Google

Google Nest Mini

Ranked #16 in Smart Speakers

0 LP on the category ladder what's LP?

Aging hardware with weak sound, outclassed by the Echo Dot in its own head-to-head. Buy the Echo Dot Max or the Google Home Speaker instead.

Consolidated from 24 cited sources across 22 outlets

Where the cited sources landed, as we read them

13 positive sources
7 mixed sources
3 unconvinced sources

See the sources

Flagged as a product to avoid

8 of 13 research runs entered this as a product to avoid rather than a pick.

A 2020 design still on shelves, outclassed at its price by the Echo Dot on sound and by the new Google Home Speaker on assistant capability; even the budget guide that compares them hands the win to the Echo Dot.
Flagged 20 October 2026

3 earlier flags predate the point where runs began recording their reasoning, so their grounds were never written down.

A 2020 design still on shelves, outclassed at its price by the Echo Dot on sound and by the new Google Home Speaker on assistant capability; even the budget guide that compares them hands the win to the Echo Dot.
Flagged 20 October 2026
Ancient hardware still on shelves that Consumer Reports flags as overrated, now outclassed on sound by nearly everything else in the category.
Flagged 20 October 2026
Coasting on an old reputation, still sold but outclassed on sound and assistant quality by the Echo Dot (5th Gen) and the new Google Home Speaker (2026), both of which are the better buys.
Flagged 20 October 2026
Weak sound, poor mic array, and outclassed by the larger Nest Audio.
Flagged 13 September 2026
Google Nest Mini is too small for serious music and has limited speaker power
Flagged 13 September 2026

Why the boards include products to avoid

Check price

Pros & cons

✓ Cheap
✓ Familiar and still widely cross-shopped

✗ A 2020 design still sitting on shelves
✗ Outclassed at its price by the Echo Dot on sound
✗ Outclassed by the new Google Home Speaker on assistant capability
✗ Lost the budget head-to-head against the Echo Dot
✗ Flagged by Consumer Reports as an overrated device to avoid

The sources behind this ranking

We searched the web and YouTube for what has been published about this product, then read the articles, video transcripts and comments we found.

Evidence 13 articles, 10 video reviews and 1 community source

13 positive sources

TechSensePro Fernando Mercado · reviewer · Dec 2025

Our final recommendation: The Google Nest Mini 2nd Gen is still a steal at $59.99 for your smart home setup. So, after reviewing its features, is the Google Nest Mini 2nd Gen still worth buying for $59.99 in 2026? The answer is a resounding yes, especially if you are already deeply embedded in the Google ecosystem. If you use an Android phone, rely on Google Calendar, or manage your life through Gmail, this is simply the most logical and budget-friendly smart speaker for your home. It delivers fast, reliable voice control, decent sound for its size, and the convenience of having the powerful Google Assistant available in any room. It has all the core features you need for effective smart home automation without the high price tag of its newer rivals.

Read E Engadget Engadget · 1.4M subscribers · Oct 2019

We weren't able to compare the Home Mini and Nest Mini side by side, but from my impressions of the demo, the Nest Mini sounds even better than my Google Home. We listened to songs like "Boys" by Lizzo or "Starboy" by The Weeknd, and I could hear not only the powerful bass, but also the clear sound of the vocals and instruments in the high range.

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Tom's Guide Article · Sept 2025

The controls of the Nest Mini are touch sensitive and are only the cloth over the speaker. They light up to guide you to the controls. I sometimes missed the controls as I much prefer a tactile button like the Echo Dot has, but the ultrasound sensing built into the Nest Mini made it easier to locate the buttons each time. In my opinion, the design of the Nest Mini is more convenient for saving desktop space. It is pretty flat, and I never felt it got in the way.

Read T Tech With Brett Tech With Brett · 508K subscribers · Nov 2019

The Google Nest Mini is the 2nd Generation of the Google Home Mini. With better bass, fast voice command response & update features there is a lot to talk about!

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- Home of Smart Living Smart Home · reviewer · Mar 2026

The Nest Mini is the perfect entry point for those invested in the Google ecosystem. It is compact and easy to wall-mount. Google Assistant excels at answering complex questions. It uses Google’s massive search database to provide accurate information quickly. Additionally, it works perfectly with Google Calendar and YouTube Music.

6 Months Later 6 Months Later · 302K subscribers · May 2020

The Google Nest Mini is one of the most important products that Google makes. It's the most accessible ambient computing product in Google's lineup. As we continue to connect more and more of our devices to the Internet, the Nest Mini is the perfect smart speaker for playing music and media, controlling your smart home devices, and answering general queries and helping you with everyday tasks. In the six months I've had our Nest Mini, I've enjoyed using this device and overall I think it's a worthy successor to the Google Home Mini

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PCWorld Michael Brown, James Barber and Sam Singleton · reviewer · Nov 2024

Google Nest Mini smart speaker is capable, easy to use, and whip-smart thanks to Google Assistant. The affordability of the Nest Mini not only makes it a great option for those on a budget but it also means that you can buy more than one to place around your house if you’re so inclined.

