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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

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 Nov 11, 2024 07:27 PM

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

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

Our Verdict

Apple HomePod (1st generation)

Google Nest Mini

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.

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Space Gray
HomePod (1st generation)
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White
HomePod (1st generation)
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Charcoal
Nest Mini
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Main Differences for

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 Style Photo

RGB Lights  

No
No

Show text

Portability 
 

4.2
5.9

Dimensions Photo  

Apple HomePod (1st generation)  Dimensions Photo
Google Nest Mini 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 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 Controls Photo

Controls Photo 2  

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

Check Price

Space Gray
HomePod (1st generation)
Searching
Finding store
White
HomePod (1st generation)
Searching
Finding store
Charcoal
Nest Mini
Searching
Finding store
 

Apple HomePod (1st generation)

Google Nest Mini

Comments

  1. Comparison

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

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