Smart speakers and their respective personal assistants like Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant are a convenient way to stream your favorite music, control your smart home gadgets and ask nearly any question that may cross your mind.

The best part? You can get started for less with Amazon’s $34.99 Echo Dot and Google’s $24.99 Nest Mini, the least expensive smart speakers you can get. But which one is best for you? Here’s everything you need to know before you choose.

You use Alexa to control your home

Amazon and its Alexa platform arguably ushered in the use of smart speakers and personal assistants to control connected home devices. In addition to broad support, Amazon owns several smart home companies, such as Ring and Blink, and they all work without any fuss using any of Amazon’s Echo Dot lineup.

If you’re looking for an inexpensive smart speaker and have already invested in smart bulbs, garage door openers and other smart home devices that integrate with Alexa, the Echo Dot is a clear choice.

You want a clock and smart speaker for your nightstand

Unlike the Nest Mini, which only comes in a handful of colors, you can choose from several different models with the Echo Dot. For instance, the standard globe-shaped Echo Dot comes in three colors, while the Echo Dot With Clock comes in two colors and features a digital clock you can view through the fabric covering.

Looking for an Echo Dot for your kid? You can get one that looks like a tiger or a panda. And there’s even a stylish, limited-edition Echo Dot design collaboration with Diane von Furstenburg that is sure to be a conversation starter. Pricing starts at $34.99 for the base model, while the limited-edition design is $69.99.

The Echo Dot and, for that matter, the Nest Mini can both fill a small room with your favorite tunes from most music services, but don’t expect to be overly impressed with the audio quality. That said, both speakers are perfectly competent when it comes to listening to podcasts and casual jam sessions.

Mike Andronico/CNN

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Source: https://www.cnn.com/2022/01/11/cnn-underscored/amazon-echo-dot-vs-google-nest-mini/index.html