$99 Speaker Showdown: HomePod Mini vs. Amazon Echo and Google Nest Audio

Apple recently released the HomePod mini, a new $99 version of the original HomePod that's smaller, cuter, and, most importantly, competitively priced. At $99, the ‌HomePod mini‌ can better compete with affordable smart speakers from companies like Google and Amazon.


The ‌HomePod mini‌ has been praised for its high-quality sound at its price point, so we thought we'd compare it to Google's Nest Audio and Amazon's Echo to see how it measures up in terms of sound quality, design, and smarts. In the video and the photos below, the ‌HomePod mini‌ is the white speaker, the Amazon Echo is the black speaker, and the Google Nest Audio is the gray speaker that's taller in size.

homepod mini amazon echo size
First and foremost, the Nest Audio is priced at $99.99, and the Amazon Echo has an MSRP of $99.99, but it's currently on sale for $70, so all three speakers are available at about the same price points. We may not see the ‌HomePod mini‌ drop in price to Echo level anytime soon given that it was just released, so Amazon has an edge when it comes to pricing.

nest audio homepod mini comparison
The Nest and the Echo are larger than the ‌HomePod mini‌, but all three have a similar mesh fabric design. The Nest Audio has a tall, flat design, while the Echo and ‌HomePod mini‌ have a round shape.

The Echo has easy to use physical buttons, while the Nest Audio has capacitive touch controls that aren't exactly intuitive when you're first starting to use it. The ‌HomePod mini‌ has a little touch area at the top that supports touch gestures and lets you know when Siri's been activated.

amazon echo homepod mini side by side
There is no built-in microphone muting function on the ‌HomePod mini‌, while both the Nest and Echo have mute switches so you can prevent them from listening to conversations if desired. The Echo has a 3.5mm headphone jack that can connect to other devices, something lacking on the ‌HomePod mini‌ and the Nest.

When it comes to power, the ‌HomePod mini‌ is the only one of the bunch that has a USB-C connector and a separate power adapter, which means it theoretically can be run off of a battery pack with a USB-C port.

homepod mini
As for sound quality, there's not as much difference as you might think and all three sound close to the same. At similar volumes, the ‌HomePod mini‌ has a more balanced sound with nothing blown out, but the Echo and the Nest deliver more bass (perhaps a little too much) and can reach higher volumes due to their larger sizes. Audio equipment inside each speaker is listed below.

  • Amazon Echo: 76mm woofer and two 20mm tweeters.
  • Nest Audio: 75mm woofer and one 19mm tweeter.
  • ‌HomePod mini‌: Full range driver and dual passive radiators.

The Nest Audio and the Amazon Echo win out over the ‌HomePod mini‌ if you're looking for volume because they can better fill a room with sound. You can pair two ‌HomePod‌ minis together to ramp up the volume, but that requires another $99 investment. Even with a much smaller form factor, the ‌HomePod mini‌ isn't too far off from the larger speakers, and the ‌HomePod mini‌'s sound continues to be impressive for such a tiny device.

amazon echo
All of the speakers are considered smart speakers and work with ‌Siri‌ (‌HomePod mini‌), Google Assistant (Nest Audio), and Alexa (Amazon Echo). The speakers can be used to control smart home devices, answer questions, place calls, get news updates, check calendars, and more, so for the most part, regardless of speaker, it's going to do what most people want in a smart speaker.

The ‌HomePod mini‌ is limited to controlling HomeKit-enabled devices and it is not as open or compatible with as many devices as the Amazon Echo or the Google Nest. If you don't have a significant HomeKit setup, the smart home features of the ‌HomePod mini‌ are going to be useless.

nest audio
Alexa and Google Assistant can do more than ‌Siri‌ and have long been considered to be better at answering queries and completing tasks than ‌Siri‌. Alexa in particular is great for custom home automation workflows, but Apple's ‌Siri‌ is the most privacy-focused of the bunch, which is worth considering. If you just want basic smart functionality, though, any of the three speakers works well.

Amazon's Echo works with almost all music services, including Apple Music and Spotify, while the Nest Audio works with Spotify, YouTube Music, Pandora, and Deezer. The ‌HomePod mini‌ is designed to work with ‌Apple Music‌ primarily, but Apple has implemented support for third-party music services. Spotify does not work natively on the ‌HomePod mini‌ as of yet, but that functionality may be coming, and Amazon Music and iHeartRadio are adding support.

