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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

Bose SoundLink Micro vs Google Nest Audio

Side-by-Side Comparison

Products

Bose SoundLink Micro
Google Nest Audio

Tested using Methodology v0.8

Updated Aug 15, 2024 01:02 PM

SEE PRICE
Amazon.com

Tested using Methodology v0.8

Updated Nov 11, 2024 07:28 PM

SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Bose SoundLink Micro Picture
Google Nest Audio Picture
  1. Recommended in 2 articles:
  2. Brands
  3. Google

Variants

  • SoundLink Micro (Black)
  • SoundLink Micro (Bright Orange)
  • SoundLink Micro (Midnight Blue)
  • SoundLink Micro (Stone Blue)
  • SoundLink Micro (White Smoke)
  • Nest Audio (Chalk)
  • Nest Audio (Charcoal)
  • Nest Audio (Sage)
  • Nest Audio (Sand)
  • Nest Audio (Sky)

Our Verdict

Bose SoundLink Micro

Google Nest Audio

The Bose SoundLink Micro and the Google Nest Audio have different strengths, and you may prefer one over the other. The Bose is better for outdoor use as it's more portable since it's battery-powered, better built, and has an IP67 rating for water resistance. It also supports Bluetooth. However, the Google speaker is better for voice assistants since it has Google Assistant built-in. It also has a more comprehensive companion app, a better-balanced sound profile, and you can play audio from this speaker using Wi-Fi.

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Black
SoundLink Micro
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Chalk
Nest Audio
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Bright Orange
SoundLink Micro
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Charcoal
Nest Audio
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Midnight Blue
SoundLink Micro
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Stone Blue
SoundLink Micro
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White Smoke
SoundLink Micro
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Main Differences for
Music

Threshold 

0.10

Music 

5.8
6.2

Frequency Response Accuracy 
 

5.6
6.4

Soundstage 
 

7.5
6.4

EQ 
 

No
Bass/Treble

Full Comparison

Design

Style  

Style Photo  

Bose SoundLink Micro Style Photo
Google Nest Audio Style Photo

RGB Lights  

No
No
Show text

Portability 
 

9.4
5.4

Dimensions Photo  

Bose SoundLink Micro Dimensions Photo
Google Nest Audio Dimensions Photo

Volume 
 

26 in³ (418 cm³)
93 in³ (1,522 cm³)

Weight 
 

0.7 lbs (0.3 kg)
2.6 lbs (1.2 kg)

Power Source 
 

Battery & USB
AC Only

One-Hand Carry 
 

Yes
Yes
Show text

Build Quality 
 

8.5
6.4

Build Quality Photo  

Bose SoundLink Micro Build Quality Photo
Google Nest Audio Build Quality Photo

Material Quality 
 

Good
Good

Water Resistance 
 

Submersible (IPx7)
Unspecified

Dust Resistance 
 

Dust-Proof (IP6x)
Unspecified

Impact Resistance 
 

Yes (IK rating unspecified)
Unspecified

Floats In Water 
 

No
Unspecified
Show text

Controls 
 

7.9
8.0

Controls Photo  

Bose SoundLink Micro Controls Photo
Google Nest Audio Controls Photo

Controls Photo 2  

Bose SoundLink Micro Controls Photo 2
Google Nest Audio Controls Photo 2

Ease Of Use 
 

Great
Great

Feedback 
 

Good
Great

Music Play/Pause 
 

Yes (Physical)
Yes (Tactile)

Call Answer/End 
 

Yes (Physical)
Yes (Tactile)

Volume Up/Down 
 

Yes (Physical)
Yes (Tactile)

Track Next/Previous 
 

Yes (Physical)
No

Microphone On/Off 
 

No
Yes (Physical)

Additional Controls 
 

Yes
No
Show text

In The Box 
 

In The Box Photo  

Bose SoundLink Micro In The Box Photo
Google Nest Audio In The Box Photo
Show text
Sound

Frequency Response Accuracy 
 

5.6
6.4

Frequency Response Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Slope 
 

-0.63
-0.44

Std. Err. 
 

4.44 dB
4.62 dB

Low-Frequency Extension 
 

91.1 Hz
56.6 Hz

High-Frequency Extension 
 

16.0 kHz
13.7 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
6.4

Directivity Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Directivity Index 
 

1.04 dB
3.13 dB

Stereo 
 

No (mono)
No (mono)
Show text

Dynamics 
 

5.7
5.4

Dynamic Range Compression  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

SPL @ Max Volume 
 

78.6 dB SPL
84.0 dB SPL

DRC @ Max Volume 
 

2.27 dB
4.14 dB
Show text
Active Features

Battery 
 

6.5
0.0

Battery Life 
 

7.8 hrs
N/A

Charge Time 
 

5.4 hrs
N/A

Power Saving 
 

Yes
No

Charging Port 
 

Micro-USB
No Battery

Battery Powered 
 

Yes
No
Show text

Voice Assistant 
 

4.9
9.1

Alexa 
 

No
No

Google Assistant 
 

Yes (Requires Smartphone)
Built-in

Speakerphone 
 

Yes
Yes

Siri 
 

Yes (Requires Smartphone)
No

Voice Assistant 
 

Yes
Yes

Voice Activation 
 

No
Yes

Microphone Mute 
 

No
Yes

Far-Field Performance 
 

Excellent
Excellent

Ambient Noise Performance 
 

Decent
Decent
Show text

App 
 

6.6
9.3

App Picture  

Bose SoundLink Micro App Picture
Google Nest Audio App Picture

App Name 
 

Bose Connect
Google Home

iOS 
 

Yes
Yes

Android 
 

Yes
Yes

EQ 
 

No
Bass/Treble

Stereo Pair Mode 
 

Yes
Yes

Party Mode 
 

Yes
Yes

Multi-Room 
 

No
Yes
Show text
Connectivity

Wired 
 

Aux Input 
 

No
No

USB Audio 
 

No
No

Other Ports 
 

No
No
Show text

Bluetooth 
 

8.7
6.8

Bluetooth 
 

Yes
Yes

Bluetooth Version 
 

Unspecified
5.0

Bluetooth iOS Latency 
 

67 ms
236 ms

Bluetooth Android Latency 
 

98 ms
252 ms

Bluetooth Range 
 

187.0 ft (57.0 m)
254.3 ft (77.5 m)

Multi-Device Pairing 
 

2 Devices
No
Show text

Wi-Fi 
 

0.0
7.3

Wi-Fi Version 
 

No Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi 5

Wi-Fi Frequency Band 
 

No Wi-Fi
2.4GHz & 5GHz

Wi-Fi 
 

No
Yes

Apple AirPlay 
 

No
No

AirPlay Latency 
 

N/A
N/A

Google Chromecast 
 

No
Yes

Chromecast Latency 
 

N/A
322 ms
Show text

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Black
SoundLink Micro
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Chalk
Nest Audio
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Bright Orange
SoundLink Micro
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Charcoal
Nest Audio
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Midnight Blue
SoundLink Micro
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Stone Blue
SoundLink Micro
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White Smoke
SoundLink Micro
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Bose SoundLink Micro

Google Nest Audio

Comments

  1. Comparison

Bose SoundLink Micro vs Google Nest Audio: Main Discussion

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