Google Home Mini Review A Handy Way To Say Ok Google

A doughnut that can speak

When you first look at it, the Google Home Mini does not look like a gadget at all. The doughnut sized device looks more like a stylish paperweight than a smart speaker, which we think is a big plus because the Home Mini will just blend in easily with your home decor without making it look like a gadget store. The Google Home Mini is basically divided into three different textured segments. The first one is the mesh-like cloth which dominates the speaker by covering more than the upper half of the device. This mesh-like cloth segment is also the front of the speaker whereon lie the four LED light indicators in a line. The light indicators light up in red, blue, green and yellow colors (the Google colors). These indicators light up when the speaker turns on or when it gets a command. There are also touch-enabled volume controls on the extreme left and right side of the light indicator row. The volume controls are super sensitive and can operate with a slight brush of the fingers. While the cloth covering the speaker looks sturdy, we noticed a few cracks appearing in the cloth during our review period.

The second tier is the plastic one. This mid segment comes with physical mute/unmute toggle for voice detection with a hint of orange on the inside. Along with the toggle, there is also a micro USB port which powers the speaker. Last but not the least is the third segment which is the orange silicon base of the Google Home Mini. The base of the Home Mini has some information and warning about the device around the circumference and comes with the company’s logo in the center. The Google Home Mini is pretty compact and can easily fit the palm of your hand. It has a 98 mm diameter and is 42 mm high. The smart speaker is also not too heavy and weighs 173 grams – that is lighter than some of the smartphones out there.

Loud and clear, with the power of Search

First things first, setting up the Google Home Mini is a cakewalk. All you have to do is install the Google Home app from App Store or Play Store on your phone, connect the Google Home Mini to a power source and follow the instructions on the app which are pretty basic, as well. After the setup is complete, the Google Home app will take you through few things that the voice assistant can do for you like setting alarms, make a shopping list, know about weather.

In the performance department, the Google Home Mini can do everything its bigger siblings in size can do. The only difference? The size of the speaker. The device, which feeds on your Wi-Fi connection can complete all your voice assistant oriented tasks. All you have to do is say the magic wake words, “Okay, Google” or “Hey, Google”, to wake the device up and shoot your command right at it. The Home Mini is quick to catch commands, the microphones on the smart speaker are fairly sensitive, and although it is a super compact device, the speaker can easily wake up to your commands from across the room. And the answers are loud enough to be heard from across the room – of course; you would always need to be connected to the Internet. Google is the God of search engines, and this definitely works in favor of the Google Home Mini as the Google Assistant comes as a treasure chest that is packed with all the answers to your questions (well, mostly). You can ask the Home Mini about the weather, about math equations, about geography amongst a million other things and whatever there is on Google Search will definitely be served to you.

Stream some music…and it sounds good

With the Google Home Mini you not only get the brains of Google search but also can stream music by connecting to music streaming services like Saavn or Gaana (for which you would have to link your Saavn or Gaana account with the device), it can read your daily news, help you find places nearby amongst other things.

One can also stream content from Netflix and YouTube with the Google Home Mini, but you would need Google Chromecast to access those services. The device is also compatible with various smart home services like Philips Hue, TP-Link, IFTTT. The device comes with various language options. Unfortunately, Hindi is not one of them, instead, the smart speaker has compatibility for Indian English which is pretty much basic English with a weird accent.