Right now, the ‌HomePod mini‌ works with Pandora as a third-party music app, and other music services need to be AirPlayed to the speaker using an iOS device.

amazon echo homepod mini nest audio comparison
All in all, these speakers are all fairly similar when it comes to sound and performance. Choosing between them mostly comes down to ecosystem preference. If you already have Alexa-enabled devices, the Amazon Echo is a better choice. Similarly, if you use Google Assistant, it makes sense to pick up a Nest Audio. For those in the Apple ecosystem, especially those who use ‌Apple Music‌ and have ‌HomeKit‌ setups, the ‌HomePod mini‌ is an ideal choice.

Which smart speaker do you prefer? Let us know in the comments.

Related Roundup: HomePod mini
Buyer's Guide: HomePod Mini (Neutral)

Top Rated Comments

Rocko99991 Avatar
43 months ago
Just pick the one that collects/sells the least amount of data.
Score: 29 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Jimmy James Avatar
43 months ago


Attachment Image
Score: 26 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Apple_Robert Avatar
43 months ago
No way would I entertain the thought of Amazon or Google due to privacy concerns. I have been pleased with my new HomePod mini.
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
BWhaler Avatar
43 months ago
We bought one HomePod mini, and we love it.

Siri kinda sucks, but privacy is paramount, especially in the home.
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
PJWilkin Avatar
43 months ago
Siri is the HomePods biggest let down

until Apple drastically improve it, the HomePod will remain infuriating
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jclo Avatar
43 months ago
I like my mini, but I wish Apple had made it wireless and given us an option to use it sans cord. Maybe a wireless charging base so it could be a pick up and bring it wherever situation.
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iPhone Home Screen Gradient Blank Spaces 1

Sources: iOS 18 Lets Apps Be Placed Anywhere on Home Screen Grid

Sunday March 24, 2024 1:33 pm PDT by
iOS 18 will give iPhone users greater control over Home Screen app icon arrangement, according to sources familiar with the matter. While app icons will likely remain locked to an invisible grid system on the Home Screen, to ensure there is some uniformity, our sources say that users will be able to arrange icons more freely on iOS 18. For example, we expect that the update will introduce...
iPad Pro 2024 Landscape Camera Feature

New iPad Pro Again Rumored to Feature Landscape Front-Facing Camera

Monday March 25, 2024 5:43 am PDT by
The next-generation iPad Pro will feature a landscape-oriented front-facing camera for the first time, according to the Apple leaker known as "Instant Digital." Instant Digital reiterated the design change earlier today on Weibo with a simple accompanying 2D image. The post reveals that the entire TrueDepth camera array will move to the right side of the device, while the microphone will...
iPhone 15 General Feature Green

Apple Says These New iOS Features Are Coming Later This Year

Sunday March 24, 2024 7:45 am PDT by
Apple has previously announced three new iOS features that it said are coming to the iPhone later this year, as outlined below. The new features include the ability to install iPhone apps on the web in the EU, RCS support in the Messages app, and next-generation CarPlay. Web Distribution Apple recently announced that eligible developers will soon be able to distribute their iOS apps to ...
sonoma desktop wwdc

Apple Releases macOS Sonoma 14.4.1 With Fix for USB Hub Bug

Monday March 25, 2024 10:10 am PDT by
Apple today released macOS Sonoma 14.4.1, a minor update for the macOS Sonoma operating system that launched last September. macOS Sonoma 14.4.1 comes three weeks after macOS Sonoma 14.4. The ‌‌‌‌macOS Sonoma‌‌ 14.4‌.1 update can be downloaded for free on all eligible Macs using the Software Update section of System Settings. There's also a macOS 13.6.6 release for those who...
Beyond iPhone 13 Better Blue Face ID Single Camera Hole

Seven Reasons to Wait for Next Year's iPhone 17

Tuesday March 19, 2024 5:20 am PDT by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models concurrently, which is why we sometimes get rumored feature leaks so far ahead of launch. The iPhone 17 series is no different, and already we have some idea of what to expect from Apple's 2025 smartphone lineup. If you plan to skip...
maxresdefault

iOS 18 Rumored to Feature 'More Customizable' Home Screen

Sunday March 24, 2024 7:10 am PDT by
iOS 18 will feature a revamped Home Screen that is "more customizable," according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. He revealed this information in his Power On newsletter today, but he did not provide any specific details. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Apple will announce iOS 18 at its annual developers conference WWDC in June. Other features and changes rumored for...
combine images

Top Stories: iOS 18's Generative AI Features to Rely on Google?, Latest on New iPads, and More

Saturday March 23, 2024 6:00 am PDT by
We're getting closer to the launch of new iPad Pro and iPad Air models, while rumors about iOS 18 are continuing to ramp up with this week's surprise revelation that Apple has been talking to Google and others about potentially helping power the generative AI features expected to be a major part of this year's update. Other news this week saw the release of iOS 17.4.1 and iPadOS 17.4.1...