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  1. Table of Contents
  2. Top
  3. Main Differences
  4. Design
    1. Pictures
    2. Style
    3. Portability
    4. Build Quality
    5. Controls
    6. In The Box
  5. Sound
    1. Frequency Response Accuracy
    2. Raw Frequency Response
    3. Soundstage
    4. Dynamics
  6. Active Features
    1. Battery
    2. Voice Assistant
    3. App
  7. Connectivity
    1. Wired
    2. Bluetooth
    3. Wi-Fi
  8. Comments

Apple HomePod (1st generation) vs Google Nest Mini (2nd Gen)

Side-by-Side Comparison

Products

Apple HomePod (1st generation)
Google Nest Mini (2nd Gen)

Tested using Methodology v0.8

Updated Sep 04, 2024 07:33 PM

SEE PRICE
Amazon.com

Tested using Methodology v0.8

Updated Apr 15, 2025 08:02 PM

SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Apple HomePod (1st generation)  Picture
Google Nest Mini (2nd Gen) Picture
  1. Recommended in 1 article:
  2. Google

Variants

  • HomePod (1st generation) (Space Gray)
  • HomePod (1st generation) (White)
  • Nest Mini (2nd Gen) (Chalk)
  • Nest Mini (2nd Gen) (Charcoal)
  • Nest Mini (2nd Gen) (Coral)
  • Nest Mini (2nd Gen) (Sky)

Our Verdict

Apple HomePod (1st generation)

Google Nest Mini (2nd Gen)

The Apple HomePod (1st generation) is a better speaker than the Google Nest Mini (2nd Gen). 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.

0 

Main Differences for
Music

Threshold 

0.10

Music 

7.0
5.6

Frequency Response Accuracy 
 

7.3
5.2

Dynamics 
 

6.8
5.3

EQ 
 

No
Bass/Treble

Soundstage 
 

7.5
6.9

Full Comparison

Design

Style  

Style Photo  

Apple HomePod (1st generation)  Style Photo
Google Nest Mini (2nd Gen) Style Photo

RGB Lights  

No
No
Show Text 

Portability 
 

4.2
5.9

Dimensions Photo  

Apple HomePod (1st generation)  Dimensions Photo
Google Nest Mini (2nd Gen) Dimensions Photo

Volume 
 

203 in³ (3,332 cm³)
25 in³ (403 cm³)

Weight 
 

5.5 lbs (2.5 kg)
0.4 lbs (0.2 kg)

Power Source 
 

AC Only
AC Only

One-Hand Carry 
 

No
Yes
Show Text 

Build Quality 
 

6.4
6.4

Build Quality Photo  

Apple HomePod (1st generation)  Build Quality Photo
Google Nest Mini (2nd Gen) Build Quality Photo

Material Quality 
 

Good
Good

Water Resistance 
 

No
No

Dust Resistance 
 

Unspecified
Unspecified

Impact Resistance 
 

No
No

Floats In Water 
 

No
No
Show Text 

Controls 
 

8.0
8.0

Controls Photo  

Apple HomePod (1st generation)  Controls Photo
Google Nest Mini (2nd Gen) Controls Photo

Controls Photo 2  

Apple HomePod (1st generation)  Controls Photo 2
Google Nest Mini (2nd Gen) Controls Photo 2

Ease Of Use 
 

Great
Great

Feedback 
 

Great
Great

Music Play/Pause 
 

Yes (Tactile)
Yes (Tactile)

Call Answer/End 
 

Yes (Tactile)
Yes (Tactile)

Volume Up/Down 
 

Yes (Tactile)
Yes (Tactile)

Track Next/Previous 
 

Yes (Tactile)
No

Microphone On/Off 
 

No
Yes (Physical)

Additional Controls 
 

Yes
No
Show Text 

In The Box 
 

In The Box Photo  

Apple HomePod (1st generation)  In The Box Photo
Google Nest Mini (2nd Gen) In The Box Photo
Show Text 
Sound

Frequency Response Accuracy 
 

7.3
5.2

Frequency Response Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Slope 
 

0.19
-0.52

Std. Err. 
 

2.35 dB
2.91 dB

Low-Frequency Extension 
 

53.4 Hz
138.5 Hz

High-Frequency Extension 
 

19.1 kHz
15.3 kHz
Show Text 

Raw Frequency Response 
 

Raw Frequency Response Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Binaural Recording @ 1m 
 

Binaural Recording @ 2m 
 

Soundstage 
 

7.5
6.9

Directivity Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Directivity Index 
 

0.97 dB
2.10 dB

Stereo 
 

No (mono)
No (mono)
Show Text 

Dynamics 
 

6.8
5.3

Dynamic Range Compression  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

SPL @ Max Volume 
 

88.5 dB SPL
76.5 dB SPL

DRC @ Max Volume 
 

2.41 dB
2.58 dB
Show Text 
Active Features

Battery 
 

0.0
0.0

Battery Life 
 

N/A
N/A

Charge Time 
 

N/A
N/A

Power Saving 
 

No
No

Charging Port 
 

No Battery
No Battery

Battery Powered 
 

No
No
Show Text 

Voice Assistant 
 

10
8.9

Alexa 
 

No
No

Google Assistant 
 

No
Built-in

Speakerphone 
 

Yes
Yes

Siri 
 

Built-in
No

Voice Assistant 
 

Yes
Yes

Voice Activation 
 

Yes
Yes

Microphone Mute 
 

Yes
Yes

Far-Field Performance 
 

Excellent
Excellent

Ambient Noise Performance 
 

Excellent
Mediocre
Show Text 

App 
 

6.6
9.3

App Picture  

Apple HomePod (1st generation)  App Picture
Google Nest Mini (2nd Gen) App Picture

App Name 
 

Apple Home
Google Home

iOS 
 

Yes
Yes

Android 
 

No
Yes

EQ 
 

No
Bass/Treble

Stereo Pair Mode 
 

Yes
Yes

Party Mode 
 

Yes
Yes

Multi-Room 
 

Yes
Yes
Show Text 
Connectivity

Wired 
 

Aux Input 
 

No
No

USB Audio 
 

No
No

Other Ports 
 

No
No
Show Text 

Bluetooth 
 

0.0
6.7

Bluetooth 
 

No
Yes

Bluetooth Version 
 

No Bluetooth
5.0

Bluetooth iOS Latency 
 

N/A
232 ms

Bluetooth Android Latency 
 

N/A
263 ms

Bluetooth Range 
 

N/A
262.5 ft (80.0 m)

Multi-Device Pairing 
 

No
No
Show Text 

Wi-Fi 
 

8.1
6.5

Wi-Fi Version 
 

Wi-Fi 5
Wi-Fi 5

Wi-Fi Frequency Band 
 

2.4GHz & 5GHz
2.4GHz & 5GHz

Wi-Fi 
 

Yes
Yes

Apple AirPlay 
 

Yes
No

AirPlay Latency 
 

37 ms
N/A

Google Chromecast 
 

No
Yes

Chromecast Latency 
 

N/A
862 ms
Show Text 

Apple HomePod (1st generation)

Google Nest Mini (2nd Gen)

Comments

  1. Comparison

Apple HomePod (1st generation) vs Google Nest Mini (2nd Gen): Main Discussion

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