when you want. Like other Google speakers, you can pair it with other Nest Mini speakers to create stereo pairs. While it has built-in Chromecast capabilities like the Google Home Max, its latency is much higher, so it may not be suitable for watching videos or movies.
The Google Nest Mini and the Amazon Echo Dot Gen 4 are similar speakers, so depending on your usage habits, you may prefer one over the other. The Amazon is better for voice assistants since it has a better ambient noise performance, so the voice assistant can understand you better in noisy settings. While the Amazon speaker has built-in Alexa support, the Google speaker has built-in Google Assistant. Unlike the Amazon model, the Google one also supports Chromecast.
The Apple HomePod mini is a better choice for music and videos than the Google Nest Mini, as its default sound profile is better balanced with a more extended low-bass, and it has a better soundstage performance. That said, the Google offers bass and treble adjustments so you can customize its sound to your liking. The Apple comes with Siri built-in, while the Google features Google Assistant.
The Amazon Echo Gen 2 is a better speaker than the Google Nest Mini. The Amazon can produce a much more extended low-bass than the Google and can play stereo content without downmixing it to mono, resulting in a more immersive soundstage. It offers outstanding voice assistant support with Alexa built-in and can easily understand you from far and in noisier rooms. The Google comes with Google Assistant built-in and supports Chromecast, though it has high latency over this connection.
The Google Nest Audio and the Google Nest Mini are very similar speakers with great voice assistant performances thanks to their built-in Google Assistant capabilities. However, the Nest Audio is better for music and watching videos. The Nest Audio has a more extended bass, and it can get louder. Also, it has lower latency over a Chromecast connection.
The Google Nest Mini and the Amazon Echo Pop are smaller smart speakers available at more wallet-friendly prices. Each offers features unique to their particular manufacturer. For example, the Google speaker supports Google Chromecast, while the Amazon model lets you pair the speaker with other Alexa-enabled devices. The Amazon gets a little louder, though, and its low-frequency extension is a touch better, so you enjoy more rumble in the bass. Its graphic EQ allows a little more ability to customize its sound over the Google speaker's bass and treble adjustments. Plus, its voice assistant performs better in noisy environments.
The Google Home Max and the Google Nest Mini both offer impressive performances for voice assistant, but the Home Max is a better choice for music and videos. Out-of-the-box, the Home Max has a better-balanced sound profile, and it can get louder. Also, it has lower latency over a Chromecast connection.
The Apple HomePod (1st generation) is a better speaker than the Google Nest Mini. The Apple has a more neutral sound profile and a better soundstage. It also gets louder, and its built-in voice assistant does a better job of understanding your voice in a noisy setting. However, the Google speaker's bass and treble adjustments offer more sound customization, and it's still a great choice for voice assistant capabilities.
Test Results
The Google Nest Mini is a small speaker with a simple design that should fit discretely into your existing decor. Four horizontal lights illuminate when you use the commands, such as adjusting the volume. There's also a screw slot in the back so you can wall-mount it. You can choose between 'Sky', 'Coral', 'Charcoal', and 'Chalk' variants.
This speaker isn't very portable. Despite its small size, it's powered only by AC, so it has to be plugged into a wall outlet for it to work.
The Google Nest Mini's build quality is acceptable. It's mostly made of plastic, which feels thick and solid. There's a tight-knit fabric covering the top of the speaker, which doesn't seem like it could tear easily, though it may collect dust over time.
The control scheme is great. There's a switch on the side of the speaker that lets you mute and unmute the microphone. Also, there are touch-sensitive controls on the top of the speaker. You can tap the center of the speaker to play/pause audio and answer/end a call, and you can tap the left or right sides to adjust the volume.
The Google Nest Mini has disappointing frequency response accuracy. Its sound profile is quite balanced and neutral, especially in the mid and treble ranges where vocals and lead instruments are reproduced. However, it lacks low-bass, so you don't feel the deep thump and rumble from bass-heavy music like EDM. Fortunately, there are bass and treble adjustment features in the app to help you customize its sound. For a speaker with a better-balanced sound out-of-the-box, consider the Apple HomePod mini.
The soundstage is okay. The directivity is excellent, resulting in a large soundstage. However, it doesn't have separate speakers for the left and right channels, so it downmixes stereo content to mono, which doesn't provide as immersive a listening experience.
This speaker has a disappointing dynamics performance. It doesn't get very loud, and there's some compression when you play it at max volume. It may not be suitable for listening to music at large, crowded parties.
This speaker doesn't have a battery. You can only use it if it's plugged into a wall outlet.
The Google Nest Mini has amazing voice assistant support. Like the Google Home Max, it has built-in Google Assistant, which you can activate using your voice. The speaker can understand you even if you are far away, which is nice. You can also mute the microphone when you don't want to use the voice assistant. However, its ambient noise performance isn't as good as the Amazon Echo Dot Gen 4, so it may struggle to hear your voice if you're a noisier environment.
The Google Home app is outstanding. There are bass and treble adjustments to help you customize the sound profile. You can also configure multiple Google speakers via the app or use two Nest Minis to create a larger stereo setup. If you own Amazon products and want a speaker that lets you connect them all together, you can always check out the Amazon Echo Pop instead.
This speaker doesn't support any wired connections.
The Google Nest Mini has fair Bluetooth connectivity. It's Bluetooth-compatible, and it can receive audio from your phone or tablet even if they aren't very close to the speaker. However, its latency is likely too high to be suitable for watching videos or movies. Some apps can compensate for latency, so your real-world experience may vary.
It's Wi-Fi compatible, and it has built-in Google Chromecast capabilities. However, its latency with Chromecast is very high, especially compared to other Chromecast-compatible speakers like the Google Home Max. As a result, it likely isn't suitable for watching videos or movies.