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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

Google Nest Audio vs Apple HomePod (2nd generation)

Side-by-Side Comparison

Products

Google Nest Audio
Apple HomePod (2nd generation)

Tested using Methodology v0.8

Updated Nov 11, 2024 07:28 PM

SEE PRICE
Amazon.com

Tested using Methodology v0.8

Updated Feb 03, 2025 02:19 PM

SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Google Nest Audio Picture
Apple HomePod (2nd generation) Picture
Bluetooth
Yes
Wi-Fi
Yes
Speakerphone
Yes
Voice Assistant
Yes
Battery Powered
No
Bluetooth
No
Wi-Fi
Yes
Speakerphone
Yes
Voice Assistant
Yes
Battery Powered
No
  1. Recommended in 2 articles:
  2. Brands
  3. Google
  1. Recommended in 3 articles:
  2. Brands
  3. iPhone
  4. Apple

Variants

  • Nest Audio (Chalk)
  • Nest Audio (Charcoal)
  • Nest Audio (Sage)
  • Nest Audio (Sand)
  • Nest Audio (Sky)
  • HomePod (2nd generation) (Midnight)
  • HomePod (2nd generation) (White)

Review

See Google Nest Audio Review
See Apple HomePod (2nd generation) Review
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Our Verdict

Google Nest Audio

Apple HomePod (2nd generation)

Depending on your listening habits, you may prefer either the Google Nest Audio or the Apple HomePod (2nd generation). Both smart speakers offer great voice assistant support through their respective assistants, though Apple's Siri does a bit better in noisier environments. The Apple has a more extended low-bass, which is great for listening to bass-centric music. However, it doesn't come with bass and treble adjustments like the Google speaker, so you can't customize its sound.

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Chalk
Nest Audio
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Midnight
HomePod (2nd generation)
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Charcoal
Nest Audio
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White
HomePod (2nd generation)
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Sage
Nest Audio
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Sand
Nest Audio
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Sky
Nest Audio
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Main Differences for
Music

Threshold 

0.10

Music 

6.2
7.2

Frequency Response Accuracy 
 

6.4
7.8

Soundstage 
 

6.4
7.6

EQ 
 

Bass/Treble
No

Full Comparison

Design

Style  

Style Photo  

Google Nest Audio Style Photo
Apple HomePod (2nd generation) Style Photo

RGB Lights  

No
No
Show text

Portability 
 

5.4
4.3

Dimensions Photo  

Google Nest Audio Dimensions Photo
Apple HomePod (2nd generation) Dimensions Photo

Volume 
 

93 in³ (1,522 cm³)
205 in³ (3,367 cm³)

Weight 
 

2.6 lbs (1.2 kg)
5.1 lbs (2.3 kg)

Power Source 
 

AC Only
AC Only

One-Hand Carry 
 

Yes
No
Show text

Build Quality 
 

6.4
6.4

Build Quality Photo  

Google Nest Audio Build Quality Photo
Apple HomePod (2nd generation) Build Quality Photo

Material Quality 
 

Good
Good

Water Resistance 
 

Unspecified
No

Dust Resistance 
 

Unspecified
Unspecified

Impact Resistance 
 

Unspecified
No

Floats In Water 
 

Unspecified
No
Show text

Controls 
 

8.0
8.0

Controls Photo  

Google Nest Audio Controls Photo
Apple HomePod (2nd generation) Controls Photo

Controls Photo 2  

Google Nest Audio Controls Photo 2
Apple HomePod (2nd generation) 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 
 

No
Yes (Tactile)

Microphone On/Off 
 

Yes (Physical)
No

Additional Controls 
 

No
Yes
Show text

In The Box 
 

In The Box Photo  

Google Nest Audio In The Box Photo
Apple HomePod (2nd generation) In The Box Photo
Show text
Sound

Frequency Response Accuracy 
 

6.4
7.8

Frequency Response Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Slope 
 

-0.44
0.87

Std. Err. 
 

4.62 dB
3.68 dB

Low-Frequency Extension 
 

56.6 Hz
32.7 Hz

High-Frequency Extension 
 

13.7 kHz
19.3 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 
 

6.4
7.6

Directivity Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Directivity Index 
 

3.13 dB
0.90 dB

Stereo 
 

No (mono)
No (mono)
Show text

Dynamics 
 

5.4
5.7

Dynamic Range Compression  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

SPL @ Max Volume 
 

84.0 dB SPL
85.2 dB SPL

DRC @ Max Volume 
 

4.14 dB
3.78 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

Voice Assistant 
 

9.1
10

Alexa 
 

No
No

Google Assistant 
 

Built-in
No

Speakerphone 
 

Yes
Yes

Siri 
 

No
Built-in

Voice Assistant 
 

Yes
Yes

Voice Activation 
 

Yes
Yes

Microphone Mute 
 

Yes
Yes

Far-Field Performance 
 

Excellent
Excellent

Ambient Noise Performance 
 

Decent
Excellent
Show text

App 
 

9.3
6.6

App Picture  

Google Nest Audio App Picture
Apple HomePod (2nd generation) App Picture

App Name 
 

Google Home
Apple Home

iOS 
 

Yes
Yes

Android 
 

Yes
No

EQ 
 

Bass/Treble
No

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 
 

6.8
0.0

Bluetooth 
 

Yes
No

Bluetooth Version 
 

5.0
No Bluetooth

Bluetooth iOS Latency 
 

236 ms
N/A

Bluetooth Android Latency 
 

252 ms
N/A

Bluetooth Range 
 

254.3 ft (77.5 m)
N/A

Multi-Device Pairing 
 

No
No
Show text

Wi-Fi 
 

7.3
7.7

Wi-Fi Version 
 

Wi-Fi 5
Wi-Fi 4

Wi-Fi Frequency Band 
 

2.4GHz & 5GHz
2.4GHz & 5GHz

Wi-Fi 
 

Yes
Yes

Apple AirPlay 
 

No
Yes

AirPlay Latency 
 

N/A
121 ms

Google Chromecast 
 

Yes
No

Chromecast Latency 
 

322 ms
N/A
Show text

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Chalk
Nest Audio
Searching
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Midnight
HomePod (2nd generation)
Searching
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Charcoal
Nest Audio
Searching
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White
HomePod (2nd generation)
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Sage
Nest Audio
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Sand
Nest Audio
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Sky
Nest Audio
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Back to Top

Google Nest Audio

Apple HomePod (2nd generation)

Comments

  1. Comparison
 • Posted 1 year ago

Google Nest Audio vs Apple HomePod (2nd generation): Main Discussion

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