6 Months Later 6 Months Later · 299K subscribers · Oct 2019

Google has also made some changes under the hood as well, they've worked on improving the speaker to make it sound just a little bit better and the speaker now also puts out two times the base of the original Google Home Mini. Here's a comparison of how the Nest Mini sounds compared to the Google Home Mini.

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TeqPik TeqPik · reviewer

The Nest Mini delivers surprisingly good audio quality for its size with clear mids, balanced treble, and decent bass thanks to its dual passive radiators. It's suitable for music listening and podcasts but not comparable to full-size speakers.

Read T Techkhamun Techkhamun · 26K subscribers · Jan 2020

However, Google says the new Nest Mini has twice the bass power of the original, with a richer, more natural sound that lets you hear more detail and is more true to the artist's intent. Now, would I agree with this? In fact, yes. When playing the same track on the Nest Mini, it definitely sounded better to my ears than on the Home Mini.

Watch G r/googlehome reddit.com

They work great. And I like that they are small.

Read thread P Pedals & Pixels Pedals & Pixels · 23.1K subscribers · Nov 2019

There are a few advantages of the Nest Mini such as wall mountable, an extra mic for better voice recognition, fully working touch controls, twice as much base and generally a better all round sound. How different is it to the Home Mini though? Watch and find out!

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James Adams James Adams · 486 subscribers · Sept 2022

All things considered, I think the 2nd generation Nest Mini gets 9 stars out of 10

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7 mixed sources

Gizmodo James Pero · reviewer · Dec 2025

One thing it still doesn’t do is properly understand that when I say “lights,” I mean all of my lights , not just the ones in my bedroom.

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Babbling Boolean Babbling Boolean · 97.3K subscribers · Nov 2019

So, the Nest Mini is a rock solid device, definitely worth checking out. The big question is, if you have the Google Home Mini, is it worth getting this upgrade? No. It's almost identical in almost every single way possible, and any of the upgrades that do come with it are very minute.

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Linkedin Followers · reviewer · Oct 2025

User feedback: 85% positive on YouTube reviews. Remaining 15% report Gemini misunderstood device names or created duplicate routines.

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Security.org Security.org · 75.1K subscribers · Nov 2019

Now, when it comes to cons, we do wish the Google Nest Mini had an auxiliary jack so that we could incorporate it into larger sound systems. Let's a look at some of the pros and cons on the Google Nest Mini. Gabe: Now that we've gone over some pros and cons for the Google Nest Mini, let's talk about its design. Now, a lot of folks say it looks like a hockey puck. Go Predators. However, I want to s

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Pcmag Sascha Segan · reviewer

The new Google Nest Mini speaker has better sound than the previous version, but it still lacks the 3.5mm jack many people want.

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Security.org Paul Frew · reviewer · Nov 2019

Google Nest Mini under the lens – Gabe Turner breaks it down!

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Android Central Article · Jul 2026

Excellent value (if you can still find one)

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3 unconvinced sources

Medium Article

Bass is thin, highs get muddy, and after a few songs you start wishing something was better. That’s why I took apart an old Nest Mini and rebuilt it — not just aesthetically, but functionally — with a custom 3D‑printed enclosure and better hardware. The result? A complete, smart, Hi‑Fi speaker that keeps all of the Nest Mini’s smart features and vastly improves the experience.

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Kaplangore Article

Plaintiffs allege that over the last five years, Google Nest Hub, Google Nest Hub Max, Google Nest Mini, and Google Nest Audio devices began to malfunction: they no longer respond to voice commands, randomly turn on or off, randomly go offline, disconnect from each other, fail to perform basic tasks, and respond slowly or with error messages.

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PiunikaWeb Article · May 2026

Google Nest Mini owners in the UK are dealing with a bizarre bug that completely breaks BBC Radio streams. Instead of playing live audio normally, the smart speakers are cutting out after just 30 seconds or trapping listeners in an endless time loop. The issue has been a constant headache for users over the last couple of weeks.

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1 stance not read source

9to5Google 9to5Google · 428K subscribers · Jun 2026

The Nest Mini has always been a set-it-and-forget-it fabric-covered puck that simply rests on a side table, or with that mount plate at the back of it, actually hangs inconspicuously from a wall if you do a screw-in, or a wall mount if you've purchased one of those.

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Frequently asked questions

It ranks #16 of 17 on our smart speakers tier list, in F tier. That placement draws on 24 cited sources across 22 outlets.

3 of the 23 sources with a clear view are critical of it: Kaplangore, Medium and PiunikaWeb. A 2020 design still sitting on shelves. Outclassed at its price by the Echo Dot on sound. Outclassed by the new Google Home Speaker on assistant capability. Lost the budget head-to-head against the Echo Dot. Flagged by Consumer Reports as an overrated device to avoid.